Assessing the Writing Production Difficulties : The Case of Second-Year EFL Students at the University of Tlemcen

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to identify the major problems that the students in an EFL context face when writing and when being assessed. To reach this end, an exploratory case study of second year EFL students of English was undertaken in the Department of English at Tlemcen University, Algeria. The study relied on two research instruments: a questionnaire administered to the students and a semi-structured interview conducted with teachers. The data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results revealed that there are several factors leading to writing difficulties like lack of reading, practice and motivation. The results also showed that the teachers use different types of tests to assess their students’ writing performance. At the end of the research work, a number of recommendations are put forward as remedial suggestions for the teachers and the learners for better teaching/learning and assessment of the writing skill.