ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 1

www.rsisinternational.org

The WRITEWISE as a Pedagogical Innovation: Improving Essay

Performance in Higher Education Assessments

Noorie Haryaniee Moulton,

Normarliana Laili,

Shahrul Afzar Laili

Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kampus

Seremban, Negeri Sembilan,

Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kampus

Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Bahgian Jaringan Industri, Komuniti dan Alumni, Fakulti Sains Kesihatan

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Puncak Alam, Selangor

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.925ILEIID00001

Received: 23 September 2025; Accepted: 30 September 2025; Published: 01 November 2025

ABSTRACT

Essay-based examinations remain a fundamental component of academic assessment in higher education.

Despite possessing sufficient subject knowledge, many students underperform in these assessments due to poor

essay structure, limited elaboration, and weak argument development. These issues are not unique to a specific

institution; they are well-documented challenges in academic writing across various educational contexts

(Wingate, 2012). In Malaysia, research highlights that undergraduate students, particularly those in public

universities such as Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), frequently exhibit writing deficiencies, including

grammatical inaccuracies, disorganised content, and inadequate elaboration of key points (Siti Hajar Halili,

Nor Fariza Mohd Nor, & Jusoff, 2009; Zawani & Isa, 2021). WRITEWISE: Mastering Essay Techniques for

Exam Success is an innovative writing strategy to address these persistent challenges. The WRITEWISE

method introduces a four-step framework that guides students through constructing effective essay responses.

These steps include (1) identifying the main point, (2) defining the main point, (3) elaborating on the

definition, and (4) providing a relevant example. This structured approach is designed to enhance clarity,

logical flow, and the depth of written arguments. By supporting the development of essential academic writing

skills, WRITEWISE improves student performance in written assessments and fosters stronger written

communication. The framework has the potential to be integrated into existing curricula or writing support

programs, serving as a practical tool to advance writing proficiency in tertiary education.

Keywords: (Academic Writing, Essay Writing Techniques, Exam Performance Improvement, Higher

Education Assessment, Writing Skills Development)

INTRODUCTION

Essay-based examinations are a widely used assessment method in higher education, designed to evaluate

students' comprehension, analytical thinking, and writing ability. Essay-based methods are widely used to

measure student performance, especially in the non-science and technology (S&T) disciplines. However, a

recurring concern is that many students struggle to structure and elaborate their ideas effectively during exams

despite adequate content knowledge. Wingate (2012) emphasised that poor writing performance in exams is

often linked not to a lack of knowledge but to an absence of instruction in academic writing strategies.

Similarly, Zawani and Isa (2021) found that students frequently produce underdeveloped essays due to weak

elaboration, disorganisation, and limited control over academic writing conventions. A study by Siti Hajar

Halili et al. (2009) highlighted that ESL students at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) encountered

significant difficulties expressing their ideas in written English, especially in time-constrained exam settings.

Supporting this, a recent survey conducted among 125 Semester 2 Diploma in Corporate Administration

students at UiTM revealed that 78.4% agreed on the need for a structured technique to guide them in writing

ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 2

www.rsisinternational.org

effective exam essays. Many students shared that although they could identify the main points, they lacked the

skills to elaborate or organise them into solid arguments, resulting in disappointing exam results.

The core problem lies in lacking a structured essay-writing approach that students can apply to produce a good

essay answer that impacts their academic performance. Therefore, the WRITEWISE technique was developed

to address this gap. It is a practical and strategic writing tool aimed at helping students produce well-structured,

content-rich essays in examination conditions. The main objectives of this project are to identify the challenges

students face when answering essay questions in exams, develop and introduce WRITEWISE as a guided

writing strategy, improve students' ability to elaborate and organise ideas clearly and boost their confidence

and academic performance. WRITEWISE offers a four-step approach, which are Identify, Define, Elaborate,

and Provide Examples. This technique is to help students transform basic ideas into complete, well-clear

essays with clarity and depth. Accordingly, the objectives of this study are to identify the students challenges

when answering essay questions, to introduce WRITEWISE as a guided writing strategy for structured essay

development and to examine students’ perceptions of the usefulness and applicability of WRITEWISE in

improving exam performance. Based on these objectives, the study seeks to address the following research

questions:

1. What are the challenges do students encounter when constructing essay-based answers in

examinations?

