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Assignment Deadline Planner for UK Students
Enter your deadline and get a day-by-day plan that works backwards from it. Choose an essay, report or dissertation, then add it to your calendar.
Plan my assignment
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This is a general guide, not your university's rules. Adjust the dates to fit your own timetable and any deadlines your supervisor sets.
How the planner works
The planner counts the days between your start date and your deadline. It then shares them across the stages of the work, giving more time to the stages that usually take longest: reading and drafting.
For an essay it uses roughly this split. You can change the dates and see the plan update.
- Understand the brief and plan: about 10%.
- Research and reading: about 30%.
- Outline: about 8%.
- First draft: about 27%.
- Edit for argument and structure: about 15%.
- Referencing and proofread: about 8%.
- Buffer: about 2%.
Why work backwards from your deadline
Most late or rushed assignments have one thing in common: the writing started too late. Planning from the deadline backwards shows you how much time you really have for each stage, so you can see early if you are behind.
Leave your first draft finished well before the deadline. Editing and referencing take longer than most people expect, and a good draft that has time to rest is easier to improve.
If time is very short
With only a few days left, the planner gives you a shortened plan: plan and research, write the draft, then edit and check references. Keep your reading focused on what answers the question.
If illness or a serious personal problem is the reason you are short of time, read our guide to extenuating circumstances and extensions. Applications usually have strict time limits.
Need more than a tool?
A plan helps most when you stick to it. If you are stuck on a stage, our coursework and assignment help can explain what your marker wants, give feedback on your own draft and check your referencing. Our essay structure template is a good next read.
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Trusted sources and further reading
These independent sources are worth a look alongside this page. TutorSuite is not affiliated with them, and the links are here for further reading only.
- University of Southampton Library: time management (opens in a new tab). Managing a research project, including how Gantt charts show tasks and their dependencies.
- University of Westminster Library: planning your dissertation (opens in a new tab). Work back from the deadline and plan the stages, with advice on Gantt charts.
- Student Minds (opens in a new tab). The UK student mental health charity.
Assignment deadline planner — your questions
How do I plan an assignment?
Start from the deadline and work backwards. Share your time across planning, reading, drafting, editing and referencing, and finish your first draft well before the deadline. This planner does the sums for you.
How long before the deadline should I start an essay?
It depends on the length and how much new reading you need. A planner helps, but as a rule, start as soon as you have the question so you can read and think over several days.
How do I plan a dissertation timeline?
Choose "Whole dissertation", set your start date and final deadline, and the planner shares the time across the proposal, literature review, method, data, analysis, writing up and editing. Agree the dates with your supervisor.
Does the planner save my dates?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent to us or stored. Use "Add to my calendar" to keep a copy.
Get a price in about ten seconds
No account, no email, no obligation. Tell us the word count and the deadline and the calculator does the rest.