Synthesising, Referencing, and Beyond: Difficulties in Academic Writing Faced by ESL Pre-University Students

Writing is a crucial skill for language learners, particularly in achieving academic success in the English language. Since writing requires a high level of cognitive engagement, many language learners, especially ESL students, are struggling to perform well in writing tasks assigned to them. This issue is prevalent at the tertiary level, where academic writing is essential for students to complete their assignments and further meet academic expectations. Thus, this recent study aims to investigate which elements of academic writing are perceived as most challenging by ESL pre-university students. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 102 ESL pre-university students who identified which of the 15 academic writing aspects were difficult for them. The findings revealed that referring to and selecting sources, summarising/paraphrasing information, and synthesising information are the most challenging elements in academic writing. These insights are valuable for ESL educators, as they offer guidance in identifying students’ challenges and help them develop targeted instructional strategies to improve academic writing proficiency among tertiary learners.

ESL pre-university students, academic writing, synthesising

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