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Create Online Homework on Quizizz

Create, share, and host online homework quizzes and assignments for free on Quizizz!

Why assign homework online?

If you would like to streamline your grading process and provide more personalised support for your students, online homework might be the way to go. When you assign homework online, you can easily allocate and track assessments , quickly provide feedback, and tailor content to meet the specific needs of your students.  As a teacher, making the shift from pen-and-paper homework to online homework can benefit both you and your students. Online homework platforms, such as Quizizz, offer a host of tools that can boost student engagement through interactive questions, audio-visual aids, and gamification .  Whether you’re brainstorming for online math homework or grading responses for online chemistry homework, a platform like Quizizz can support you every step of the way.

Online homework - a win for students

Quizizz enables you to create interactive homework online, so your students can fully immerse themselves in the joy of learning.

Assess anywhere, anytime

Assign quizzes and lessons as homework with a future start time and deadline. Quizizz empowers your students to do their online homework from anywhere, using any device.

Inclusive, accessible design

The fastest finger doesn’t always have to be first. On Quizizz, students can complete their online homework at their own pace. You can also enable ‘Read aloud’ for ELL and elementary students.

Double the engagement

Boost participation and captivate your learners through a range of audio-visual aids including images, gifs, videos, audio clips, and more. Engage a variety of skills through multiple question types.

Double the fun

The road to mastery can be fun and exciting . Students can enjoy attempting their online homework with the Quizizz Leaderboard, memes, music, redemption questions, and power-ups.

Online homework - a win for teachers

Quizizz provides the space for you to create effective and high-quality online homework assignments in just a few minutes.

Import from Library

Gain inspiration from over 30M free online homework activities created by teachers on Quizizz, and import the content you need with a single click.

Learn more about this >

Import from device or Google Drive

Import your presentations, PDFs, Google Slides, Google Forms, and spreadsheets from your Google Drive or device to bring all your resources under one roof.

Use adaptive question banks

Provide every learner with a unique experience by showing them a different set of questions that change with each attempt.

Craft homework using multiple question types

In this classic activity, learners can complete sentences by filling in the blanks with the right answers.

Ask your students to reorder a set of jumbled options in ascending, descending, or chronological order.

Present learners with the opportunity to select one or more correct answers from a list of options.

Gamify your assessment with shuffled text and images that your students can pair together.

Choose between a plain background or an image and watch as students give shape to their thoughts with colors, highlighters, and more.

Motivate learners to think critically by dragging and dropping the right options to complete a sentence.

Let students take center stage with video responses so you can assess their presentation skills.

Check the pulse of your classroom with a fun poll or vote.

Use Lessons to create an instructor-led experience where slides and multimedia are combined with quiz and poll questions.

Engage your students’ higher order thinking skills and encourage them to dig deep with open-ended questions.

Analyze speaking skills by allowing students to voice their answers using the audio response feature.

Prompt your students to choose between a set of drop-down options to fill out the blanks in a piece of text.

With online homework on Quizizz you can

Grade flexibly

Allow Quizizz to grade homework assignments automatically. Or, assess submissions manually by assigning a scaled grade for each question.

Get instant reports

With detailed reports on Quizizz, measure the growth and progress of your students, and share significant milestones with other stakeholders.

Sync with an LMS

Update online homework and grades in the blink of an eye by syncing Quizizz with an LMS like Canvas, Schoology, or Google Classroom.

The best way to ask questions, explore ideas, and let students show what they know.

Use Quizizz for online homework

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How to create online quizzes and homework assignments

• Introduction

Single-choice

Yes/no and true/false, multiple-choice, open-ended questions, fill-in-the-blanks, collect documents, drawings, paintings, and sketches, score quizzes and assignments.

• Assign and send reminders

View answers

Announce results and grades.

If life is a journey, learning is the vehicle that propels your students forward and helps them decide where they want to go. 

With schools now closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators have been forced to reevaluate how they communicate with each other, hold classes from the safety of their homes, and keep students learning while they’re at home. 

