Do Not Read Your Essay Assignments Like a Zombie

May 23, 2016
By MWS
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After spending 18 years giving routine exams and now currently working at a firm that writes academic assignments for students we now know that reading the instructions is highly important.

I learnt from my mistake when I misread the easiest math problem on my high school final exams which cost me all of 5 marks (I was 5 shy of the perfect score). Not to brag, but reading the instructions well comes mandatorily with every kind of problem, be it assembling furniture or even setting up your TV to play cable (who knew you had to press the source button 4 times?) the manual of course.

So, you know that reading the instructions is crucial when writing an academic paper. Turns out that when the teacher says “you must evaluate the literary significance of a certain journal article, he means business.

With our guide you will be able to understand how you can unpack, grasp and decipher what your teacher wants from your assignment and how can get the best scores by giving him just that.

Why do I even read the instruction all over again?! The teacher already gave us a quick run down

Many students think that the quick rundown given by their teacher in class is more than just enough for you to understand what your essay requires. So, they seldom give the instructions another read. But is that a good practice?

Why? Because when he was explaining what you have to do for your essay at the end of the class, chances are you were probably doodling in your notebook or texting under the desk. Or maybe you were just eyeing the clock anxiously while tapping your foot to get back to the comfy couch at home to your precious puppy or have a date with Netflix. That is why you must read the instructions under the microscope before you get to researching on the topic.

Let us look at some of the words that are most commonly used in assignment prompts. We suggest you pay special attention to the verbs that denote the purpose of the content of your academic essay.

List of verbs used in assignment instructions:

To analyze: break down each part and evaluate in detail. Must contain literature analysis, analytical essays
To compare: to describe what two or more topics or event have in common and how they differ
To describe: give plenty of details to let your readers know about the situation
To discuss: examine each section of the topic from different viewpoints and arise to conclusions from all the different viewpoints.
To explore: take an investigative approach to examine the subject from different angles.
To justify: use ample reasoning and logic to justify your hypothesis or views regarding a topic.
To persuade: use convincing arguments to justify and make your readers look at a topic from your own viewpoint or agree with your opinion.
To review: this means that you must critically evaluate a subject while describing what will work and what will not. Note that there is a fine line between reviewing and summarizing.

And lastly the other most important thing to note, read the format and stylistic requirements well before you submit your paper as this is taken seriously in academic environments. Also make sure you cite sources properly and follow proper referencing styles. This is the best way to rack up some good grades for your paper.

And if all this seem too much to do and you could do all that except that, you just lost track of time in between all the sitcom reruns and Netflix watching sessions then simply hire an assignment writing service to do your heavy lifting for you.