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Skills for OU Study
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Preparing assignments
Don't be daunted by the prospect of your assignment. There is no single correct way of planning how to write your assignment. However there are some common principles and if you work your way through the stages described below you'll be on the right track.

Covered in this section
Planning an organised approach to the writing process
Deciding what to write about
Keeping on track and answering the question
Managing the writing process
Improving further for the next time!
25 mins to complete this section
Video (7)
Audio (1)
Activities (3)

Try to plan ahead and allow plenty of time to read the assignment booklet and make sure that you understand the question. It might take longer than you expect to finish your first assignment but, like all study skills, it’ll get easier with practice.
Start by think about how much effort you are able to put into writing your assignment. Not all students want to 'ace' every assignment ... sometimes just doing enough is fine. So, first, decide what you want to achieve and what is realistic for you to achieve.
Organise a rough schedule for your work over the whole module and book time out for completing assignments.
Identify potential contingency plans, find the assignments you could drop or do quickly if you had to.
If you have a tutor, discuss together what you're hoping to achieve and what you want out of the module.
Read the module assessment guide to find out

"This year I was so busy at work, I just had time to do enough to pass the module."

1. what elements are involved in the assessment - for example, assignments, exam, computer-marked assignments
2. what flexibility exists - for example, some modules apply substitution or offer a choice of questions
3. what is required to pass the module - use the assessment calculator, available for most modules, to estimate your overall continuous assessment score at any stage prior to the release of module results, before substitution. If you have any queries, contact your nearest regional or national centre or the
Assignment Records Office at Walton Hall.

OU student, Michael, describes his initial approach to the task of assignment writing.
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OU students Lynn