Dear Student,
When preparing to answer an assignment, it is important that you work through all your prescribed study material for the relevant module before attempting to answer any of the assignment questions.
All assignments will test your theoretical knowledge and sometimes how well you can apply that knowledge. You will not always find all the answers for an assignment word-for-word in the study material as you will have to use your own understanding or do additional research to answer some of the questions, especially when you are completing an essay type of question or a question based on a case study that intend to test your ability to apply the theory.
Here are some tips and guidelines on how to answer the following types of questions:
Multiple choice questions:
·Read the question carefully and pay attention to every detail. Multiple choice questions can sometimes be very tricky and students tend to underestimate the difficulty of multiple choice questions.
·Try to answer the question first before reading the options given.
·Strategic thinking: sometimes it helps to narrow down the list of options by eliminating the obviously wrong answer/options from the list.
·Identify key words in the question: Underline of circle key phrases or words that will help you to identify the meaning of the question. Pay attention to words such as not, any, neither, best, often, may, false, true etc.
·Do not leave any questions blank. Answer all questions even if you are not sure of the answer. There is always a slight chance that you may still be correct and can score an extra mark.
·Do not make wild guesses. Always think your answer through and use your study material to revise theory when you are unsure of the answer.
Case studies:
When you have to answer questions based on a case study ensure that you read the case study a few times until you understand the case at hand. When you read the questions based on the case study, make sure that understand what is being asked. If you find words that you do not understand, underline the words and then look up the meaning of the words in a dictionary. When you give your answer, remember that you have to apply the answer to the case study. Do not only write theory, but also refer to the case study in your answer. If you only write theory, you will lose marks. Always keep the mark allocation in mind when answering questions.
Essay questions:
When you have to write an essay, remember that you have to include an introduction and a conclusion. You also need to give examples and your own understanding on the topic or subject. Do not only write theory! Use your own words and do not copy work from the internet or from the study material. When you use a reference, put the information in your own words so that the assessor can see that you understand the topic. Also remember to include the reference where you obtained the information from. You can refer to the referencing guide which is available on the Virtual Campus Downloads.
Here are some tips on writing an essay:
·Read the essay question carefully to ensure that you understand the question. Highlight key words and identify the task words, such as discuss, explain, compare, design, evaluate, justify etc.
·Conduct some research on the topic before you start to write your essay. For example, if the question asks you to discuss the importance of training and development in the workplace, go and read all the study material on training and development and perhaps also read about the topic in journals or in other text books.
·Plan your answer. In other words, make sure that you have a logical answer and that you order your ideas in a logical sequence. Keep every idea and point you mention relevant to the question.
·In your introduction, introduce the topic and explain how the question will be answered. You can include definitions in your introduction as well.
·Write the main body of the essay. When you make a point or statement also give supporting evidence for your reasoning. Start each new point in a new paragraph. Remember to also look at the mark allocation to ensure you write enough content!
·In your conclusion summarise the main points and ideas that you have discussed and finish with a comment that is relevant and interesting.
·Before you submit the essay question, check for spelling and grammar mistakes, ensure that you have included relevant information and that you have answered what was being asked.
·When relevant, include a bibliography or reference list.
Remember that you can contact a lecturer or study advisor when you are struggling with a question, but always try to first answer the question on your own before contacting the College for study assistance.
Kind regards,
Mrs Z. Auths
Deputy Dean: HR Studies