Writing for Study Purposes: A Teacher's Guide to Developing Individual Writing Skills

Writing for Study Purposes puts forward a new approach to the teaching of writing. The essential principles are that language development should be related to the broader needs of the curriculum, that we always write for a purpose and a specific reader, and that learners are individuals with their own personal needs and intentions, resources and concerns. Writing for Study Purposes emphasizes the processes by which learners can write free from the constraints of other people's ideas and the need to conform to prescriptions. The first section looks in detail at the issues surrounding the teaching of writing in an academic context. It examines the writing process, cultural assumptions, ways of improving and evaluating writing, and ways of using exercises in the classroom. The second section presents a wide range of writing exercises, grouped together into four categories: syllabus negotiation, organization of material, cross-cultural considerations, and writing skills and techniques. Writing for Study Purposes provides ideas and resources for all those who are teaching writing within a communicative approach. It is suitable for use with students at intermediate and more advanced levels.