For EFL/ESL students, writing can be one of the biggest challenges they face. I’ve met dozens of students who can listen, read and speak fluently but struggle when it comes to putting pen to paper.
Writing is one of the active skills, along with speaking, but where it differs from speaking, is that it requires more concentrated thought and accuracy. Spoken English is fluid, and can be assisted by body language. Written communication requires more ordered thinking, precise language, and focused ideas.
In this article, I’m going to talk about 9 major issues EFL/ESL students have with writing, and offer practical solutions from a teacher’s point of view.
1. Analysis paralysis
When writing, you have plenty of time to think. Too much, sometimes. When speaking, you can’t mull over every word because the conversationn would come to a halt.
Constructing a sentence relies on a lot of skills. Choice of vocabulary, sentence structure, clauses, verb forms, and word order, to name a few. It can be overwhelming if you’re trying to get everything perfect.
A lot of students suffer from analysis paralysis and can’t get words down on the paper. Writing becomes very stressful. They avoid practicing because it makes them feel bad, so they never improve.
SOLUTIONS:
- Try a free-writing activity: Students write without stopping for five minutes about whatever they like, and their work is never corrected. This gives them freedom and reduces pressure.
- Provide plenty of praise to students for completing tasks (no matter the quality)
- Be gentle with writing corrections. You don’t have to correct every single mistake – instead focus on one or two aspects at a time.
Knowing how to effectively correct writing tasks is a vital skill for an EFL/ESL teacher. Find out my way of doing things by reading this article: Best Method for Correcting EFL/ESL Writing: 9 Step Guide
2. Translating from their native language
Translating directly from the student’s native language to English is a habit that needs to stop. There are two reasons why:
- It creates errors in word order and sentence structure. For example, English has a strict order of words in a sentence, with the subject always coming before the verb. A pig is an animal that humans eat. In other languages, such as Spanish, the order is more flexible. Un cerdo es un animal que come los humanos. This translates directly as A pig is an animal that eats humans. In Spanish, they parse the information to make sense of it, but in English, it changes the meaning completely!
- It stops students from progressing. If students are thinking in their native language and translating, they aren’t engaged on a deep level. They need to get used to thinking in English.
SOLUTIONS:
- Never speak or write anything in the students’ native tongue during class. Make sure they do the same.
- Don’t allow students to use translating software for anything longer than single words.
3. Problems carried over from the native language
Few people write perfectly in their own language, let alone one they’re in the process of learning.
Sometimes, as EFL/ESL teachers, we forget that writing is a challenging task that many of our students have issues with, such as phrasing, spelling, and making sure ideas are organised coherently.
It’s tricky to deal with this. If students lack fundamentals, there’s only so much you can do to build their English writing.
SOLUTIONS:
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. Nobody writes perfectly, and you can’t expect your students to. Focus on what’s important.
- Provide plenty of examples of quality English writing so they can imitate it. They may learn concepts in English that they can apply to their own language.
4. Not knowing conventions and register
Depending on the purpose, audience and genre of the task, English writing takes different forms.
Fairytales start with, “Once upon a time…”
Formal letters begin with, “I am writing with regard to…”
Magazine/internet articles often include engaging questions like, “Can you believe it?”
EFL/ESL students often aren’t aware of these conventions, so their writing doesn’t feel right.
Another thing to take into account is the register, or formality. Most of the time, this failure happens when students write letters to friends in a very formal tone, because they’re focusing on correct grammar and advanced vocabulary instead of using contractions and colloquial phrases.
The reverse can happen (formal writing tasks done too informally) but this is less common.
SOLUTIONS:
- Have students read a variety of texts from different sources and see if they can find some conventions.
- Teach contractions and colloquial expressions so they’re able to write informally.
5. Lack of guidance and modelling
A mistake I’ve made in the past when teaching EFL/ESL writing is setting tasks without enough guidance. Something like Write a review of a book you read recently.
That’s all I’d give, thinking it was obvious what to do. So when the writing tasks came back below the desired quality, with strange structures and rambling paragraphs, I wondered why my students couldn’t do something so simple.
