Writing Module - How to comprehend the question and build a draft? (1)

It is very important to comprehend the question before starting to write (as explained in the previous post: Writing Module - Basics!)

These tips are applicable to both academic and general training module, since they are basic writing tips.

In order to comprehend the question you need to be familiar with the 5 W's and 1 H.

• What
• Where
• When
• Why
• Who, and
• How

When you read the question, try to apply every W and the H to the question, even if the answer to your proposed question is no! You can quickly jot down the answers to all the W's and H and you will have a mini draft for your proposed writing (essay, table/chart explanation, or letter, according the module you are taking academic or general).

Lets understand how to apply the W's and H to a question and build a draft:

Here's an example of a question from academic module writing, part 2:

Should rich countries help poor countries or is it the duty of the poorer nations to feed their own populations?

Here is a possible set of W and H questions you may answer to produce a small draft for your essay:
(there can be many other possibilities as well. These are only examples for your help)

Q. What are "rich" and "poor" countries?
Q. What can poor countries do for themselves?
Q.What factors contribute to poverty and how can these elements be eliminated by poor countries themselves or by the help of rich countries?
Q. Where are rich and poor countries located geographically?
Q. How can rich countries help poor countries?
Q. Which countries are actually capable of helping?
Q. When should the help be stopped? (How much help is sufficient?)
Q. with Which fields should the poor countries be helped with (food, clothing, education etc.)

As you can see there can be a bunch of possible questions but the key is to stick to the topic and by asking specific questions and answering them, jotting down useful points you can develop a good basis for writing a well-developed piece of writing (in this case an essay). You can also see here that there are more than one What, Which and How questions, it only helps to have a more detailed draft with lots of useful points to have a head start and make a good influential ending.