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Understanding 
Assignment 
Briefs 
Learning Enhancement Team 
LET@mdx.ac.uk 
© Middlesex University 
Variety is the Spice of Life! 
Different Schools…                                  ….Different Rules 
 
– Can you use ‘I’ in an academic text? 
– Should an essay have section headings? 
– How long is a report? 
– Do you use primary or secondary research? 
– Footnotes, endnotes or no notes? 
– Harvard style referencing or MLA? What about APA? 
 
Which school are you in? What is acceptable and what is 
unacceptable in your field? 
Always check in your module handbooks or with your 
tutor if you are concerned about appropriacy 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  2 
© Middlesex University 
Understanding Assignment Briefs Aims 
 
—To analyse question types 
—To look at common instructions 
—To consider how the question can help planning 
—To look at description and analysis 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  3 
© Middlesex University 
Planning 
|  4 Understanding Assignment Briefs 
Planning can make or break an assignment, especially those types 
of assignment(s) with long and complex briefs. 
 
— Do you plan your writing? 
— How do you plan? 
— Do you always follow your plan? 
— Does your plan change? 
 
 
© Middlesex University 
— Lack of Planning 
• No direction 
• No focus 
— Failure to dissect the problem/issue/question 
• Just writing about the general topic 
— Weak introduction 
• The reader can’t see what’s coming and why 
— Letting the material ‘speak for itself’ 
• Vague, detached, aimless writing 
– The reader is thinking “and..?”; “so what..?” 
 
 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  5 
Weak Writing 
Results in the text 
having no genuine 
meaning 
© Middlesex University 
Using The Question 
You can use your assignment brief to plan your essay. This has a 
number of advantages, most notably the fact you can make sure 
you are answering the question, and you can plan your thread. 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  6 
© Middlesex University 
Essay Question 
To make an essay question easier to tackle, it can be useful to 
divide the question into three parts: 
 
— TOPIC – the broad phenomenon under examination  
— FOCUS – the specific “what about” the broad phenomenon? 
What angle / perspective?  
— INSTRUCTION – what you should do in the essay (i.e. Discuss / 
Analyse / Outline etc.) 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  7 
© Middlesex University 
Example 
Consider the following essay question:  
 
 “Discuss the Strategic Importance to a Business of the 
Operations Function” 
 
 
— TOPIC = The operations function 
— FOCUS = The strategic importance to a business  
— INSTRUCTION  = Discuss 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  8 
© Middlesex University 
Task 
With a partner, decide what is the TOPIC, FOCUS and INSTRUCTION is for these 
questions: 
 
1. Discuss the main reasons leading to the breakdown of the Bretton Woods 
agreement. 
 
2. Compare and contrast the urban problems of developed and less developed 
countries. 
 
3. Account for the success of the mobile phone industry in Britain today. 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  9 
© Middlesex University 
Task 
With a partner, decide what is the TOPIC, FOCUS and INSTRUCTION is for these 
questions: 
 
1. Discuss the main reasons leading to the breakdown of the Bretton Woods 
agreement. 
 
2. Compare and contrast the urban problems of developed and less developed 
countries. 
 
3. Account for the success of the mobile phone industry in Britain today. 
4. Account for the success of the mobile phone industry in Britain today. 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  10 
© Middlesex University 
Planning 
Essays follow a General-to-Specific 
pattern 
You can use the Topic and Focus to 
help you create the basic structure 
of your essays: 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  11 
Bretton Woods 
agreement – 
what? Where? 
Why? Who? 
 
Breakdown – 
reason one? 
Reason two? 
Reason three? 
The AWL Open Workshop Essay 
Writing  could also help you to 
improve your writing. 
© Middlesex University 
Planning 
Essays follow a General-to-Specific pattern. Once you have the basic structure, you can focus on the 
Instruction – in this case, ‘Discuss’: 
Discuss main reasons leading to the breakdown of the Bretton Wood Agreement: 
— Reason one: 
• Why? What effects? Complete or partial breakdown? Why? Any advantages? 
What? What? How does it compare to similar breakdowns? Could it have been 
avoided? Why? How? Why not?.... 
— Reason Two 
• Why? What effects? Complete or partial breakdown? Why? Any advantages? 
What? What? How does it compare to similar breakdowns? Could it have been 
avoided? Why? How? Why not?.... 
— Reason Three 
• Why? What effects? Complete or partial breakdown? Why? Any advantages? 
What? What? How does it compare to similar breakdowns? Could it have been 
avoided? Why? How? Why not?.... 
— How did these reasons result in the breakdown? Would it always have happened? 
Was one reason more significant? Why?/Were all the reasons cumulative? Why? 
 
