In short
- Break down the brief: what it asks, how it’s marked, and the deadline.
- Plan back from the deadline, with a date for every stage.
- Find good sources and save them as you go.
- Keep each reference in your style from the start.
- Plan the sections or chapters as cards on a board.
- Note which sources each section uses.
- Write one section at a time, check it, and hand it in.
Most assignments don’t go wrong in the writing. They go wrong at the start, when the brief is skimmed and the deadline feels far away, and at the end, when the references are a mess. A plan fixes both. It doesn’t need to be fancy: a list of stages, a date for each, and one place for your sources.
This guide walks through the whole thing in seven steps. It works for a 1,500-word essay, a lab report, a GCSE or A-level coursework piece, an EPQ, or a 10,000-word dissertation. Each step has its own page with more detail, and each shows how to do it in KanBananza, a free planner that puts your boards on every new tab in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
The 7 steps
- Break down the briefWhat the question asks, how it’s marked, and when it’s due.
- Plan back from the deadlineA date for every stage, with spare days built in.
- Find and save sourcesSearch well, judge quality, and save as you go.
- Reference as you goYour style from the start, with nothing to hunt for later.
- Plan the chaptersOne card per section, with its word count and steps.
- Sources for each chapterWhich source goes where, with page numbers.
- Write, check and hand inOne section at a time, then a final checklist.
How long each step takes
Every assignment is different, but the shape is the same. Use these shares of your time as a starting point, then move things around. The reading and the writing always take longer than you think, so they get the biggest slices.
| Step | Share of time | 2-week essay | 6-month dissertation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The brief | 5% | Day 1 | Week 1 |
| 2. The timeline | Under 5% | Day 1 | Week 1 |
| 3 and 4. Sources and references | 25 to 30% | Days 2 to 5 | Weeks 2 to 8, then ongoing |
| 5 and 6. Sections and sources per section | 10% | Day 6 | Weeks 6 to 9 |
| 7. Writing | 35 to 40% | Days 7 to 11 | Weeks 9 to 20 |
| 7. Checking and handing in | 15% | Days 12 and 13 | Weeks 21 to 24 |
| Spare | 5 to 10% | Day 14 | A week, kept free |
Steps 3 to 6 overlap: you’ll keep finding sources while you plan and write. That’s normal.
Start with a ready-made board
KanBananza has free study boards with the columns and first cards already in place. Open New board, choose Or a ready-made board, then pick one:
- Assignments and coursework: Brief, Researching, Drafting, Checking and Handed in. Good for a term of essays and reports.
- Essay or dissertation: from pinning down the question to the final checks.
- Dissertation, chapter by chapter: one card per chapter, from the proposal to submission.
- Thesis or research project: reading, chapters and supervisor meetings, for Master’s and PhD.
- Homework tracker, GCSE revision and A-level revision under School and college.
Then add a Sources stack beside the board (+ Add a stack, then Sources). That’s where every book, article and web page for this assignment will live.
Plan it with Pip Pip
Paste your brief into Plan an assignment, add the deadline if the brief doesn’t say it, and Pip suggests three to six milestones, each with a date and a few small steps. Nothing is added until you’ve checked it. Then the milestones become cards with due dates, and the steps become checklists.
Pip plans; it doesn’t write your assignment or find sources for you. Pip is part of Yearly with Pip and the degree bundles, and you can try each of Pip’s actions free for a week. Meet Pip.
For your level
School and college
For GCSE and A-level coursework (NEA), BTEC assignments and the EPQ, your exam board’s specification and your teacher’s brief are the brief. The EPQ’s production log fits neatly on a board: one card per stage, with notes as you go.
University essays and reports
Use one board for the term, with a card per assignment and its deadline and weighting. Move each card across as it moves on, so you can see every deadline at once.
Dissertations
Give the dissertation its own board, with a card per chapter. Add supervisor meetings as cards with dates, so feedback has somewhere to go.
Master’s and PhD
The reading never stops, so the Sources stack and the Research library matter most. Keep notes and quotes with each source, with their page numbers.
A note on AI and the rules
Schools and universities have rules about AI, and they’re different everywhere. Planning tools are usually fine; writing tools often aren’t. Check your course handbook. Whatever you use, the ideas, the reading and the writing need to be yours.
Questions
How do you plan an assignment?
Break down the brief, plan back from the deadline, find and save your sources, keep your references as you go, plan the sections or chapters, note which sources each one uses, then write, check and hand it in. Each step has its own guide above.
How long before the deadline should I start?
As soon as it’s set, even if the first step is only reading the brief. As a rough guide, give a 2,000-word essay at least two weeks, a big piece of coursework four to six weeks, and a dissertation five or six months.
How do I plan an essay in a week?
Spend day 1 on the brief and a plan, days 2 and 3 on reading and saving sources, days 4 and 5 on the first draft, and day 6 on checking and references. Keep day 7 spare. The deadline guide shows how to fit this to your own dates.
Is KanBananza free for students?
Yes. Boards, the ready-made study boards, due dates, checklists, the focus timer, the Sources stack and Harvard references are free. Full Bananza (from £5 a year) adds every referencing style, sources on each card and the Research library. Pip, the AI helper, is a separate plan with a free week.
Will Pip write my assignment?
No. Pip plans: it turns a brief into dated steps, breaks big tasks down and tidies a source’s details. It doesn’t write essays or find sources for you, and you check everything before it’s added. Always follow your school’s or university’s rules on AI.
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