How to Create the Best Possible Coursework

Publication Date: 13 Oct 2017
Author: Kelly Higgins

Why do we write a coursework?

This is a task (usually in the form of project or essay) students perform in order to present their academic abilities and knowledge in some field. Despite the fact that coursework on different subjects have their own specifics, some common features can also be highlighted. Student who work on his or her coursework is required to conduct deep and independent research in the topic of his/her choice. Besides you are expected to show your own view on the problem and individual approach to its solution.

What rules should you remember before your work is started?

We are pretty sure that you know all of them, but as the old Latin said – maxim repetitio est mater studiorum. Breaking these rules may have a terrible impact on the final result and even destroy your academic reputation.

1. Consult your supervisor.
Cooperation with your supervisor includes a lot of benefits. You can ask questions concerning things that seem complicated, get advice in what direction to move, what information to include (as supervisors know to what examiners pay attention) and indicate strong and weak sides of the paper.

2. Check the list of allowed topics and choose the one.
Prefer questions that coincide with your personal interests (it’s better if you enjoy what you are doing) and make sure that they have a perspective (otherwise you won’t have enough material to research). Ask your tutor to be 100% certain.

3. No plagiarism.
This point plays an extremely big role in the writing process. The thing that the examiners are interested in is your ideas, and even if you refer to other sources (and you do), it must be rewritten in your own words.

4. Follow the number of words.
In order to avoid any troubles you should find out the word count and whether appendix, bibliography and footnotes are included.

5. Pay attention to deadline.
We strongly recommend you not to leave everything to the last minute. Of course, if you are a genius, or at least you consider yourself such a person, writing the coursework is a piece of cake for you. You should manage your time for work in a proper way.

What are the main steps of creating the coursework?

There are several extremely important stages you have to overcome before the final version of the paper will be done. For that reason we will consider them more detailed.

1. Look for the information and do the research.
The primary purpose of the coursework is to conduct the research, so you can’t avoid it in any case. Comparing with the whole creating process this step would take the largest part. You should use all possible sources and find the most relevant and up-to-date information. If you deal with Science, you will probably need to provide some experiments in a laboratory, that’s why you must be careful. At this stage you need to fix everything and make notes considering your expectations and the results you actually got.

2. Develop your structure.
Now we are talking about things that relate more to actual writing. First of all, you need a plan, by means of which you can see in what order you should present the data. When you work on such a big paper, the plan helps not to forget about the smallest details. Start with the main sections, and then write down your topics and subtopics.

3. Write the coursework.
While writing you need to do your best and apply all possible skills. Work in a quiet atmosphere, as it allows you to focus on the task and avoid careless mistakes. You need to follow your previously written plan; otherwise you may lose your way of thinking.

4. Edit support materials and bibliography.
Type and number of the support materials depend on the subject you deal with. Traditionally students like to provide their coursework with  tables, images, graphs, survey results and so on. We completely agree with those who find the bibliography the most annoying part of the work, for that reason you shouldn’t formulate it at the last moment. Be careful with quotation and check the form you have to use when you enlist the sources in the bibliography.

How should you check the coursework?

When the first draft has been approved by the supervisor, it’s high time to create the final version of the coursework.

1. Check the sense. Read slowly and attentively the whole text, make sure you have organized everything clearly and logically without repetitions and contradictions.

2. Proofread the text.
You will agree with the statement that typos, spelling and grammar mistakes spoil the first impression of the paper.

3. Appropriate format.
Find out what academic format is required, if you have any doubts, ask your tutor.

4. Look through the bibliography.
Check whether you have included all sources and whether they have the same format.