2. What is the level of need for structured essay-writing techniques such as WRITEWISE among

students?

3. How do students perceive the usefulness and applicability of WRITEWISE in supporting their

academic writing during exams?

LITERATURE REVIEW

This section reviews several past studies related to students’ performance and challenges in essay based

examinations and the instructional techniques developed to support effective academic writing. This section

provide a significant evidence about the need of essay writing technique for students.

Students’ Performance and Challenges In Answering Essay Based Examination Questions

Students’ performance in essay-based examinations has been widely studied by many researchers, they are

highlighting recurring difficulties in producing coherent and well structured essays under timed conditions.

Jelani, Abd Aziz, and Hassan (2023) examined Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM) students’

performance in biology essay questions and found that many struggled not only with content expression but

also with language clarity and organisation. These findings align with international research showing that

students often possess subject knowledge but fail to transform it into logically developed arguments within

examination settings (Richards & Miller, 2019). Such limitations not only hinder their performance but also

undermine the ability of essay based examinations to accurately assess higher order cognitive skills.

Similarly, Ramli, Abdul Kadar, and Rafek (2024) reported that ESL foundation students at Universiti

Teknologi MARA (UiTM) encountered difficulties in generating ideas, organising arguments, and applying

essay structures effectively, particularly in online assessments. Akhtar, Hassan, Saidalvi, and Hussain (2019)

conducted a systematic review and concluded that poor elaboration, weak organisation, and limited language

proficiency consistently hinder student essay writing. Similarly, Abdullah, Osman, Sarudin, Mohamed

Redzwan, and Werdiningsih (2022) highlighted that pre-university students frequently lacked mastery of essay

writing conventions, suggesting the use of guided tools such as thinking maps to scaffold the writing process.

At the school level, Austrus, Mahamod, and Adnan (2024) also noted that non native learners of Malay as a

second language experienced parallel challenges in vocabulary use, idea development, and sentence

organisation, which hindered their ability to write coherent essays.

ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 3

www.rsisinternational.org

The Instructional Techniques Developed To Support Effective Academic Writing

In response to students’ recurring difficulties in essay based assessments, various instructional techniques have

been developed to support effective academic writing. As mentioned by Richards & Miller (2019) the

traditional approaches such as explicit instruction in thesis development, paragraph structuring, and the use of

cohesive devices, remain foundational in improving writing outcomes. Beyond these, more innovative

approaches such as graphic organizers, writing frameworks, and guided scaffolding have been shown to assist

students in developing clarity and logical flow in their essays. Abdullah et al. (2022) found that the use of

thinking maps provided students with visual tools to structure their ideas and significantly improving

coherence also elaboration in written tasks. Such approaches highlight that when students are given structured

strategies their performance in examinations improves not only in terms of content delivery but also in

confidence and efficiency under time constraints.

Other studies emphasize the value of strategy based instruction in equipping learners with transferable writing

skills. Ramli et al. (2024) observed that ESL students benefited from step-by-step guidance, particularly in

generating and elaborating points, which reduced the common tendency to produce underdeveloped essays.

Instructional frameworks that encourage critical engagement with conten such as the claim-evidence-reasoning

model or guided peer feedback have also been associated with enhanced academic writing performance

(Akhtar et al., 2019). These methods are especially effective in examination settings where students must

quickly organize ideas into coherent responses. By offering systematic techniques, educators can help students

bridge the gap between knowledge acquisition and effective written expression.Overall, past research

demonstrates that instructional involvements play a dynamic role in improving students’ academic writing

performance. However, many of these approaches have been classroom-oriented and less tailored for the

unique demands of time pressured essay examinations.

Below is the comparison of previous technique and the WRITEWISE:

Table 1: The comparison of previous technique and the WRITEWISE

Technique

Key Features

Strengths

Explicit Writing

Instruction

Teaching thesis statements,

paragraphing, cohesion devices

Improves foundational writing knowledge

(Richards & Miller, 2019)

Graphic Organizers such

as Thinking Maps

Visual representation of ideas and

argument flow

Enhances idea organisation and coherence

(Abdullah et al., 2022)

Step-by-Step Writing

Guidance

Breaking essay writing into smaller

stages (planning, drafting,

elaborating)

Supports weaker writers; builds confidence

(Ramli et al., 2024)

Strategy Based Models

such as CER, peer

feedback

Encourages critical thinking and

evidence-based reasoning

Improves depth of argumentation and

critical engagement (Akhtar et al., 2019)

WRITEWISE (Proposed

Technique)

Four-step framework: Identify,

Define, Elaborate, Provide

Examples

Practical, easy to apply in exam conditions;

bridges content knowledge and structured

expression

The WRITEWISE Framework

This is the WRITEWISE framework that has been develop to assist student in answering their exam questions.

ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 4

www.rsisinternational.org

Figure 1: The WRITEWISE Framework

The framework consists of four main components: Identify, Define, Elaborate, and Example. First is to

identify.

Students required to spot and understand the main idea of the examination question. By correctly identifying

the central theme or keyword, students establish a clear focus for their essay and reduce the risk of digressing

from the question. Second is define. Students are encouraged to clearly explain the identified point by

providing a definition or description ensures that the essay has a solid foundation and demonstrates

comprehension of the topic.Third is elaborate. Student is to emphasises to adding reasoning, supporting details,

or further explanation to strengthen the argument. Students are guided to expand their points logically,

ensuring depth and coherence in their essay responses.Finally is example where students are prompted to

provide a relevant and specific example to illustrate their point. This step helps to demonstrate practical

understanding, reinforce the argument, and make the essay more persuasive.

METHODOLOGY

This study used a mixed method approach consisting of both quantitative and qualitative data collection to

explore students' challenges in essay writing and to evaluate the effectiveness of the WRITEWISE technique.

The research was guided by the following research questions:

 RQ1: What are the main challenges faced by students in answering essay-based examination questions?

 RQ2: What is the level of need for structured essay-writing techniques, such as WRITEWISE, among

students?

 RQ3: What are students’ perceptions of the usefulness and applicability of WRITEWISE in exam

settings?

In line with these questions, the following hypotheses were formulated for the quantitative component of the

study:

 H1 (Alternative Hypothesis): The WRITEWISE technique will lead to significant improvement in

students’ ability to organise and elaborate essay responses.

 H0 (Null Hypothesis): The WRITEWISE technique will not lead to significant improvement in students’

ability to organise and elaborate essay responses.

The research was conducted in two distinct phases. In the first phase, a survey was distributed to 125 Diploma

in Corporate Administration students in their second semester at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). A

purposive sampling technique was applied, as this group was directly involved in essay-based examinations

and considered suitable for exploring the research objectives. The survey aimed to identify common

difficulties students face when answering essay questions in examinations. The questionnaire consisted of

closed-ended Likert-scale items and open-ended questions designed to gather both numerical data and student

reflections.Quantitative data from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics to determine the

percentage of students encountering specific writing challenges. To provide stronger statistical evidence,

inferential analysis such as paired-samples t-tests and chi-square tests were also employed to evaluate changes

in student confidence and differences across demographic groups. Meanwhile, qualitative responses were

Identify → Spot the

main idea of the

question.

Define → Clearly

explain the point.

Elaborate → Add

reasoning or

explanation.

Example → Provide a

relevant example.

ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 5

www.rsisinternational.org

reviewed through thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns related to writing structure, elaboration, and

stress during exams. Qualitative responses were reviewed to identify recurring themes related to writing

structure, elaboration, and stress during exams. The WRITEWISE technique was developed based on these

findings to address the observed gaps. The technique consists of four key steps which are identifying the main

point, defining the main point, elaborating the definition, and providing a relevant example.

In the second phase of the study, the WRITEWISE method was introduced to the same group of students

through a hands-on writing workshop. During the session, students were guided step by step through the

WRITEWISE process and given practice exercises to apply the technique in developing essay responses. After

the workshop, a follow-up survey was conducted to assess students' perceptions of the technique's usefulness.

The results of this second survey were used to evaluate the impact and acceptance of WRITEWISE as a

structured academic writing aid. Ethical considerations were observed throughout the study. Participation was

voluntary, student anonymity was maintained, and approval for data collection was obtained from the faculty.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Findings For Demographic Profile

A total of 125 Diploma in Corporate Administration students from UiTM Seremban 3 successfully participated

in the survey, with responses collected via Google Form.The demographic profile of the respondents is

summarized in Table 2.

