Activity pack: How to get

started with effective and

critical academic writing
Activity 1: Assignment types (card sort exercise)

Share a set of laminated labels. Match the the assignment types to the descriptions. Write the
answers in the boxes when they are confirmed.

Deliver a formal xxx lasting up to 20 minutes at

an assigned time. A further 10 minutes will be
Presentation
allowed for you to answer questions put to you by
your tutor/ marker.

Exhibit an engaging A2 sized xxx on project

benefits; Respond effectively and efficiently to Post - Presentation
questions on your project stimulated by the xxx.

Submit a xxx that shows an ability to xxx critically

and creatively on your learning journey. xxx
enhances learning through feelings, thoughts and Reflection
lessons learnt, sometimes resulting in change of
practice.

Submit a 1200-1500 word xxx that requires

independent research, evaluation and analysis of Essay
a topic(s) covered in the first part of the module.

You are required to write a 2,000 word xxx,

divided into numbered sections, that addresses a Report
workplace initiative. You should discuss some of
the issues that might arise and make
recommendations for how they can be overcome.

The xxx introduces you to the key academic skill Literature skill
you need to develop: the ability to read,
understand and summarise several articles, as
well as critically evaluating authors’ work.

Exam
An xxx is a piece of work produced under
controlled conditions. It is usually scheduled for a
specific time and date, and usually has a time
limit.
 Dissertation
Your xxx submission should be 12,000-15,000 in
length and original, based on in-depth
independent research into a specific topic.

Activity 2: TAP model for analysing essay titles

Apply TAP to the following possible essay titles:

 TOPIC: Identify the main topics;

 ACTION: Find the verbs (or command words) in the questions and explain what you are
being asked to do;
 PARAMETERS: Note any limits, such as time or place.

1. Compare and contrast current practices in monitoring work conditions in Bangladesh’s clothing
sector, and evaluate their effectiveness.

2. Provide a briefing report on the proposed implementation of balanced scorecards as a tool for
performance measurement in an SME of your choice. Analyse and summarise the potential benefits.

3. Supporters say that Elon Musk’s hyperloop design will revolutionise future transport, while some
commentators are less sure. Critically evaluate this new technology’s prospects.

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/uploads/production/document/path/1/1723/
Writing_Essays_Oct_2015.pdf

Guidance – What do you need to do? Your assignment brief

Examples of verbs / command words used in assignment titles

These words indicate the approach or style expected for the piece of writing.

Account for Give reasons for; explain why something happens.

Analyse Examine in very close detail; identify important points and chief features.
Identify and write about the main issues, giving your reactions based upon what
Comment on you have read or heard in lectures. Avoid purely personal opinion.
Show how two or more things are similar. Indicate the relevance or
Compare consequences of these similarities.
Set two or more items or arguments in opposition so as to draw out differences.
Contrast Indicate whether the differences are significant. If appropriate, give reasons why
one item or argument may be preferable.

Critically evaluate Weigh arguments for and against something, assessing the strength of the
evidence on both sides. Use criteria to guide your assessment of which
opinions, theories, models or items are preferable.

Define Give the exact meaning of. Where relevant, show that you understand why the
definition may be problematic.

Describe Give the main characteristics or features of something, or outline the main
events.

2
Discuss Write about the most important aspects of (probably including criticism); give
arguments for and against; consider the implications of.

Distinguish Bring out the differences between two (possible confusable) items.

Evaluate Assess the worth, importance or usefulness of something, using evidence.

There will probably be cases to be made both for and against.

Examine Put the subject ‘under the microscope’, looking at it in detail. If appropriate,
‘Critically evaluate’ it as well.

Explain Make clear why something happens, or why something is the way it is.

Illustrate Make something clear and explicit, giving examples or evidence.

Interpret Give the meaning and relevance of data or other material presented.

Justify Give evidence which supports an argument or idea; show why decisions or
conclusions were made, considering objections that others might make.

Narrate Concentrate on saying what happened, telling it as a story.

Outline Give only the main points, showing the main structure.

Relate Show similarities and connections between two or more things.

Give the main features, in very clear English (almost like a simple list but
State written in full sentences).

Draw out the main points only (see ‘Outline’), omitting details or examples.
Summarise
Consider how far something is true, or contributes to a final outcome. Consider
To what extent also ways in which the proposition is not true. (The answer is usually
somewhere between ‘completely’ and ‘not at all’.)

Follow the order of different stages in an event or process.

Trace

Activity 3: Using social media extensively can diminish a person’s intellectual ability.

Read the seven options on the slide and decide what your first response would be.

Activity 4: Descriptive vs critical writing

go.uwe.ac.uk/criticalwriting1

Read the following paragraphs. In pairs, discuss if these extracts are examples of descriptive or
critical writing.

Extracts adapted from: Cottrell, S. (2013) The Study Skills Handbook. 4th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan.

Extract 1:

3
 Scientists do not agree about the extent to which creativity can be linked to activity in the right
hemisphere of the brain. It is known that the biochemistry of the two hemispheres of the brain
is different. For example, there is more of the neuro-transmitter, norepinephrine, in the right
hemisphere than the left (Oke et al., 1978) Norepinephrine is associated with increased
alertness to visual stimuli. It has been suggested by Springer and Deutsch (1981) that this
may lead to increased right-hemisphere specialisation for visual and spatial perception.
However, this link is not yet proven. It is not yet clear whether one hemisphere of the brain
can be responsible for any creative task. Moreover, although it might seem reasonable to
assume that responsiveness to visual stimulus may be an important factor of creativity, this
has also not yet been proved.

Extract 2:

Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (Smith, 2001) argues that child development is affected by the
closeness of the bond between a mother and its child. Bowlby claimed that even short spells
away from the mother during infancy could have a profound effect upon a person later in life.
This became known as ‘maternal deprivation theory’. According to this theory, the relationship
with the mother during an early ‘critical period’ gives the developing child an ‘internal working
model’. This model then forms the foundation of all future relationships.

Additional paragraph

“However, the main weakness of the theory is that it fails to acknowledge the significance of other
wider influences. Many writers have challenged Bowlby’s theory on the grounds that it has limitations
and that child development is affected by more than just that of a mother-child relationship. Harris
(1998) argues that parents do not shape their child’s personality or character, and that it is in fact their
peers who have the greatest influence over their development.”

(Cox, 2016, p.10)