Lesson Overview

One of the biggest challenges that students face in both assignments and exams is not writing the answer, but understanding the question that is being asked. You would think that this should be the easiest part, but this is where most students make mistakes. Beautiful descriptive essays are handed in to lecturers, but the essays are often off point.

Unpacking the Question Video Lesson

Steps to Answering the Question

The first thing that we have to do is read the question. Then, read it again, looking for and breaking down the following parts:

Highlight the content/topic words
Underline the task/directional words
Circle the aspect words
Identify the limitation words or those that refer to the scope of the piece

Refer to your lecture and tutorial notes as the topic is often drawn from familiar key notes and phrases found there.

Topic/Content Words - These words tell you what the question is about. From this, you can identify what, in the most general terms, the question is about. It may include specific terms and you should consider what you know about these. Remember, you may need to define it for your first draft but the person correcting your essay probably knows the definition. You should ask yourself how these specific terms have been referred to in lectures and tutorials.

Directional Words - This refers to the instruction word or phrase. These instructions tell the student exactly what to do with the content words. For example "discuss", "compare", "contrast", "evaluate" or "analyse". It is important to note that "discuss" does not mean you need to include all you know about the subject matter and an academic argument needs to be kept in mind. Often, directional words are where students make mistakes and they are an important factor when answering the question asked. You should review the first online link below to define the directional words. It is relevant to make points on the specific terms but you must also keep in mind the aspect and the link between them. For more information on these, check out our downloadable handout on directional words

Aspect/Focus - You now need to make sure you know how the aspect relates to the subject matter. The aspect or focus of a question can also contain a specific viewpoint or a theory. This refers to the requirement in the question. It may be the opinion of the writer of the question. You may agree or disagree or engage in a dialogue with the essay question setter. You will need to evaluate your specific terms and back them up with references and quotes. You need to show your lecturer that you understand the main aspects of the topic!

Limiting Words/ Scope - These words limit the focus of the question, e.g. a particular time period, theory, place or number.

Gimme Two Minutes - Unpacking the question

How to Answer the Question

At UCC, in a typical essay or presentation, you may be required to:

Present an introduction
Answer the question in the main body
Present an argument
Draw up a conclusion

For a typical essay, every paragraph in the main body MUST directly answer the question. So, it is important to break the question down.

The main body of a typical essay should be used to answer the question. At UCC, for a typical essay, the introduction is the place to give some background and show how you will answer the question. The main body is for answering the question directly, developing your argument and the conclusion is to say what you have done and give your overall argument.

The Role of the Introduction

The introduction is important because it is the first thing your lecturer will see. A typical essay introduction should contain the following elements:

The general topic
A focus and thesis statement
Outline of how you will answer the question

A thesis statement is very important in the introduction and should reflect all parts of the question. You should avoid repeating the question asked, in exactly the same way, in your introduction. Try to let the reader know how you will be answering the question. They should be able to follow your train of thought or your process. It should follow the structure of your main points in the body of the essay.

Don’t assume that it is the same as how you have done it before, e.g. in secondary school! If in doubt, you can always speak to your tutor or lecturer if you feel you may not be answering the question as you should be.

Questions Using Quotes

Academic questions can be presented as quotes. Once you have unpacked all the elements you need to think about your response. Usually, a quote or statement in the question is used to provoke a response from you. Exploring variations of a statement or a quote can help you develop your academic argument and a focus.

Statements and Further Research

Once you have your variations of a statement, you should think about your viewpoint. Do you agree or disagree? You should try to have at least three or more versions of the statement and follow the next steps:

1. Make a list of statements or questions
2. Order them as you might order paragraphs in a piece of writing
3. Does this make an essay plan? If not, what do you need to add?
4. Are you missing a vital link or point to prove your thesis?

Downloadable handout on Unpacking the Question
Downloadable handout: Glossary of directional words

Unpacking the Question