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Writing your assignment

  Create a plan for your assignment

Part of writing an assignment is creating a plan, and in some courses, you may be tasked with creating a plan as part of your assignment.  A plan should build on your original brainstorming session and be informed by your research. A good place to start is the marking criteria. Use the marking criteria, in conjunction with the assessment instructions, to help you with establishing your plan. 

As you are searching, develop the argument you are going to present as early as you can. In this way, you will be more targeted in trying to find information that will assist you with presenting this argument. Check that your argument, and your topic paragraphs, fit with the assessment details and the marking criteria before moving forward. Keep in mind, the plan is a fluid document that may change as you explore your topic further.



  Watch the video

  Video length: 3 minutes, 05 seconds



  Key points from the video

What should an essay plan include?

  • A thesis statement:
    • This is the argument your essay is going to make in response to the assignment question.
  • Possible main points:
    • The main points are going to provide the supporting evidence in answer to the assignment question. Each main point will form one of the body paragraphs.
  • The structure of the essay:
    • For example, an introduction, body and conclusion
  • Evidence of research:
    • Put in your own words the evidence you have sourced and place this under the relevant main point. Ensure you provide an in-text citation with your notes

Note: Although this video focuses on essay planning, a similar process can be applied to other assignment types.  Watch the Report writing and/or Reflective writing videos to help you consider the structure and content of these types of writing when planning for your assignment.


Sample Essay Plans

Here we provide you with a number of example essay plans. Choose the style that suits you best when creating your own. If you are set an assignment task that asks for an essay plan, be sure to check the assignment requirements before creating one.  

As you review this sample essay plan, hover over the underlined text for more information. 

Note: In some browsers you may need to click on the highlighted text to read the extra information.