Despite professors' carefully-crafted lectures, students regularly do not meet expectations in writing assignments-but it might not be all their fault. Writing assignments require students to articulately apply critical thinking skills to a content area, but this complex task becomes more challenging when instructions range from confusingly vague to overbearingly complex. Frustrated students throw up their hands and settle for a half-hearted effort, and professors become increasingly frustrated themselves. The key to breaking this cycle of frustration lies in clear, concise, goal-driven assignment descriptions. In this hands-on presentation, attendees will learn the art and science of assignment descriptions that encourage students' best writing, allowing for more accurate assessment of content knowledge.