Assessment Outlining Guide: How to Craft Compelling Narratives in your Assessments

Be a great storyteller!

Throughout this guide, you will be able to score “storytelling points” as you progress through the different stages of outline development. These storytelling points indicate that your outline is on the right track and will support the story that you want to tell in your assessment. Your aim is to develop an outline that scores at least 100 points.

Understanding Outlining

The Rationale: Why outline?

When working on an assessment, it might be tempting to jump right in and start drafting as soon as you have read the assessment’s details, especially when pressed for time. In other words, it might be tempting to forgo creating an outline.

However, developing a strong outline will save you stress and time in the long run. It will make the drafting process much smoother and easier. It will also enable you to develop a better assessment, one that flows seamlessly from beginning to end and skilfully addresses the assessment’s requirements. A good assessment will also carry your voice and enable you to demonstrate that you have acquired the skills and/or knowledge detailed in the Learning Outcomes for the assessment.

As such, it is highly recommended that you develop an outline before plunging into the first draft of your assessment.

The Shape: What is an outline?

In a nutshell, an outline is the ordered list of points and subpoints you would like to make in your assessment (including, ideally, the sources that you intend to draw on to support each point and subpoint).

As always, the content of your work will dictate its shape. This means that the structure of your outline will differ from one assessment to the next depending on the topic and the requirements. Sometimes, the assessment’s details and marking criteria will also guide you, indicating what needs to be included in your outline and in what order. As such, every outline you create could well be different in terms of structure.

However, a good outline will always be:

Tip: Think like a criminal lawyer. It might help to think of yourself as a criminal lawyer arguing your case in front of a court. If some facts go against your case/position, you need to address them and explain why/how they can be disregarded in this specific case, that is, you need to anticipate counterarguments.

Tip: Do not surprise your reader. While you are trying to be a good storyteller, you are not trying to be a crime novelist or write a sketch for a comedian: your “punchline” (that is, where you stand: your position) is known from the beginning. You should open your assessment with your position and conclude by restating your position.

A good outline is like a skeleton: it provides you with a strong framework to support the “flesh” of your assessment (your first draft) and the clothes and accessories that you will use to dress up this naked body (your second and third drafts). Developing a good outline enables you to look closely at the “bones” of your work so that you can identify gaps, remedy them and ensure that everything hangs together (is well-structured) so that the flesh and the clothes are a perfect fit. 

Tip: Integrating AI and generative AI (GenAI) tools mindfully and ethically. With the advancement of AI and GenAI tools, you might find new, exciting ways to develop your outlines. Should the use of such tools be permitted, always ensure that you use them as assistants. Your own reasoning must remain central: you are the one telling the story, not the tool(s). Know what you want to say and why you want to say it. The tools can help you refine, tighten and organise your thoughts, but they should never replace your own critical thinking.

In other words, you are the storyteller in your assessment, and AI is not your ghostwriter! Worlds are shaped through stories, so before you consider using any AI and/or GenAI tools, always ask yourself: how do you want to shape your world? 

If permitted to use AI and/or GenAI tools, you might ask them to generate suggestions, but if you do, you should always: 

• review, discard, adapt and/or refine these suggestions based on your research
• verify all generated content or data for accuracy
• acknowledge and reference your use of the tool(s)

Refer to the guide on Assessment Writing in the Digital Age for further guidance on how to reflect on your use of AI and GenAI tools. 

Designing an Outline

Your motto as you design your outline should be:

answer the assessment brief,

the whole assessment brief,

and nothing but the assessment brief.

Anything else does not contribute to your mark, so read the Learning and Assessment Guide carefully and often to understand what is required. Then, remain focused and be ruthless, that is, delete anything that digresses from or is not absolutely necessary to address the assessment brief.

Tip: Be prepared for rain! It might help to think of the assessment brief as an umbrella on a rainy day. It is raining research, but you should only include what can remain dry (what fits under your open umbrella) in your assessment. Anything else, while potentially interesting, is not relevant and should not be included.

The Steps: How to approach outline development?

Developing a good outline requires a great deal of preliminary work, and you will find yourself circling back and forth within and between the different steps because they are likely to feed into one another. It is an iterative process and not one that you can perform in five minutes. Time spent here is an investment for when it is time to write your first draft.

As you work on your outline, you will

• Contemplate

Consider the assessment topic and make a note of any initial comments, personal reactions or questions that arise for you. Then, continue making a note of these comments, reactions and questions as you progress through the readings and then, throughout the development of your outline. You will revisit and refine these notes regularly, deepening, adding and/or making other adjustments to them as you go.

