Honing skills of academic writing in English

Writing is an art which helps a person express oneself.  It is one of the ways by which we translate our thoughts for other people. Some people are better at expressing themselves in writing than any other ways, and we thus get a better result when we read what they have to say rather than hearing them speak. In the academic arena, whether we are students, teachers, or other professionals, academic writing skills are necessary for producing essays, reports, presentations, research papers, articles etc.

Academic writing skills encompass strong composition, excellent knowledge of grammar, and a consistent stylistic approach. Academic writing, when used appropriately, presents a polished and professional image. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, many university students, teachers and researchers are still confused about how to write good academic papers of various kinds in English. Needless to say, the lack of well-designed books is a major cause for this situation.

In this regard, the book English for Academic Purposes 2: Essay and Report Writing is a great initiative coming from the British Council, Bangladesh, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh.

With the aim of supporting universities in the task of delivering better quality English language training modules for their students and faculties, the British Council, the UGC and the consultants from Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, have sought to develop materials to strengthen English language skills in higher education in Bangladesh. These materials have been developed following an extensive Needs Analysis Survey on the current situation of teaching English language and the use of English as a medium of instruction in the higher education sector in Bangladesh. The survey covers both public and private universities (general, technical and specialised ones) as well as colleges under the National University from all geographical regions of the country. Based on the findings and recommendations of the Needs Analysis Survey, four books/modules have been developed, and 'English for Academic Purposes (EAP) 2: Essay and Report Writing' is one of them.

The book is designed in modular style which contains 20 units, and each unit contains 2 sessions. The first 11 units guide students through each stage of the process of writing an academic essay or report: from brainstorming ideas, finding suitable sources, making notes from the sources, planning and structuring an essay/report, writing a draft using paraphrasing form and referencing, integrating data, and, finally, editing and proof-reading using an appropriate academic style.

As the students progress through each unit, they put what they have learnt into practice, collecting ideas and data for a group project essay/report which they write together in the Review (Unit: 12) as part of the module assessment. Unit: 13 builds on the presentation skills students learnt in the previous units by focusing on the writing skills required for effective presentations and provides opportunity for students to present their group project.

The subsequent units (14 to 19) focus on specific types of academic essays and writings which the students may need to prepare at university level: argumentative writing, problem-solving mode of writing, writing book and article reviews, writing for examinations etc. The final Review Unit, at the end of the book provides the opportunity to revise important aspects of the units as well as checking students' understanding and progress. Examples to illustrate the different types of essays and a report, as covered in the book are incorporated in the Appendices and are referred to in the units. A glossary of grammatical terms that are used in the units is provided for students' reference at the end of the book.

The book aims to facilitate meaningful and real communication by encouraging students to carry out the tasks and develop their skills in writing in English for academic purposes rather than simply studying the language. It tries to encourage critical thoughts rather than rote-learning or other more mechanical approaches to learning. What is remarkable is that all the topics/units of the book bring students to the centre of learning and teaching, by emphasising the students' needs and goals, as identified by the needs analysis, such as building students' confidence in writing English effectively, not only in an academic context but also in a wider perspective.

Although the book is designed to improve the academic writing skills of university students, it can be a useful and effective resource-guide for individuals interested to develop their writing skills in English. Finally, we should not forget that 'the best way to improve our writing skills is to write'!

The writer is an independent researcher.

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English for Academic Purposes 2: Essay and Report Writing;

published by British Council and University Grants Commission of Bangladesh under the project 'Transforming English Language Skills in the Higher Education Sector in Bangladesh', 400 pages.