Then I realised they were shooting in the dark. Younger students in their teenage years, especially, had very little experience writing proper reviews, let alone knowing any of the conventions.
They were doing their best. But with no reference points, it was pot luck whether they’d get it right. They had no model example to go off, and no idea of structure or useful phrases.
SOLUTIONS:
- Provide a model writing task to give to students. They can imitate (without directly copying) the structure and conventions until they’re confident enough to try it on their own.
- Do a shared planning activity in class. Think about the structure of the writing (introduction, content paragraphs and conclusion) and a few key words/phrases.
6. No immediate feedback
Writing is typically done alone. With private classes, I usually set it for homework, so we can spend class time on skills like speaking, where my presence is more valuable.
But without feedback at the moment of writing, students can go in the wrong direction without realising. They have no way of knowing if they’re right or wrong. For some, this is terrifying and puts them in the analysis paralysis state we saw earlier, and for others, they blissfully drift away from the task’s intention.
What’s more, when they get feedback weeks later, they’ve forgotten what their thought processes were at the time.
SOLUTIONS:
- Do some shared writing activities in class. One student leads, while the others give helpful feedback, and the teacher intervenes when necessary.
- If you set writing homework, have it submitted before the next class (digitally works best), so you can mark it and give the feedback quickly rather than waiting another week.
For more on how to set and organise homework effectively, read my article: 5 Tips for Setting Homework in Private EFL/ESL Classes
7. Lack of interest in the topic
Writing is tiring for most people. Motivation quickly slips away after a few sentences. This is particularly true if the subject you’re writing about doesn’t interest you.
Too many writing tasks fail to engage the student. Generic topics and pointless letters to imaginary people don’t provide that spark which keeps writers on task and focused.
SOLUTIONS:
- Consider getting penpals in another country to make letter writing real and relevant.
- Set writing tasks about things that interest your students. If you don’t know what they like, ask them, create some rapport or perform a needs analysis.
A needs analysis is a process which identifies the ability, preferences and interests of a student in order to inform and improve future sessions. To learn how to do one, read my guide: Needs Analysis for Private EFL/ESL Lessons.
8. Infrequent practice
One simple reason EFL/ESL students don’t advance in writing is they don’t do it enough.
Infrequent practice means that they never get into a rhythm and build upon what they’ve learned – each time they do a new task, it’s like starting afresh, having to overcome analysis paralysis and get their minds thinking in English rather than translating.
SOLUTIONS:
- Set small writing tasks every week (diary, weekly letter to a penpal, chatting via a messenger app) to keep things moving without overwhelming students.
- Consider setting aside a few minutes in every class for a bit of free, relaxed writing.
9. It’s hard
The truth is, writing is hard. Even native English speakers who have mastery over the language sometimes struggle with writer’s block. Self doubt, performance anxiety, and lack of energy make it a real challenge. And sometimes the thought of writing triggers those issues, creating a vicious cycle.
That’s not to mention the complexities of grammar. It takes courage and determination to write in a foreign language, knowing that mistakes are inevitable.
SOLUTIONS:
- Praise the completion of writing and herald it as something to be very proud of.
- Try to associate writing with positive feelings by giving gentle feedback and focusing on the good things they did, not just the mistakes.
Conclusion
Just by reading this article, you aren’t going to solve all the problems EFL/ESL students have with writing overnight. It’s a slow process. But by understanding what’s going on, you can better address the situation.
Patience is key. Take things one step at a time to build confidence and competence. Remember, don’t take it for granted that they know how to approach different writing tasks, and give them plenty of structure until they no longer need it.
And most of all, try to make it enjoyable. If students feel good about practicing this vital skill, they’re sure to progress.
To learn more about teaching EFL/ESL writing and other skills, check out some of my other articles:
Best Method for Correcting EFL/ESL Writing: 9 Step Guide
Teaching EFL/ESL Grammar: A guide for private tutors
9 Superb Novels to Boost Adult EFL/ESL Reading Skills
Best Method to Improve EFL/ESL Students’ Vocabulary: 9 Steps