This work of contemplation can be done in your reflective diary. It is akin to an “idea dump,” where you capture everything that crosses your mind in relation to your topic without judgment or structure. Your reflective diary should progressively feel or look like a firework display, where every little spark captures your engagement with your topic.

• Locate and actively read sources

Focus on the assessment topic and go through the prescribed and recommended readings for your subject, making a note of those which are relevant. Then, you should also conduct further research to locate additional sources that will enable you to deepen and widen your understanding of the assessment topic.

Read each relevant source actively, that is, slowly and carefully. Take notes, ask questions and revisit these notes as you go. This mindful research work will enable you to start developing your own ideas about your topic.

• Position yourself (that is, refine your scope and develop your argument)

As you contemplate and read, you will start positioning yourself in relation to your topic, that is, you will be able to identify a guiding storyline around which you want to shape your assessment. Following this storyline will help you in narrowing the scope of your assessment and developing a clear argument (often called a research/problem statement). These are essential: you cannot develop an outline without a narrowed scope and a problem statement.

Be a great storyteller: Score points by positioning yourself

Defining the scope of the topic that you will work within is key: your assessment has a limited word count, and you cannot discuss everything that has been written about your topic. You need an angle. This is what is meant by narrowing or refining the scope of a topic: it means that you define the boundary of your assessment and specify why you have narrowed it this way. Refining the scope demonstrates that you thoroughly understand the assessment topic, which subsequently means that you will be able to convert it into an interesting assessment which addresses the assessment requirements and stays within the word limit.

As you work on refining your scope, you will also start thinking about your problem statement, that is, the main point that you want to make or demonstrate in your assessment. The aim of your problem statement is to present and contextualise your main argument. Your problem statement should encapsulate what you want to argue: it should provide some background and set the scene (introduce your topic and its importance/relevance), and then precisely explain what you are going to examine/argue/demonstrate and how you are going to do so. Having a good, strong problem statement is what will enable you to:

• • determine what content to include (and how much to expand on it)
  • determine how to structure this content for maximum efficiency

In other words, the problem statement is what will enable you to limit the discussion so that you can produce a meaningful and engaging assessment with a clear conclusion.

It is important to note that your problem statement is fluid: it needs to be precise, and yet, it will evolve as you continue researching and as you write. You will need to adjust and refine it as you go.

• Brainstorm

Using your preliminary problem statement as a guide, record short points that could be of use to address the assessment brief. These points can be recorded in whatever manner works for you. For instance, you might use bullet points in a Word document, notes on Post-its or short voice recordings that you then transcribe.

Tip: Enlist a friend. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you have collected, speaking to a friend or Academic Support might help you tease out the salient points. Often, by having to explain something to someone, we can clarify our own thought process and position. When speaking with others, we also tend to be more logical and focus on relevant information. Even speaking to an imaginary friend helps as it forces you to verbalise your ideas! Speaking out loud and recording yourself or writing down what you say is a great way to refine your thoughts and identify gaps in your reasoning. 

By the end of the brainstorming process, you should have an unorganised list of points and subpoints that relate to your preliminary problem statement. This is the raw material for your outline. 

Be a great storyteller: Score points by brainstorming

• Organise your thoughts

Using the raw material that you generated while brainstorming, you can start developing an actual, physical outline, that is, you can start organising your points and subpoints logically in response to your problem statement. This involves:

• • Grouping related ideas together to develop main points
  • Grouping subpoints (if any) under the main points
  • Reordering and shuffling groups if necessary, so that there is a logical, linear progression between them
  • Reordering and shuffling subpoints so that each idea relates to the idea that comes before it and to the idea that comes after it
  • Indicating (noting) the source(s) to be used to support each point and subpoint

Organising your thoughts is the step where order starts emerging from chaos. Keep shuffling things until you have crafted a smooth, linear progression of points from beginning to end.

Tip: The Learning & Assessment Guide is your greatest ally. As you work on designing your outline, it is recommended that you read the Assessment Details and Marking Criteria regularly. This will ensure that you remain on track and that your outline has enabled you to address all that is required. You should also keep the Learning Outcomes in mind so that you can shape your outline to demonstrate that you have acquired the skills and/or knowledge detailed in these outcomes. 

Be a great storyteller: Score points by developing a preliminary outline

A Time-Consuming Process

Developing an outline is a time-consuming process, no matter how experienced you are. As you organise your thoughts, you might realise that you need to refine your position, locate further sources to support your points, contemplate further and so on. This is perfectly normal: outlining is not a linear process, but a circular one. Do not be disheartened if you do not start at A and straight away end up at B. Go through the different steps as many times as necessary until you are happy with your preliminary outline.

