Free worksheet · Academic Writing

Decode yourassignment.

1. Your goal

By the end of this sheet you will have turned one assignment prompt into a short list of what you are being asked to do, what you must include, and what to do first. Allow about 20 minutes.

2. The question

3. How to read it

4. What the task words usually ask for

Instructors use these loosely, so treat this as a starting guess and confirm it.

Common assignment task words and what they usually ask for
Task word	Usually asks you to
Describe / summarize	Report what is there, accurately. No verdict needed.
Explain	Say how or why something works, using reasons, not just facts.
Analyze	Break it into parts and show how the parts relate or what they do.
Compare	Put two or more things side by side on stated criteria, then say what the comparison shows.
Argue / evaluate	Take a position and defend it with evidence. Name the strongest objection.
Reflect	Connect the material to your own experience or thinking, and say what changed.

5. Worked example

Sample prompt invented for this worksheet. It is not from a real course.

Write a 1,200-word paper that analyzes how one policy affected a community you choose. Use at least four scholarly sources. You should address multiple perspectives. Cite in APA.

Tasks: "analyze" (break down how the policy worked on the community), "address multiple perspectives."
Hard rules: 1,200 words, at least four scholarly sources, APA.
Required: "should address" means address. Not optional.
Fog: "multiple" (is two enough?), "scholarly" (do reports count?).
First move: email one question: "Do government reports count as scholarly sources, and is two perspectives enough?"

6. Your turn

Guided practice

Paste or copy your prompt.
Use the exact words, not your summary.
Check your work
If you paraphrased, go back. The fog lives in the original wording.
Mark it up.
Underline verbs, circle numbers and format rules, box must, should and may.
Worked example
In the sample: "analyzes" underlined; "1,200", "four", "APA" circled; "should" boxed.
Check your work
Every line of the prompt should have at least one mark, or be pure topic.
Write your task list.
One line per task, one line per hard rule, one line per fog word.
Check your work
You should have at least one fog word. If you found none, ask what "done" looks like.
Pick your first move.
A question to send, a source to find, or a paragraph to draft. Make it doable today.

7. Check the evidence

The Evidence Board

Do not trust what you cannot trace. Match each claim to its evidence and name what is missing.

ClaimThe rubric says "critical thinking" is worth 30%.
EvidenceA percentage and a label.
Not shownWhat critical thinking looks like in this course.
ClaimA classmate says the instructor likes "strong voice."
EvidenceOne person's impression.
Not shownAnything from the instructor or the rubric.

Your call: What can you actually conclude about how this will be graded, and what would you ask to find out?

8. Review and next steps

Could someone else start this assignment from your task list?
Which fog word could cost you the most points? Ask about that one first.
Where is the grading criteria written down? Save a copy.
Next: check the rest of the course rules with Read the Fine Print.

9. Sources

This worksheet cites no outside sources. The sample prompt is invented, and the task-word table is a general guide, not a standard.