The key to understanding the writing requirements of any assignment topic is to identify the instruction words and keywords.
Underline the instruction words: these tell you what you need to do in the assignment. Common instruction words include discuss, explain, and analyse. Instruction words don’t all mean the same thing, so make sure you check the meaning. Understanding instruction words is essential to make sure you don’t misinterpret an assignment.
Identify keywords: these outline the topic you will write about. Some words may have a special meaning within a subject, so check with your tutor or lecturer. Otherwise, look up the meanings of keywords in a dictionary and think about how you will approach your research for the task.