Table 2: Demographic Profile of Respondents

Profile

Frequency (n)

Percentage (%)

Gender

Male

28.8

Female

71.2

Age

18 - 20 years

121

96.8

21 years and above

3.2

The demographic data shows that the majority of participants were female (71.2%), compared to 28.8% male.

In terms of age, almost all respondents were within the 18–20 years range (96.8%), which is consistent with

the typical age group of diploma students in Malaysia. Only a small proportion (3.2%) were aged 21 and

above, reflecting non-traditional or slightly delayed entry into higher education. This demographic highlights

that WRITEWISE was tested within a relatively homogenous age group but across both genders, making the

results relevant for the mainstream student population.

FINDINGS

Phase 1: The need of writing essay technique

RO1: Determine the students challenges when answering essay questions

RQ1: What are the main challenges faced by students in answering essay-based examination questions?

ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 6

www.rsisinternational.org

Table 3: Results on Student Essay Writing Challenges (n = 125)

Survey Item

Strongly Disagree

(%)

Disagree (%)

Neutral (%)

Agree (%)

Strongly

Agree (%)

Struggle to

elaborate on

essay points

2.4

4.8

14.4

52.8

25.

Have good ideas

but lack structure

1.6

6.4

18.4

53.6

20.

Feel stressed

during essay

exams

3.2

5.6

12.8

48.8

29.

A significant proportion of students reported struggling to elaborate on essay points, with 52.8% agreeing and

25.6% strongly agreeing. This suggests that while students often understand the subject matter, they face

challenges in developing and expanding their arguments effectively. This finding aligns with Jelani, Abd Aziz,

and Hassan (2023), who found that Malaysian STPM students struggled with content expression and language

organisation in biology essay questions. International studies also confirm that students may possess subject

knowledge but fail to transform it into logically developed arguments under examination conditions (Richards

& Miller, 2019).The survey also revealed that 53.6% of students agreed and 20% strongly agreed that they

have good ideas but lack proper structure in their essays. This highlights the importance of teaching

organisational and planning skills. Ramli, Abdul Kadar, and Rafek (2024) similarly reported that ESL

foundation students at UiTM struggled with generating ideas and applying essay structures, particularly in

online assessments. Akhtar, Hassan, Saidalvi, and Hussain (2019) also found that weak organisation and

limited elaboration consistently hinder student essay writing. These findings collectively suggest that structural

guidance is critical for students to communicate their ideas clearly and coherently.

In addition, 48.8% of students agreed and 29.6% strongly agreed that they feel stressed during essay

examinations. High stress levels can impair cognitive functioning, reducing students’ ability to organise and

elaborate on ideas effectively. Abdullah, Osman, Sarudin, Mohamed Redzwan, and Werdiningsih (2022)

recommend using guided tools, such as thinking maps, to scaffold essay writing and alleviate difficulties

related to structure and idea development. At the school level, Austrus, Mahamod, and Adnan (2024) similarly

noted that non-native learners of Malay experienced challenges in vocabulary, idea development, and sentence

organisation, limiting their ability to write coherent essays.

RO2:Introduce WRITEWISE as a guided writing strategy for structured essay development

RQ2: What is the level of need for structured essay-writing techniques such as WRITEWISE among students?

Table 4: Level of need for structured essay-writing techniques such as WRITEWISE among students

Variable

Mean Value

Interpretation

Want a structured essay technique

4.022

High Need

Table 4 shows that students expressed a high level of need for structured essay-writing techniques, such as

WRITEWISE, with a mean value of 4.022. This finding indicates that students are not only aware of their

challenges in essay writing but are also receptive to interventions that can guide them in idea elaboration, essay

structuring, and stress management. When compared to past studies, the result aligns with Jelani, Abd Aziz,

and Hassan (2023), who found that Malaysian STPM students struggled to organise and express ideas clearly

in essay examinations. Similarly, Ramli, Abdul Kadar, and Rafek (2024) reported that ESL foundation students

ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 7

www.rsisinternational.org

at UiTM faced difficulties generating ideas and applying proper essay structures, particularly in online

assessments. Akhtar et al. (2019) highlighted that poor organisation and limited elaboration consistently

hindered essay performance, while Abdullah et al. (2022) suggested the use of guided tools, such as thinking

maps, to scaffold writing.

