While you are at university, you will have to demonstrate your knowledge through different types of assignments. The way knowledge is represented in writing varies. For example, essays are more common in arts and social sciences, and reports are found more often in science or engineering, business, anthropology and language teaching. Depending on your subject area, you might come across new types of assignments. Each assignment type has its own structure and use of language, so it is important to be aware of these when writing your assignments.