Skip to Main Content
Bradford College
Library Online
Library User Library Account
USING THE LIBRARY
Using your library Finding Items Borrowing items Returning items Requesting Items Borrowing a Laptop Study Booths Book a Booth Inter-Library Loans
FINDING RESOURCES
Subject guides Library Catalogue Electronic resources Search for Articles A-Z of Journals Online Databases Online Magazines Culture & Wellbeing
STUDY SKILLS
Study skills Essential Study Skills Writing Skills Evaluating Information Research Skills Referencing & Plagiarism Critical Thinking Exam & Revision Skills Literature Reviews & Dissertations IT and Digital Skills
HELP & SUPPORT
Contact Us Your librarians About your library Learning Support FAQs Get Involved Staff support Student Links Customer Service Library Policies

Study Skills

Books and online tutorials to help you understand, practice and improve your study skills

Writing essays and assignments

While you are at college you will be expected to write different types of assignments such as essays, reports and reflective journals.  These demonstrate to your teachers that you have understood your topic, and extended your knowledge by further reading and research. You also need to be able to communicate this knowledge via a written argument in an academic format.  This page will help you learn how to plan and write assignments, and provide resources to help with spelling, punctuation and grammar.  

Five steps to writing essays and assignments
Step One: Understand the Question

It is important to understand what an essay question or assignment brief is asking. These guides will help you analyse the question and identify the task.

Firstly, make sure you can identify and understand the command verbs in the assignment title.  These tell you what kind of assignment you are being asked to write.  You may be asked to describe, evaluate or explain - each are asking for a different kind of answer.  Click on the link below for a guide to understanding command verbs. 

Next, analyse the question. What are the content words - these tell you what information you need to include. 

Step 2: Starting to Research.

Once you have understood the question, create a list of all the ideas, theories, and examples that you already know about from class or your own reading that relate to the question. Use these as a starting point for further research.  You can also go back to the textbooks on your reading list and look for your topics there.

Step 3: Writing an Essay Plan.

Deciding on a rough structure for your essay before you start writing will help ensure that your ideas are logically ordered and easy for the reader to follow. It will also make the writing process easier.

Step 4: Starting to write

There are a number of tools to help you once you start writing. It can sometimes be best to start with the main section of the assignment, and complete the introduction and conclusion later.  Remember to check that you are answering the question, and that you are providing evidence to support the points you are making.

Once your first draft is complete, you can focus on improving the structure of your assignment.  It should be clear which aspect of the question your paragraph is addressing. Make sure that each paragraph flows on from the one before using linking words and sentences. Refer to the resources on structuring paragraphs to help with this.

Watch this useful video to help you learn how to paraphrase effectively.

Paraphrasing means 'to state something written or spoken in different words, especially in a shorter and simpler form to make the meaning clearer' (Cambridge Online Dictionary, 2022). It simply means using your own words to express someone elses ideas and it shows you understand and can apply those arguments in your own work.

Step 5: Editing and Proof Reading

Go to our guide on Editing and Proof reading for more information on this stage