 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  12 
© Middlesex University 
Instructions 
1. DESCRIBE 
2. DISCUSS 
3. EVALUATE 
4. EXAMINE 
5. EXPLAIN 
6. STATE 
7. SUMMARISE 
8. JUSTIFY 
9. OUTLINE 
10.RELATE 
 
A. Give reasons for something  
B. Look at carefully 
C. Describe without details 
D. Give the facts 
E. Decide on the value of a theory 
F. Give the main features of a theory omitting 
minor details  
G. Present in brief clear form  
H. Show how things are connected to each 
other 
I. Consider all sides of an issue 
J. Provide satisfactory reasons 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  13 
© Middlesex University 
Instructions 
1. DESCRIBE 
2. DISCUSS 
3. EVALUATE 
4. EXAMINE 
5. EXPLAIN 
6. STATE 
7. SUMMARIZE 
8. JUSTIFY 
9. OUTLINE 
10.RELATE 
 
1. Give the facts 
2. Consider all sides of an issue 
3. Decide on the value of a theory 
4. Look at carefully 
5. Give reasons for something  
6. Present in brief clear form  
7. Describe without details 
8. Provide satisfactory reasons 
9. Give the main features of a theory omitting 
minor details  
10. Show how things are connected to each 
other 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  14 
© Middlesex University 
Task 
With the person next to you, look at your own assignment 
question. Use this to make a basic plan. 
Presentation title |  15 
© Middlesex University 
Question Types 
There are two common types of assignment question, direct and 
Quotation. 
 
Direct Questions: 
— Discuss the strategic importance to a business of the operations function 
— Identify and critically discuss the major factors that can and should influence 
the pricing policy of exporting companies  
 
Quotation Questions: 
“Of course, managers should avoid treating their customers in an unethical 
manner. After all, in the long run, unethical behaviour towards customers 
only serves to harm the firms’ own interests.” 
 Critically evaluate this statement with reference to examples illustrating at 
least two areas of the Marketing Mix. 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  16 
© Middlesex University 
Extent 
‘Extent’ is another very commonly used word in essay questions. 
For example: 
 
— “To what extent ...?” 
— “Assess the extent to which ...” 
— “To what extent do you agree that ...?” 
— “[Quote] To what extent do you agree?” 
—  “[Quote] To what extent is this true?” 
 
What does ‘extent’ mean? What do your lecturers expect from 
you? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  17 
© Middlesex University 
Extent 
Analyse this question. What do you need to consider? 
 
“To what extent can we attribute high individual performance to 
employee training, learning and development?” 
 
 
— High employee performance is [solely] due to training learning 
& development 
— Training, learning & development is what produces / leads to / 
brings about high employee performance 
—  It is training learning & development that produces / leads to / 
brings about high employee performance 
 
 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  18 
© Middlesex University 
Extent 
Analyse this question. What do you need to consider? 
 
“To what extent can we attribute high individual performance to 
employee training, learning and development?” 
 
— to a massive extent 
— to a huge extent 
— to a significant extent 
— to a certain extent 
— to a limited extent  
— to a very limited extent 
— X plays a pivotal / central / fundamental / major / key / predominant / 
significant / limited / minor role in ...  
 
 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  19 
© Middlesex University 
Conclusion 
“To what extent can we attribute high individual performance to 
employee training, learning and development?” 
 
Conclusion:  
 For these reasons, we can draw a number of conclusions. Firstly, this is a 
[highly] complex area in which a wide variety of different factors interplay / 
there are a number of critical factors underlying high employee 
performance. Secondly, and more specifically, ... [Thirdly, and very/most 
importantly, ...] In terms of how big a role is played specifically by training, 
learning and development however, the evidence clearly shows / suggests 
[seems to show / suggest] {seems to point to the fact} that ...   
 
 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  20 
© Middlesex University 
Description And Analysis 
At university, you are expected to be analytical (critical) in 
your writing – but you still need to include some description! 
 
What is the difference between ‘description’ and ‘analysis’?  
 
DESCRIPTION = 
—  An explanation of the issues that are relevant to the essay  
— The ‘what’ ‘where’ ‘when’ ‘who’ aspects  
ANALYSIS = 
—  An actual line of argument that formulates an evaluation of the issues  
— The ‘why’ (and maybe the ‘how’)  
— Analysis of the roots of theories, ideas etc 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  21 
© Middlesex University 
Tip 
To ensure a balance between description and analysis, identify the 
different questions: 
 “Identify and critically discuss the major factors that can and 
should influence the pricing policy of exporting companies.”  
 
— What are the major factors? [DESCRIPTION] 
— What are the strengths / weaknesses / problems / issues 
relating to these factors according to research & my beliefs/ 
understanding? [ANALYSIS] 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  22 
Don’t forget the AWL Open 
Workshop Critical Thinking and 
Reading Journal Articles can help 
improve criticality! 
© Middlesex University 
The Writing Process 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  23 
Thinking, 
reflecting, 
planning 
Reading & note-
taking 
Drafting and 
redrafting 
Writing and 
rewriting 
Editing and 
checking 
© Middlesex University 
Where now? 
— Need more detailed assistance? Book a tutorial! 
— Want feedback on a specific section? Drop in to Getting Your Assignment 
Ready! 
— Want somewhere quiet to write, and get on the spot assistance? Try The 
Writing Space! 
— Got a few quick questions? AWL Office Hours at [The Study Hub] are for 
you! 
— AWL Open Workshops can be booked here! 
• Suggestions: 
– Essay Writing 
– Critical Thinking 
– Reading Journal Articles 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  24 
© Middlesex University 
Understanding Assignment Briefs 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Understanding Assignment Briefs |  25