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Manage Your Assignments

Some students are surprised by the nature and number of assignments they are expected to complete at university. Unlike at school, your lecturers and tutors may not remind you to complete and submit your assignments on time, or follow up with you if you don’t.

You are expected to take responsibility for your own learning (see our guide to independent learning) and if you don’t submit your assignments on time without a good reason, you lose the marks. Assignment deadlines are often set far in advance, and it is commonplace for a number of deadlines to converge around the same time. When you leave university and go to work, you’ll find that the same issues arise.

See our assignment checklist for a step-by-step guide to surviving assignments. The checklist is designed to ensure that you don’t encounter the most common problems for students when it comes to assignments, which are:

Not knowing about an assignment
Not being able to start an assignment
Starting, but not completing, an assignment
Doing an assignment at the last minute, in a hurry
Completing an assignment but forgetting to submit it
Completing an assignment, but submitting it incorrectly
Failing an assignment or getting a poor mark in an assignment

In order to stay on top of your assignments, it's important to:

Be organised

As early as possible in the semester, get a handle on the coursework requirements for each of your modules. Your course or module outline should include information on how you will be assessed. This is a key document, usually available on Canvas, that will help you to plan your efforts over the semester.

Complete our assignment and exam planner template so you can see all of your assignments (and exams) at a glance. See also the Getting Organised section of the Academic Skills Hub.

Be motivated

Aim to put some work in all semester long to avoid the panic of the last-minute assignment, or the pain of heading into an exam with little or no marks under your belt. Slow and steady wins the race at this level.

If you have trouble getting motivated to start or to work on your assignments, remember your motivation for coming to University of Galway in the first place. You might find the goal setting activity in the Getting Organised section helpful for this.

You might also find it helpful to look at our guide to addressing procrastination if this is an issue for you.

Be strategic

Find out exactly what is required of you and how to get the marks that you want. If you’re in any doubt about what’s expected of you – ask!

Use your time strategically. There is little point in spending days on a piece of assessment worth 2% while neglecting another piece of assessment worth 30%. Measure your efforts against the potential rewards.

Another common mistake is to put a huge effort into your first due assignment, to the detriment of all the other assignments you have to complete. Take a look at our resources on Managing Your Time if this is a challenge for you.

Work with others

When you have an assignment to complete, it can be helpful to work with a ‘study buddy’ or as part of a study group. Talking about your assignment with your peers and comparing notes and ideas is a great way to clarify your thinking and your approach. However, it is vital that your assignment is fully your own work.

Penalties apply for plagiarism or copying the work of others. See the University's resources on academic integrity for more information.

Allow time for reflection

Unless your assignment is very straightforward, it's unlikely that you will complete a really good assignment in a short space of time. Allow time to think about what you have done, reflect on how it can be improved, and make any necessary changes. Aim to have each assignment completed as far ahead of time as possible so that you have a chance to revisit and improve it before submission.

Ask for more time if there are extenuating circumstances

Unfortunately, your best-laid plans can be derailed by unexpected events such as illness, personal or family difficulties, or other circumstances. If you find that you cannot complete an assignment on time because of such ‘extenuating circumstances’, let your lecturer or tutor know as soon as possible, and ask for more time if you need it.

Read the University's Extenuating Circumstances Policy to learn more.

Deadline extensions can’t always be granted, but you can always ask. See our email templates in the Communication Skills section of the Academic Skills Hub if you’re not sure about how to do this.

Seek and learn from feedback

Mistakes are great. They help us to learn and improve. If you can’t understand, or are unhappy about, a result for coursework, ask your lecturer or tutor for feedback. Then listen to and absorb that feedback and resolve to act on it next time around.