Homework and Assignments: The importance of drafts

Never leave homework until the last minute, always leave yourself a couple of days before it is due, so you can write a draft first.

As any good writer will tell, drafts are essential. Unfortunately most students don’t realize the value in leaving enough time to write out assignments and homework in a draft form.

In simple terms - draft copy allows you to refine your thinking.

But what should go into a draft copy?
If you are not sure what you are going to write the piece on, don’t try and write the introduction first – especially if you have not done any planning or preparation prior to sitting down to write your assignment.

Well that is up to you, after all, no two people think alike. But it is a good place to write down all the main headings you need to incorporate into the final piece of work. Under each heading you can then add the points you should cover in that section. Once these points have been added you can begin the writing process, once these have been added - use bullet points if necessary - then stop writing. Don't begin editing the piece the same day as you wrote the initial draft.

Leaving time between writing your initial draft copy and your final (to hand in copy) of the assignment allows you to re-think what you want to include in the final piece. Once you begin to read the draft copy, you will edit out all the badly chosen words and sentences. You will see where the sentence construction, spelling and grammatical errors are and you will easily be able to correct them. It is at this point you can write the introduction to the piece and of course the conclusion.

Your thought processes would be much clearer as a result of writing out your assignments in draft form.