When you are given an assignment you are often given a word limit. Once you know this you can begin to think about how many words you might use for each section. Follow any guidance that you are given, but it is often suggested that you use 10% of the words for the introduction and 10% for the conclusion. This will leave 80% for the main body of the writing. You might then divide this up into sections and think about how many words you will allocate for each.
In writing a dissertation the words might be spent as follows:
Introduction - 10%
Literature review - 25%
Methodology - 15%
Results/Findings - 20%
Discussion - 20%
Conclusion - 10%
What if I'm under the word limit?
If you have finished your assignment and are well under the word limit you might want to have another look at it. Check that you have answered all parts of the question and covered everything that was mentioned in the brief. Check that you have explained your points in detail, offered evidence and examples, and written critically about the literature that you refer to.
What if I'm over the word limit?
It's really common to find that you have written too much. Often, it is the process of cutting back your writing that makes it really strong. If you have too many words you might want to find a section that you can cut and, therefore, focus on a smaller number of topics. You might want to cut small amounts of text from lots of places. This can be very time consuming but can lead to good results and a concise writing style. You might do a mixture of these things.
Once you have made your edits, check the overall flow of the piece.