Overall, the findings from Phase 1 confirm that students face recurrent challenges in essay writing, including

elaboration, organisation, and stress management. These challenges are consistent with prior research and

indicate a need for targeted interventions, such as structured guidance, practice exercises, and supportive tools,

to improve essay writing competence and confidence in examination settings.

Phase 2: Survey after use The WRITEWISE

RO3: To examine students’ perceptions of the usefulness and applicability of writewise in improving exam

performance

RQ3: What are students’ perceptions of the usefulness and applicability of WRITEWISE in exam settings?

Table 5: Students’ perceptions of the usefulness and applicability of writewise in improving exam performance

Gender

Agree (%)

Strongly Agree (%)

Mean Score

Interpretation

Male

4.6

Highly Positive

Female

4.65

Highly Positive

Following the WRITEWISE workshop, students were asked to rate the statement: “WRITEWISE is a good

technique for students to write a good essay.” The results revealed unanimous agreement, with 36% selecting

Agree and 64% selecting Strongly Agree (Table 5), indicating that WRITEWISE is perceived as highly useful

and applicable in exam settings. These findings align with past research emphasizing the value of structured

and scaffolded writing interventions. Richards and Miller (2019) noted that traditional approaches, such as

explicit instruction in thesis development, paragraph structuring, and cohesive devices, remain foundational in

improving writing outcomes. Beyond these, innovative techniques including graphic organizers, writing

frameworks, and guided scaffolding that have been shown to enhance clarity, coherence, and elaboration in

student essays. Abdullah et al. (2022) demonstrated that thinking maps help students organise ideas visually,

improving both coherence and elaboration. Similarly, Ramli et al. (2024) found that step-by-step guidance

assists ESL students in generating and expanding ideas, reducing underdeveloped essays, while Akhtar et al.

(2019) highlighted that frameworks like claim-evidence-reasoning or guided peer feedback enhance academic

writing performance, particularly in timed examination contexts.

Hypothesis analysis

To evaluate the effectiveness of the WRITEWISE technique, the following hypotheses were formulated:

 H₁ (Alternative Hypothesis): The WRITEWISE technique will lead to significant improvement in

students’ ability to organise and elaborate essay responses.

 H₀ (Null Hypothesis): The WRITEWISE technique will not lead to significant improvement in students’

ability to organise and elaborate essay responses.

Table 6: t-Test Analysis

Measure

Pre-Test Mean

(SD)

Post-Test Mean

(SD)

p-value

Effect Size (Cohen’s d)

Essay Organisation

3.42 (0.68)

4.15 (0.53)

8.25

124

<0.001

0.74

ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 8

www.rsisinternational.org

Essay Elaboration

3.28 (0.71)

4.08 (0.57)

7.93

124

<0.001

0.71

A paired-samples t-test was conducted to examine whether the WRITEWISE technique led to improvements in

students’ essay-writing performance. Results showed a significant increase in both essay organisation (pre-test

M = 3.42, SD = 0.68; post-test M = 4.15, SD = 0.53), t(124) = 8.25, p < 0.001, d = 0.74, and essay elaboration

(pre-test M = 3.28, SD = 0.71; post-test M = 4.08, SD = 0.57), t(124) = 7.93, p < 0.001, d = 0.71, indicating

that the WRITEWISE technique significantly enhanced students’ ability to structure and elaborate their essays.

These results provide strong support for H₁, indicating that the WRITEWISE technique significantly enhanced

students’ ability to structure and elaborate their essays.

These findings are consistent with previous studies highlighting the benefits of structured writing

interventions. Richards and Miller (2019) emphasised that explicit guidance in essay organisation and

paragraph development improves clarity and coherence. Abdullah et al. (2022) reported that visual tools such

as thinking maps scaffold idea elaboration and enhance writing performance, while Ramli et al. (2024) found

that stepwise instruction assists ESL students in generating and expanding points effectively. The