E-learning provides you with an opportunity to reach students anywhere and keep them engaged whether they’re on the other side of town or halfway around the world. Virtual classrooms — as well as the video conferencing apps that make them possible — transcend traditional barriers that required students and teachers to meet for classes in person. 

Incorporating e-learning tools into your curriculum enables students to access an extensive range of written, audio, and visual learning material without having to deal with unwieldy paper assignments or open multiple links to access information.

Since quizzes and assignments are an essential part of the learning process, Jotform offers an all-in-one solution that allows you to

• Prepare questions in a variety of formats
• Assign them to your students
• Collect their answers
• Calculate their grades

The best part is that you don’t have to be a tech whiz to create a shareable online quiz .

To get a better idea of what Jotform can do, check out this online quiz form template that highlights the different types of questions you can ask.

The sample quiz also includes a form calculation widget that automatically calculates grades based on correct and incorrect responses.

Creating a quiz

You can either build your own test or browse through our template gallery , which contains dozens of ready-made templates that can be tailored to match your needs. Regardless of which option you choose, it only takes a matter of minutes to create a wide range of tests, quizzes, and exams.

If you’d like to build your form from scratch, just open Jotform’s Form Builder and click on the Create Form button on the left side of the page.

From there, all you have to do is choose your preferred layout.

If you prefer to use one of the dozens of quiz templates in our template gallery, this Online Quiz Form template shows the different types of questions you can create in a matter of minutes.

Types of questions

Once you’ve selected a general layout for your quiz, click on the Add Form Element icon on the left side of the blank form.

Scroll through the Form Elements menu that pops up, and you’ll find a wide variety of fields you can place on your form. If you’re not quite sure where to begin, we’ll demonstrate how these fields can create common types of quiz questions.

Single-choice questions allow students to pick a single answer from a short list of choices.

Either the Single Choice or Dropdown form element will come in handy if you want to test your students’ overall knowledge about a certain subject. After placing one of them on your form, all you need to do is type your question and list all of the possible answers, including the only correct one.

Yes-no and true-false questions are common on tests and can be advantageous for your students since there’s a 50-percent chance that they’ll select the correct answer. The Single Choice form element is the best choice for these types of questions. Simply add the field to your form, type the question you want to ask, and include two answer options: “yes” and “no,” or “true” and “false.”

The Multiple Choice form element enables you to ask questions with more than one correct answer and lets students select the answers that they think are right.

If it’s important for you to understand the thought process behind each student’s response, the Short Text or Long Text form elements will allow students to explain why and how they came up with their answer. Once you place either the Short Text or Long Text field on your form, type the question you want to ask or provide an essay prompt for students.

Fill-in-the-blank questions can be particularly useful when you want to gauge how well students understand a specific subject. You can use the Passage Test or Narrative Fields widget to create a sentence, paragraph, or short passage with blank fields that students must fill in.

If you want to build some flexibility into a quiz or test, try the Dynamic Textbox widget. It allows your students to type out any number of answers to a certain question. Unlike traditional test questions that require students to select an answer from a variety of choices, the Dynamic Textbox widget enables your students to get creative, think critically, and provide answers that resonate with them.

With the File Upload form element or Drag-and-Drop Upload feature, you can create a test that allows students to upload files, such as an essay, image, or video. These widgets not only allow your students to upload their work but also enable you to collect answers and multiple documents from a single quiz.

Question tables

Question tables are handy when your class is covering a topic in detail. Our Input Table form element allows you to easily create question tables, as well as add rows and columns in a variety of formats.

For instance, students can type a keyword in one column, mark a checkbox in another one, and select an option from the dropdown menu in an adjacent column.

Once you add your question and type the options in the rows and columns, open the Input Table Properties menu, click on the Fields tab, and set the format for answers in your table using the Input Type section. You can change how responses are formatted and displayed within each column using the Column Types section under the Fields tab in the Input Table Properties menu.

Visual expression

There are times when it’s easier and more effective to ask a question using images, videos, and other graphic elements rather than just text.