A Personal Process

Creating an outline is a personal process. While the elements that constitute a good outline remain the same, the way you approach the task might vary depending on your learning style and needs. Your approach might also be impacted by the assessment itself. Reflective assessments might call for a different process than reports, for instance.

When it comes to capturing and organising your thoughts, some common approaches include the linear list, mind map and Post-it notes approaches. Other approaches include drawing or recording yourself (voice notes), potentially while engaging in mindful movement such as a walk or a jog. You might also have a different approach that works well for you.

It is important that you consider different options, maybe try a few, and use the one(s) that suits you best for each assessment. You might also switch between approaches. For instance, you might start by designing a mind map when designing your preliminary outline and then use a linear list or Post-it notes approach to refine the outline.

• Linear list approach

As part of a linear list approach, you can use bullet points and/or headings and subheadings in a word document, shuffling them until order starts emerging. Potentially, you might want to number your points to further organise (label) the groups and the ideas within the groups. Ideally, each main point will be supported by two or three subpoints. This approach can help you to see the hierarchy between ideas and works well for sequential/abstract learners.

• Mind map approach

As part of a mind map approach, you can use circles and branches to reveal connections between points, which can be done in an app or on a large piece of paper. Each main point will be placed in a circle and subpoints (related ideas) will radiate from this circle. This approach helps visualising connections and works well for visual learners.

• Post-it notes approach

As part of a Post-it notes approach, you can record each point and subpoint on a different Post-it note. You can also type all your points and subpoints in a Word document using wide line spacing, print them and then, cut each point into a separate piece. This allows you to then move your points around manually and group them until order starts emerging. This approach allows for physical engagement and works well for kineasthetic learners.

An Iterative Process

Creating an outline is also an iterative process. An outline begins scantily and is built up with further detail on each iteration. It involves starting with a short, disorganised list of points which your progressively transform into an exhaustive, organised map for an assessment that will enable you to tell the story that you want to tell. That is why a good outline takes time to develop.

For further guidance, you can access an example of a preliminary outline via this link. Please note that this outline could be refined further, especially if designed for a longer assessment (over 1,000 words).

Refining an Outline

Once you have a preliminary outline in front of you, you need to revisit it to check its structure and flow. You might want to consider the following questions and rework it if necessary:

• Do you have enough sources to support your claims?

If not, it may well be worth conducting some more research. You might find additional sources or realise that you need to adjust your problem statement (and thus your outline). If you have not already done so, you might also want to write a note indicating the source(s) that you will be using to support each subpoint next to that subpoint.

Similarly, if there are gaps in your argument, this is your chance to identify them and locate sources that will enable you to address the gaps.

• Are you aware of what the “opposition” is arguing?

If some scholars are disagreeing with one or more of your points, make sure that you address their critique and take their perspectives into consideration. In your assessment, it is important to present counterarguments. Pre-emptively addressing them will make your own argument stronger. In other words, you need to argue your case while anticipating what your criticis have said or could say.

• Is what you are saying original?

No idea can ever be fully “new” as we do not produce texts in a cultural/conceptual vacuum but be sure to speak for yourself and own what you are saying: be confident. Your outline should encapsulate the story that you want to tell and make your position explicit. The points that you make within your storyline should align with your values.

• Do you repeat yourself anywhere?

If so, either delete or combine things. You should never repeat yourself and/or circle back to something that you have already developed. Your outline should be linear, with a logical progression from one point to the next. Do not “waste” words by repeating yourself.

It is easy to change the order of main points (and subpoints) in the outline if the structure is not linear.

• Does what you are saying address the assessment brief?

If not, delete it! You need to stay on target. Everything that does not relate to the assessment brief does not contribute to your mark. Regularly reread the assessment details and marking criteria in the Learning & Assessment Guide to ensure that the outline is consistent with what is asked for in your assessment and that it enables you to address all the requirements.

As you refine your outline, you will also be able to refine and adjust your problem statement. You should tweak your problem statement and outline until you are perfectly happy with them. After you have refined the outline several times, it should be precise, contextual and nuanced. Close attention to detail is key. You should never generalise.

Once you have a strong outline (that is, an outline that unfolds linearly and logically), you can start drafting. Do not start drafting until you are fully satisfied with your outline. It is much easier to rework an outline than a draft.

Be a great storyteller: Score points by refining your outline

If you scored 100 or more “storytelling points” based on your outline, you are in good shape to proceed with the first draft. If you scored less, consult this Outlining Guide again so that you may find ways to improve your outline.