Writing academic texts: a challenge for second language learners

I can relate to the foreigners' experience in writing academic texts since I face a similar challenge in the Beals program along with other undergraduates .  In this article, Asian students studying in New Zealand have a low proficiency in English and a "relative lack of writing experience".  The university's in-house placement test administered to these foreigners showed that they needed 1 or 2 intensive English courses (300 hours).  In the Beals, the entering students need to have an advanced level of English, since  they are aiming at teaching English as a second language. The Toiec test, although reliable, is a multiple-choice test that does not measure the ability to write paragraphs or essays, nor does it measure oral skills.  It is an indirect exam which has little construct validity for the purpose of admitting students in the Beals program.  An essay writing , as required in the Tecfée to measure French, would provide a more reliable and valid portrait of students' abilities to write in English.  Beals students have different backgrounds.  Depending on the Cegep they attended or previous life experiences, their ability to write academic texts vary.  Some have been exposed to essay writing before, to APA/MLA presentation rules; others scarcely.  The challenge of being able to write texts that meet expectations is therefore different for each student.  The scaffolding approach taken by the teachers Cotterall and Cohen seems an effective and dynamic way to help beginners and intermediate students with the writing process.

Cotterall, C., Cohen, R.(2003). Scaffolding for Second Language Writers: Producing an Academic Essay. ELT Journal, 57 (2).158-66.

STRATEGY: Establish a personal connection with text (Mels,p.46).