Jotform allows you to build a question based on a graph, an image, or even a video by using the Image form element and one of the many video embedding widgets, such as Iframe Embed , Vimeo , or YouTube . After uploading an image or embedding a video, simply add a question beneath it using any format you’d like, such as a single-choice or fill-in-the-blank question.

Image options

If you want to get fancy, Jotform’s Image Radio Button widget allows you to create questions and display responses that include images. All you have to do is type your question, list the image URLs, add labels for each one, and set the size for the images.

If you want to be really creative or give students some room to demonstrate their creativity, Jotform’s Draw on Image widget lets students draw, paint, sketch, and use their own handwriting on tests. You can either provide them a blank space or ask them to draw over a certain image, such as a graph.

Once you place the widget on your form, just type your question and add the image URL.

Connected/correlated questions

Jotform’s flexible features can show certain test questions only if students select specific responses to previous questions. For instance, if you ask a yes-no question, Jotform’s conditional logic capabilities will show specific follow-up questions, based on whether students selected yes or no.

Setting up conditional logic in your form can get a little tricky, so we’ll walk you through the process:

• Create a yes-no question and type the follow-up questions for both yes responses and no responses.
• Click on the Settings tab toward the top of your form, select Conditions from the options menu, and create a new conditional statement.
• Select the Show/Hide Field option and use the panel that appears to set a simple formula that will dictate when certain questions are shown and hidden. You must state what actions will trigger another set of actions to occur.

• Select a question in the dropdown menu next to the IF field that will trigger another set of actions. (In this case, select the yes-no question form field.)
• Select the answer a form respondent must give in the dropdown menu beside the STATE field to trigger an action. (In this case, select the Equal to option.)
• Select the specific response to a question in the dropdown menu beside the VALUE field that’s impacted by a form respondent’s answer. (In this case, select yes. )
• Select what action will be taken as a result of the form respondent’s answer by making a selection in the dropdown menu next to the DO field. (In this case, select Show from the available options.)
• Select which form field will be impacted by an action in the dropdown menu next to the FIELD field. (In this case, choose the follow-up question for a yes response to the original question.)
• Create a conditional statement for a no response to your question by repeating these steps.

Creating a test and getting it to your students is only half the battle. Once they’ve completed your test and submitted it, you still have to review the responses from each student one by one, right?

Jotform can not only help you create a wide range of quizzes, tests, and assignments but also calculate grades once students complete their work. This prevents you from spending hours on grading or inadvertently miscalculating a student’s grade.

As soon as an assignment, test, or quiz is submitted to you, Jotform can automatically calculate a grade based on how many questions were answered correctly and incorrectly.

Just so you know…

Jotform can’t calculate scores for certain questions, such as those where students must upload files or type in their own answers.

Before you set up the grade calculation process, it’s important to assign values — or points — for correct and incorrect answers to each question. To do this, select a question, click on the Properties icon, and switch on the Calculation Values option. Use the Calculation Values table to assign points for each answer — the number zero should be used to indicate incorrect answers, while values greater than one should be used for any correct answers.

For example, if a multiple-choice question is worth four points on a test, and there are two correct answers, each correct answer should be assigned a value of two points.

Once you’ve identified the correct and incorrect answers for each question, it’s time to set up the grading process. That may sound daunting, but there’s no need to fret when you have Jotform’s Form Calculation widget.

Once you locate the widget and click on it, go to the Widget Settings menu and use the Add Field button to select all the question fields that now have a designated score. Add a “+” in between each of the form fields and save your settings. When a student fills out and submits your form, this widget will sum up the assigned values for each selected answer.

As a quick reminder, don’t forget to hide the widget from students by clicking on the question’s Properties icon and turning on the Hide field toggle switch under the Advanced tab. Doing this prevents students from viewing or changing their score until they submit their quizzes.

Assign quizzes to students and send reminder emails

Now that you’re a pro at making online quizzes, tests, and assignments, why not spring a pop quiz on your students?

If you’re thinking of sending the quiz to each student one by one, stop what you’re doing right now! Jotform’s new Assign Forms feature enables you to share your form with students and control their access to your quiz.

