Academic writing in a second language

Academic writing conventions vary across cultures. The study of the differences between writing conventions in different cultures is known as Contrastive Rhetoric. Because there are certain accepted ways to approach English academic writing, it is important for students to become familiar with its writing conventions. The differences between a student’s first language and English academic styles of writing can be an influential factor in the outcome for student writing in English (Ye, 2018). Therefore, it is important for students to be familiar with the conventions of academic English.

Some studies show that writing skills are transferable across languages (Silva, 1993; Kobayashi & Rinnert, 2008). Therefore, if a student can write well in their first language, it is more likely that this ability will transfer over to their English writing. Similarly, if a student does not write well in their first language, they are likely to have the same limitations in English.

When students write in a second language, they generally have more overall errors, and they will generally be slower than if they were writing in their first language. They might spend more time trying to get their language accurate but spend less time on planning and organizing their content. Students might struggle to find the right vocabulary and rely more on translation. Language problems in second language writing may include the use of articles and verb tense, and the use of more formal language structures, to name a few. Teachers should support students with overcoming these problems.