Writing, analytical and reporting skills focus on how you gather, analyse, and communicate information effectively across different contexts and audiences.
Writing skills involve crafting clear, compelling content for various purposes and audiences. Analytical skills enable you to examine information systematically, identify patterns, and draw meaningful insights from complex data or concepts. Reporting skills help you present information in a structured and appropriate format.
You can see a full list of the skills included in this category at the bottom of this page.
These skills are essential for academic success, and are used across many careers and passion projects. They enhance your ability to conduct rigorous research, communicate complex ideas clearly, and make evidence-based arguments. In our information-rich world, the ability to analyse data critically and communicate findings persuasively is increasingly valuable for problem-solving, policy-making, and innovation.
Think about which of these skills you are developing through your studies using the list at the bottom of this page - you will be using them for every piece of you produce, whether that's writing essays or analysing datasets. Use the Skills Discovery Tool to evaluate your skills.
Getting started
You will be actively developing these skills through your academic work. Build on this foundation by:
- Thinking critically about information you encounter. Whether it's a news article or social media infographic, take a minute to ask: What's it claiming? What evidence supports it? What data or perspectives are missing?
- Research a topic that interests you beyond your course content, developing your ability to find and analyse information independently and evaluate sources.
- Tell a friend or family member about what you've been studying - the ability to adapt complex information to be accessible to your audience is an important skill.
Skills development opportunities
There are many ways to develop and evidence these skills beyond your subject work. Here are some suggestions:
- Write articles for a student newspaper or magazine to practice writing for an audience. You could work your way up to becoming an editor, developing your leadership and editorial skills. Find out how to get involved on the Theatre, Film & Arts page.
- Contribute to the Wikimedia community, researching and writing articles on topics that interest you. University departments and societies sometimes hold Wikipedia 'Edit-a-Thon's to improve information about underrepresented subjects, such as women in Classics. Look out for similar events or get started on your own.
- Take advantage of any writing skills workshops run by your College or departmental libraries - check your email or look out for posters to see when these are on. Search your College's website to see if they have a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow who will offer 1-to-1 consultations.
- Take on a society or JCR/MCR committee role that involves writing newsletters and social media posts. This is a great way to practice adapting your writing for different contexts and presenting information clearly.
- Seek out summer research opportunities run by your College or department to gain hands-on experience with research methodologies, data analysis, and academic report presentation or writing. Examples include the Sainsbury Laboratory summer projects, Cancer Research UK's Summer Research Programme, the Faculty of Mathematics programmes, and those run by King's College and Trinity Hall.
- If you're looking for career opportunities, watch the Careers Service's videos on writing successful applications. Already secured an internship? Learn how to write professionally on LinkedIn Learning. Find out how to access LinkedIn Learning through your University account.
Development opportunities
Explore the following pages for more ideas on how to develop skills in this area:
|
Skill |
Definition |
|
Ability to reflect |
The ability to engage in introspection, evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses, and seek feedback from others. |
|
Analytical thinking |
The ability to systematically gather and analyse data and then utilise that information to support decision-making and problem-solving. |
|
Complex problem solving |
The ability to identify complex issues, review available or related information, and account for the impact of proposed solutions even in changing circumstances. |
|
Computational and algorithmic thinking |
The ability to analyse real-world problems by breaking them into smaller and logical steps and creating models that are easily executable by a computer. |
|
Creativity and imagination |
The ability to generate ideas, products, or ways of working that are original, new, and valuable. |
|
Critical thinking |
The ability to systematically and rationally evaluate information and situation to form an impartial judgement or option. |
|
Data analysis and statistics |
The ability to analyse large volumes of data using analytical methods, discerning patterns and trends, and generating statistical insights into the data. |
|
Data literacy |
The ability to understand ways of creating, collecting, validating, and storing data and be able to communicate them in a meaningful way. |
|
Data management |
The ability to gather, organise, and store data in a way it can be analysed and visualised for making informed decisions. |
|
Deductive Reasoning |
The ability to use general and universal statements or facts to form a conclusion. |
|
Digital ethics |
The ability to use and engage in the digital world and online relationships responsibly while considering ethical impacts (e.g., privacy, accountability). |
|
Digital literacy |
The ability to utilise digital tools to find, critically evaluate, create and communicate information via digital media platforms, popular software, or AI. |
|
Editorial |
The ability to commission or produce, edit, and publish various forms of creative work, particularly written content. |
|
Evaluation of arguments |
The ability to critically assess the validity, coherence, and persuasiveness of presented claims and reasonings, based on supporting evidence. |
|
Inference |
The ability to make a guess or form an opinion on the basis of available information. |
|
Information seeking |
The ability to identify missing information and assess the most efficient place or resources where to look for answers. |
|
Initiative |
The ability to take a lead in a project or offer a fresh approach to something. |
|
Integrity & Ethical behaviour |
The ability to be honest and show a consistent adherence to strong moral and ethical principles that guide one in any situation. |
|
Interpretation |
The ability to uncover and determine, or attribute, significance or meaning to various information or situations. |
|
Logical reasoning |
The ability to draw conclusions, make judgements, and accept or reject certain information based on logical evaluation of facts and arguments. |
|
Numeracy |
The ability to understand, reason with, and apply simple mathematical concepts in everyday life. |
|
Originality |
The ability to independently generate new or fresh ideas, methods or thoughts. |
|
Recognition of assumptions |
The ability to recognise beliefs or assumptions which may not be necessarily true. |
|
Research |
The ability to conduct a systematic and detailed study to discover (new) information or (new) understanding of a subject. |
|
Seeking relevant information |
The ability to identify missing and relevant information and the most effective resource or medium where to find it. |
|
Systems analysis |
The ability to examine and understand how systems work, what are its bigger and smaller parts, and find ways of improving those outcomes. |
|
Systems Evaluation |
The ability to identify measures and indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct its performance. |
|
Transferring knowledge to different contexts |
The ability to apply experience and skills from one area into other contexts to create ideas, understand new topics, or solve a problem. |