All you need to do is click on the Publish tab at the top of your online form and select Assign Form from the list of menu options. Paste your students’ email addresses into the Invite People field, and invite all of your students to take the quiz at once.

You can save time and eliminate manual data entry by uploading a CSV file that contains a list of email addresses for your students.

You can then edit their permissions by allowing them to view, edit, or fill in the form. Once you invite your students to take the quiz, you can change their level of access to your quiz by clicking on the Assigned to icon.

Edit their permission settings by using the dropdown menu that appears on the far right side of the row that includes their name.

To ensure that all of your students are notified about the quiz or assignment, schedule automated reminder emails to be sent on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Simply go to the Publish tab toward the top of your form, select Email from the list of menu options, and click on Schedule a Reminder Email. From there, you can customize the reminder email and schedule it to be sent out on certain days and at specific times.

Once students submit their answers to your assignments or quizzes, their form responses will be sent to your Jotform inbox . You can access your inbox by clicking on the form in your My Forms page and selecting Inbox from the list of options.

Jotform can send you an email notification once someone fills out and submits your form test. All you need to do is click on the Settings tab toward the top of the screen and select Emails from the list of menu options. Select Notification Email from the list of available email options, and add your email address to the Recipients Emails field.

It can be nerve-racking for students to wait for their grades. The good news is that tallying up scores and sending them out doesn’t need to take days or even hours. In fact, Jotform can show students their grades as soon as they complete a test, exam, or assignment and submit it to you. It’s important to note, though, that Jotform can’t calculate scores for certain questions, such as those where students must upload files or type in their own answers.

All you need to do is click on the Settings tab near the top of the Form Builder and select Thank You Page from the left sidebar. The Thank You Page appears immediately after a quiz is submitted. You can customize the page, add motivational phrases, and inform your students of their grades. Just select the Form Calculator from the Form Fields dropdown menu to let your students know how they did.

Although nothing beats in-person instruction, online, or distance, learning can not only help you reach students in more places but also develop a flexible curriculum that keeps students engaged when they can’t be in the classroom.

With Jotform, you can create interactive tests that will keep students on their toes and save time for everyone. Students no longer have to write out answers by hand and wait several days for their grades to arrive. More important, Jotform automatically calculates grades for most question types once students complete an online test and submit it, reducing the amount of manual work that teachers need to do.

Stop relying on old-school methods — and paper tests — to keep tech-savvy students engaged in a 21st-century classroom. Give Jotform a try today and surprise them by being the teacher with the coolest online tests on campus.

Thank you for helping improve the Jotform Blog. 🎉

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3 Comments:

More than a year ago

Best reliable 2022 assignment creator in Melbourne When it comes to doing tough assignment questions by own, students get puzzled between work and academic responsibilities and seek online help for their assignments in Melbourne to get the best grades in their studies. Allassignmenthelp is reliable and easily accessible when it comes to search assignment helpers in Melbourne. Our online task helping creators gives students with online tutorial help as they work on their homework. The main challenge students face is help in complex subjects like physics, algebra, and science which leads them in need of professional help to qualify for the next level of education.

Now there is Random Quiz, a Google Sheets add-on that creates an online quiz that gives each student a different quiz. Visit Google Sheets, download the Random Quiz add-on to experience a great piece of software.

As an elementary school teacher, I tend to use technology a lot even before the pandemic. But as all of my fellow teachers can attest to, it has been a challenge to stay connected with our students and try to carry on the same level of education as it was before the pandemic. I obviously knew that it would be impossible to keep the same standards, but I was at least trying to come up with solutions that would boost the education level as high as possible. I was a huge fan of ed-tech solutions, so I started looking for some options in order to conduct quizzes online, in a fun and secure way. Jotform truly knocked the ball out of the park with this extremely easy to use quiz builder, I also love the fact that it makes taking quizzes and finishing assignments easier for my students. It's in times like this, I notice how wonderful and helpful technology is when it comes to education.

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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