Alistair and Veronica worked together. Alistair had agreed to look after Veronica’s cat while she was on holiday. Alistair was short of cash and decided to sell the cat. He intended to tell Veronica that the cat had run away. Alistair put up a notice with a picture of Moghali, the cat, in the local newspaper. The advert said:
“Have you ever seen a pedigree Ragdoll cat before? These cats are a rare breed. Can you give Moghali a good home? Reluctantly selling due to bereavement. First £500 secures”.

Moghali looked similar to a Ragdoll cat, he was in fact not a pedigree. Lynn saw the picture and although she was not sure that the cat was a Ragdoll phoned Alistair and said she would buy Moghali as the cat was gorgeous. Alistair had looked after Moghali numerous times and felt that he deserved the £500 for his trouble.

Alistair also knew that Veronica had some papers, which showed that Alistair had been taking money from the company’s bank account. When he went to collect Moghali from the house so that he could deliver the cat to Lynn he decided to look for the documents and destroy them. Alistair was not able to find the papers and in frustration threw a glass vase at the TV breaking both of them. Veronica’s mother Shelly arrived at the house to check on the cat because she had seen the picture in the local paper and was worried. Alistair used a broken fragment of the vase and stabbed Shelly in her face causing serious lacerations. Alistair took Shelly’s handbag as he made his escape from the house. As Alistair ran down the driveway he met Shelly’s husband Bill who had heard the noise. Bill tried to grab his wife’s handbag but Alistair pushed him to the ground and ran off.
When the police arrest Alistair he is charged with fraud, burglary and robbery. Analyse Alistair’s liability for these offences. You must back up your answer with legal authority.

LEARNING AND INFORMATION SERVICES
Guide to Assignment Task Words

The first stage in producing a good assignment is to have a clear understanding of the assignment question. This tip sheet is intended to be a quick guide to the most common assignment tasks you are asked to do. Please make sure you also read carefully your assignment briefing documents and check with your lecturer if you are in any doubt.
Account for Explain, clarify or give reasons for. Quite different from ‘Give an account of’ which is more like ‘describe in detail’.

Analyse Break an issue down into its component parts, discuss them and show how they interrelate.

Assess Consider the value or importance of something, paying attention to positive and negative aspects, and citing the judgements of any known authorities as well as your own.

Argue
Make a case, based on appropriate evidence for and/or against some given point of view.

Compare Identify the characteristics or qualities two or more things have in common, but probably pointing out their differences as well.

Contrast Point out the differences between two things, but probably point out their similarities as well.

Critically Analyse Questioning and testing the strength of your and others’ analyses from different perspectives.

Critically Evaluate Weigh arguments for and against something, assessing all evidence. Decide which opinions, theories, models or items are preferable.

Criticise Spell out your judgement as to the value or truth of something, indicating the criteria on which you base your judgement and citing specific instances of how the criteria apply in this case.

Define Present a precise meaning, but giving sufficient detail to distinguish from similar ideas.

Describe Pick out what you regard as the key features of something, perhaps making clear the criteria you use.
Discuss Provide details and evidence for and against particular views or ideas. Investigate or examine by argument. Draw a conclusion.

Evaluate Make an appraisal of the worth of something i.e. explaining the extent to which it is effective / useful / true etc. Evaluation is sometimes more subjective and contestable than some kinds of pure ‘assessment’.

Examine Look closely at, thinking and writing about the detail, and questioning it where appropriate.

Explain Show how things work or why they came to be the way they are, including some description and analysis.

Explore Consider an idea or topic broadly, looking for related and particularly relevant, interesting or debatable points.

To what extent….? Explore the case for a stated idea or explanation, probably arguing for a less than total acceptance of the proposition.

How Far Similar to ‘to what extent . . .?’

Identify Highlight the main aspects of an idea, topic or a sequence of events.

Illustrate Give selected examples to help describe or explain ideas and topics. Diagrams, maps, graphs or other visuals aids to help describe or explain can be used.

Interpret Clarify or explain an idea or topic, perhaps indicating how it relates to other ideas or perspective.

Issue An important topic for discussion; something worth thinking and raising questions about.

Justify Explain the reasons for accepting a particular interpretation or conclusion, considering different possible views and ideas when giving these reasons.

Methodology A system of methods and principles for carrying out a piece of work. Often used to explain methods for carrying out research.

Objective What you want to achieve by a particular activity.

Outline Provide the main points or ideas of a topic or sequence of events, possibly showing how they interrelate but without going into too much detail.

Prove Demonstrate the truth of something by offering evidence and/or logical sequence of statements leading from evidence to conclusion.

Reconcile Show how two apparently opposed or mutually exclusive ideas can be seen to be similar in important respects.

Relate Can mean describe how something happened or explain how two or more topics or ideas are connected.

Review Consider a topic, with the emphasis on assessment rather than on description.

State Express briefly and clearly the main points or an idea or topic.

Summarise State (or re-state) the most important features of an argument so that it is represented ‘in miniature’.

Adapted from

University of New South Wales (UNSW) (2010) Answering assignment questions: glossary of task words [online]. Sydney: UNSW [Accessed 19 January 2012]. Available at: <http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/taskanal2.html.>

Hampton, M. (2011) Essays: task words [online] Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth [Accessed 19 January 2012]. Available at: <http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/studentsupport/ask/resources/handouts/writtenassignments>
Help and Advice

For help and advice on any aspect of assignment writing, including details of workshops please see the Skills for Learning website at http://www.wlv.ac.uk/skills.

Further reading
Books offering advice on writing assignments are available in the Study Skills collections in the Learning Centres and as part of our e-book collection.

Godwin, J. (2009) Planning your essay.Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

Cite this work:
Learning and Information Services (2013) Guide to assignment task words [online]. Wolverhampton: University of Wolverhampton. [Accessed give date accessed]. Available at: <http://www.wlv.ac.uk/skills>.

To request this document in an alternative format please contact skills@wlv.ac.uk