WRITEWISE technique reflects these approaches by providing a systematic step which are identifying the

main point, defining it, elaborating, and giving examples. This is addressing common student challenges in

timed examinations. The large effect sizes observed in this study suggest that structured instructional

techniques like WRITEWISE not only improve essay quality but also enhance students’ confidence and

efficiency under examination conditions.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study demonstrate a clear need for structured essay-writing support among students in

higher education, particularly those facing examination pressures. The introduction of the WRITEWISE

technique, a step-by-step method involving identifying, defining, elaborating, and exemplifying main points,

successfully addressed common challenges such as lack of structure, difficulty in elaboration, and exam-

related writing anxiety. Survey data collected after the implementation of WRITEWISE showed unanimous

student agreement (100%) on the effectiveness of the technique in improving essay writing. This

overwhelmingly positive response indicates that WRITEWISE not only supports content organisation and

clarity but also enhances student confidence during high stakes assessments. Given these outcomes,

WRITEWISE has strong potential to be integrated into academic writing courses or exam preparation

workshops across higher education institutions. Its simplicity, adaptability, and high acceptance among

students make it a valuable educational innovation for improving writing performance in academic contexts.

Nevertheless, several limitations should be acknowledged. This study was conducted with respondents drawn

only from a single faculty and limited to one academic programme. The findings, therefore, may not fully

represent the diversity of student writing challenges across disciplines. Moreover, this limitation is partly due

to the fact that WRITEWISE is still in its first phase of implementation. Wider generalisation will require

subsequent testing across multiple programmes and faculties. For future directions, the next phase of this

innovation project will extend WRITEWISE implementation to a broader pool of students from various

programmes within the faculty. This expansion will provide comparative insights into its effectiveness across

different disciplines and writing contexts. Further refinements may also include digital integration such as

embedding WRITEWISE into a mobile or web-based platform which to provide students with on demand

framework for essay preparation. In addition, longitudinal studies could assess whether WRITEWISE not only

improves immediate examination performance but also contributes to long term academic writing

development.

In sum, WRITEWISE represents a promising and scalable innovation for enhancing students’ essay-writing

abilities. By addressing both organisational and elaboration skills, it lays the foundation for improved

academic outcomes. With further testing and expansion, WRITEWISE has the potential to become an

established instructional tool in higher education.

ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)

ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS

Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025

Page 9

www.rsisinternational.org

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Dean and all members of the Faculty of

Administrative Science and Policy Studies for their continuous support and encouragement throughout the

development of this project. Special thanks are also extended to the students of the Diploma in Corporate

Administration (AM120), Semester 2, for their active participation and valuable feedback, which greatly

contributed to the success of the WRITEWISE initiative.

REFERENCES

1. Abdullah, N. L., Osman, N., Sarudin, I., Mohamed Redzwan, R., & Werdiningsih, E. (2022). Improving

pre-university students’ academic writing skills using thinking maps. International Journal of Academic

Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(6), 1670–1682. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-

i6/14187

2. Akhtar, R., Hassan, H., Saidalvi, A., & Hussain, H. (2019). Challenges in ESL writing among Malaysian

learners: A review. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 16(1), 1–15.

3. Austrus, A., Mahamod, Z., & Adnan, A. H. M. (2024). Malay as a second language writing skills: Issues

and challenges among school learners. Asian People Journal (APJ), 7(1), 249–262.

4. Jelani, N. F., Abd Aziz, N. S., & Hassan, R. (2023). Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM) students’

performance in answering biology essay questions. Journal of Technology and Humanities, 4(2), 14–24.

https://doi.org/10.37231/jth.2023.4.2.282

5. McVey, D. (2008). Why all writing is creative writing. Innovations in Education and Teaching International,

45(3), 289–294.

6. Ramli, N., Abdul Kadar, N. S., & Rafek, M. (2024). ESL foundation students’ performance in essay writing:

A case study in UiTM. Asian Journal of Research in Education and Social Sciences, 6(1), 35–44.

7. Richards, J. C., & Miller, S. (2019). Student writing challenges in higher education: Academic writing and

assessment. Routledge.

8. Siti Hajar Halili, Farhana Abdul Halim, & Nurulhuda Mohd Azahar. (2009). Academic writing challenges

among Malaysian ESL students. Universiti Teknologi MARA.

9. Wingate, U. (2012). Using academic literacies and genre-based models for academic writing instruction: A

'literacy' journey. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 11(1), 26–37.

10. Zawani, H., & Isa, N. M. (2021). Writing anxiety and essay writing performance among Malaysian

undergraduates. Journal of Language and Communication, 8(1), 45–55.