EAP Resource Bank
Ideas to supplement class materials
Focus
Level
Intermediate to Advanced
Topic
Tips for better writing
Activity Type
Writing/Speaking/Group work
Focus
Process pedagogy
Time
N/A
Key Language
Brainstorm; process; analyse; collaborate; review; reflect; proof; evaluate
Preparation/materials
required
N/A
When we write, we become involved in a complex and highly individualised process. As teachers we
tend to give essay assignments, mark them, and then hand them back. What happens to them after
that is anyone’s guess. For both marker and student it is the product - its clarity, originality, and
correctness – that is paramount. However, that final product is dependent on all the stages that lead
up to it, and arguably could be more than the sum of those parts.
Process writing is nothing new, but it is worth outlining the idea of the written product being the result
of dialogues (internal on the part of the writer, external on the parts of the writer and reader(s), be
they peers or tutors). Much has been made of the ‘stages’ of writing, say, an essay (from
‘understanding the title’ through to ‘drafting a conclusion’ etc). In these steps/activities, there is more
focus on the actual ‘craft’ of writing, of putting pen to paper, as it were.
3 parts to the process, 10 ways to approach them – the writer

Pre-writing
1. Brainstorming
To get started, students can divide into groups to produce words and ideas about the
task. Mind-mapping techniques encourage the generation of ideas through association
and have proven to be an effective alternative to listing. Individual brainstorming can
be even more effective than in a group as there is no risk of ‘blocking’, where others’
ideas are disregarded in favour of one’s own.

Pre-writing
2. Planning
Again, this can involve collaboration in effectively planning what ideas can be
incorporated, and how. Alternatively, an individual creates a personal outline of the
structure of their own writing.
EAP Resource Bank
Ideas to supplement class materials

Pre-writing
3. Tackling ideas
One activity here is where students ‘cube’ an idea by writing about it (fast) in
different ways:
o
o
o
o
o
o

1. describe it
2. compare it
3. associate it
4. analyse it
5. apply it
6. argue for or against it.
Pre-writing
4. Questioning, Discussion and debate
In groups, students generate questions about the topic. This helps them get into the
mind of the audience/reader. By answering these questions they will create fertile
material for debate and thence some basis for the written product.

Focusing
5. Write fast
At this stage, students write quickly on the topic for a specified time limit (5 mins,
say) without worrying about correctness. If they get stuck on a word they leave a
space or write it in their own language. The important thing is to keep writing. The
text can later be edited and revised.

Focusing
6. Collaborate
By sharing ideas in groups, students employ other skills such as listening and
speaking. By, for example, creating a role-play out of the topic, different students can
choose different points of view and put them across. In a law essay, for example,
students can role-play the prosecution and defence. The research undertaken to gather
material to support their side would be very much the same as that for the final essay.

Writing
7. Order
Once pre-writing activities have produced enough material, students then decide on
the best order for their notes. What comes first? Why? Is it best to start with general
ideas and then become more specific (or vice versa)? Should known issues precede
new ones?

Writing
8. Edit
A good writer knows how to evaluate their own language. They can effectively check
their own text, knowing what kind of errors to spot, whether they be grammatical,
structural or in terms of cohesion and coherence. This is the point where word-limits
come into play.
EAP Resource Bank
Ideas to supplement class materials

Writing
9. Peer evaluation and proofing
Most writers worth their salt will ask for a ‘third eye’ to give a frank and honest
opinion of their work. There is always the issue that people are too polite or too cruel
to each other. The emphasis is on honesty here. If it doesn’t flow or is hard to
understand then this needs to be mentioned. One common fear is that the subject
matter / writing style may be beyond the scope of the reader. However, in Academic
English the emphasis should be on concision and clarity. Thus, anything should be
understandable to one’s peers.

Post-writing
10. Self-evaluation afterwards
There is nothing more demoralising than watching a piece of work that may have
taken days to write and mark being thrust into a folder (or another, more final
receptacle) never to see the light of day again. One activity is to introduce the ‘editing
cycle’ where a student on receipt of their work edits it in order to re-submit. The work
is then reviewed by the tutor (not remarked) and given back. This doesn’t necessarily
involve a lot of work for either party. Again, it is the process of re-reading and acting
upon comments / having those comments acted upon that matters.