Features of academic writing in English : recommendations to remedy teaching EFL writing in the Arab context

Abstract EN

Academic writing in English is a mode of writing that, to a greater or lesser degree, underlies various academic tasks and assignments across almost all disciplines at the university level.

It is one of the most demanding skills to acquire.

Students need to be aware of the cognitive operations they go through in the process of composing, and the discursive norms of writing in order for them to operate successfully in academia.

This paper sets out to demonstrate the significance, purposes of academic writing and its key demands from both the cognitive and socio-cultural perspectives.

The significance of this paper arises from two complementary angles: First, it foregrounds the demanding aspects of writing in English that teachers should focus on in an endeavour to help Arab students extend their writing competence.

Second, the practical implications of the socio-cognitive demands may inform and guide teachers, course designers and education policy makers to develop an appropriate instructional writing model and design classroom activities that are believed to better meet these demands and thus help Arab students overcome them.

The paper finishes off with a conclusion.