Yes, I totally agree with you. I never got the logic of directives like, write a 20 page report on such and such etc. I'd rather have the instructions be someth

Yes, I totally agree with you. I never got the logic of directives like, write a 20 page report on such and such etc. I'd rather have the instructions be something like 'ensure that your final report has X, Y and Z'. Although I suppose if you don't provide a lower limit on the number of pages you are expecting, this will encourage laziness on the part of the students. Basically ever since I started writing in a professional capacity, I have had an issue of 'writing too much' and not being concise. I suspect this is due to the school system, and its incessant focus on word and page counts.