What strategies can you use to help students improve their academic writing skills in a second language?

1 Read and analyze texts

Learning to write in a second language can be facilitated by reading and analyzing texts from the genre and field of interest. Doing so can help expand your vocabulary, understand grammar and syntax rules, identify rhetorical patterns and conventions, and develop a sense of style. You can also use texts as models for your own writing. To read and analyze texts effectively, pay attention to the purpose and audience, structure and organization, language and terminology, evidence and arguments presented, as well as the tone and voice of the text. Additionally, asking questions, summarizing, paraphrasing, or critiquing can help you engage with the text and gain a deeper understanding.

2 Practice and revise writing

Another essential strategy to improve your academic writing skills in a second language is to practice and revise your writing regularly. Practice and revision can help you improve your fluency, accuracy, coherence, and clarity of your writing. You can practice your writing by doing exercises, assignments, journals, blogs, or other forms of writing that suit your goals and interests. You can revise your writing by checking and correcting your grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, and formatting. You can also use feedback from peers, tutors, instructors, or online tools to identify and address your strengths and weaknesses.

3 Learn and apply genre conventions

To improve your academic writing skills in a second language, you need to learn and apply the genre conventions of the discipline and genre. These conventions include the format and layout of the text, as well as the sections and headings. Additionally, you need to be aware of the citation and referencing style, tone and register, and types and sources of evidence and arguments used in the text. To do this, you can read and analyze texts from your discipline and genre, consult guidelines and rubrics from your instructors or publishers, and ask questions from experts or peers.

4 Develop and express critical thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and apply information and ideas from various sources and perspectives. This skill is essential for academic writing in any language, as it allows you to develop and express your own arguments, opinions, and insights in a clear and convincing way. To hone your critical thinking skills in a second language when writing academically, you should research reliable sources for your topic and purpose, compare and contrast different viewpoints and evidence from those sources, identify the strengths and limitations of your sources and your own position, formulate a thesis statement or main claim with logical reasoning, and use appropriate language and tone to convey your stance.