In explanations, you are required to demonstrate knowledge & understanding and answer questions.
They are generally longer than exercises and expect you to explain how something works.
Exercise genres give you opportunities to demonstrate your understanding, usually of basic skills & concepts.
They are typically short numbered responses to questions.
For a literature survey, you have to read other people's writing and present evidence of your reading.
This could be an annotated bibliography, an anthology or a literature review chapter.
A methodology recount will expect you to present an account of the procedures you followed and your findings of an experimental study.
A typical example is a laboratory report.
Research reports are generally your longest assignments and demonstrate your ability to conduct a complete piece of research.
An example is a final year project or dissertation.
In essays, you are expected to develop ideas, make connections between arguments and evidence and develop an individualised thesis.
You will usually write these in response to a question given by your lecturer.
In critiques, you will be expected to evaluate a theory, a book or a piece of equipment.
This will enable you to answer the question, "What is the value of x?"
Narrative recounts include personal accounts of your learning such as a literature search or team work, and chronological reports on events such as accidents or disease outbreaks.
You may be expected to assume a personal and reflective angle.
In empathy writing, you will communicate your specialist disciplinary knowledge in newspaper articles, information leaflets etc.
You will be expected to write in registers suitable for general rather than academic audiences.
In a case study, you focus on a particular organisation, industry or person (e.g. a patient) in order to describe it from a range of perspectives.
You will conclude with recommendations for future action.
In design specifications, you are expected to demonstrate your ability to develop a design for a product or procedure.
This is something that could be manufactured or implemented.
In problem questions, a situation is described and you will have to analyse it from a professional perspective.
You will then reach a conclusion.
The purpose of a proposal is for you to demonstrate your ability to make a plan for future action.
This must be detailed and realistic.
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