study-and-exams Before an exam, some students cram for it. Even if you’re a genius, you’ll have to do some revision. If the exam happens every year, you can revise by looking at past papers. Some things can be memorised or learnt (off) by heart. But rote-learning is not sufficient for most subjects. It is also possible to use mnemonics. However, all things considered, the best idea is to bury yourself in your books and to study intensively until you know the subject inside out.
academic-writing composition: could be just 50-100 words, often used for school work. essay: longer than a composition, more serious, hundreds or thousands of words. assignment: often part of a course, usually thousands of words. project: like an assignment, but emphasis on student’s own material and topic. portfolio: a collection of individual pieces of work; may include drawings and other examples of creative work as well as writing. dissertation: a long, research-based work, perhaps 10-15,000 words, for a degree or diploma thesis: a very long, original, research-based work, perhaps 80-100,000 words, for a higher degree(e.g. PhD)
It’s a good idea to start with a mind map when preparing an essay. Always write a first draft before writing up the final version. Your essay should be all your own work; plagiarism is a very serious offence in colleges and universities. It is an increasing problem because it is so easy to cut and paste from materials available on the internet, and students have to sign a plagiarism form to say that the work they are handing in is all their own and that they acknowledge any sources they have used. There is usually a deadline. After the essay is submitted, it will be assessed and usually you can get feedback.