APPLICATION OF PROCESS WRITING TO IMPROVE COLLEGE STUDENTS’COMPOSITION SKILL

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY

TRỊNH THANH HIỀN

APPLICATION OF PROCESS WRITING TO IMPROVE
COLLEGE STUDENTS’COMPOSITION SKILL
Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching
Code: 60.14.01.11
MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION
Supervisor: Dr. TRẦN BÁ TIẾN

NGHỆ AN– 2017


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ABSTRACT
This study looks into the impact of process writing to improve K18 English
course’s writing fluency and their writing accuracy to find out effective methods
of teaching English writing skill to K18 English course at Bình Phước Teacher’s
Training College. The study investigates students’ participation in process
writing, their fluency and accuracy in writing ability, together with useful
implication to the teaching of writing skill at Bình Phước. Twenty students of
K18 English course participated in the study. Each student had to write four
drafts, so eighty ones were collected to be evaluated and analyzed. The findings
of the research show that the implementation of process writing in teaching
writing can improve students’ writing quality. Students made many errors in the
first drafts. However, after receiving the teacher’s feedback and rewriting the
drafts, students made significant improvements in their writing. The study

concludes by recommendations of using process writing in teaching paragraphs
at colleges.


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my appreciation to the people who have helped me
to complete this thesis. First and foremost, I would like to express my deep
thank to my supervisor, Dr. Trần Bá Tiến who has supported me with his
enthusiasm and knowledge. I attribute the level of my master degree to his great
support and constant and helpful advice on my study.
My thanks also go to 20 students of K18 English course at Bình Phước
College. Finally, many thanks are for my family, whose support has been very
important to me, this thesis would not have been successfully completed without
their support and encouragement.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................i
ABSTRACT........................................................................................ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS....................................................................iii
LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………… vi
LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………….. vii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..............................................................vi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................1
1.1 Rational ........................................................................................1
1.2 Aims of the study...........................................................................2
1.3 Research questions........................................................................2

1.4 Methods of the study.....................................................................2
1.5 Significance of the study...............................................................2
1.6 Scope of the study.........................................................................3
1.7 Organization of the study..............................................................3
CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND........................4
2.1 Theoretical background for the study............................................4
2.1.1 Writing skill.............................................................................4
2.1.2 Principles of teaching writing.................................................5
2.1.3 Approaches to teaching writing...............................................7
2.1.3.1 The Grammar- Syntax- Organization Approach.................7
2.1.3.2 The Free- Writing Approach................................................7
2.1.3.3 The Paragraph-Pattern Approach........................................8
2.1.3.4 The Genre Approach...........................................................8
2.1.3.5 The Product Approach.........................................................10
2.1.3.6 The Process Approach.........................................................10
2.1.3.7 Process Approach versus Product Approach...........................11


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2.1.4 The Process of writing………………………………………….....12
2.1.4.1 Prewriting………………………………………………………..13
2.1.4.2 Drafting………………………………………………………….13
2.1.4.3 Reviewing/ Revising…………………………………………… 13
2.1.4.4 Editing………………………………………………………..... .15
2.1.4.5 Publication………………………………………………………15
2.1.5. Providing feedback to students’ writing……………………….....16
2.2 Review of previous studies related to the current research……………22
2.3 Summary………………………………………………………….........26
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY...................................................…27
3.1 Context of the study ………………………………………….........27

3.2 An overview of the textbook “Effective Academic writing 1 by Alice
Savage”…………………………………………………………………27
3.3 Participants....................................................................................…27
3.4 Data collection instrument............................................................…28
3.5 Procedures of data collection........................................................…28
3.6 Procedures of data analysis...........................................................…29
3.7 Summary……………………………………………………………...29
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS............................ 31
4.1 The results...................................................................................... 31
4.1.1 Students’ writing achievement in content and organization aspect31
4.1.2 Students’ writing achievement in vocabulary and language use …32
4.1.3 Students’ writing achievement in mechanical aspect.................…32
4.2 Findings of the study.....................................................................33
4.2.1 Overall improvement of students’ writing................................33
4.2.2 Improvement in the number of the paragraph errors of the
students’draft……………………………………………………………..39


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4.2.3 Improvement in the number of the errors in content and organization
aspects.................................................................................................40
4.2.4 Number of the errors in vocabulary and language use aspect..40
4.2.5 Number of mechanical errors...................................................43
4.3 Discussions....................................................................................44
4.4 Teaching implications....................................................................49
4.5 Summary.......................................................................................51
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION.........................................................52
5.1 Recapitulation of major findings...................................................52
5.2 Conclusion.....................................................................................53
5.3 Limitations of the study.................................................................54

5.4 Suggestions for the further study..................................................55
REFERENCES....................................................................................56


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LIST OF TABLES
Table .........................................................................................................Page
Table 2.1: Comparison of Process approach and Product Approach…………11
Table 4.1: Errors in content and organization in 3 drafts……………………31
Table 4.2: Errors in vocabulary and language use of the students’ drafts…..32
Table 4.3: Mechanical errors in the students’ drafts………………………...33
Table 4.4: Number of paragraphs in the first drafts...................................39
Table 4.5: Number of paragraphs in the second drafts...............................39
Table 4.6: Number of paragraphs in the third drafts..................................39
Table 4.7: Number of the error in content and organization of the students’
drafts………………………………………………………………………….40
Table 4.8: Errors in vocabulary and language use of the second drafts. .…41
Table 4.9: Errors in vocabulary and language use in the third drafts......…42
Table 4.10: Errors in vocabulary and language use in the final drafts...…43
Table 4.11: Number of error types in mechanical aspect........................…44


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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure

Page

Figure 2.1: Stages in Writing Process (Hyland, 2003)…………………………12

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1
2
3

Codes/symbols
W.C.

Meaning
The words are inapplicable with sentences/

PREP.
V.T.

meaning
Wrong preposition
Verb tense or GR = more general grammar
problems

4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

12
13
14
15
16
17

SP.
Art.
^
N.P.
S/V A.
?(question mark)

Wrong tense/ use another tense
Wrong spelling
Use article a, an or the for singular noun
There is a missing word needing to insert
New paragraph
Subject and verb do not agree
Unclear meaning. Write in another way to make

W.O.
W.f.
S.
V.
Pl.
U.W.
Conj.
P.

the meaning clearer
The words in this sentence are in the wrong order
Wrong word form
Subject needed
Verb needed
Plural
Unnecessary word
Wrong conjunction
Wrong punctuation


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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rationale
Nowadays, English is a required subject for students at colleges in
Vietnam.

Theoretically,

the

curricula

and

teaching

philosophy

are

communicatively oriented with four skills equally developed. In practice,
writing is a largely ignored area due to the wash back of examinations. Most of
important tests including graduation and university entrance exams do not have
a writing component. As a result, students only focus on learning grammar and
vocabulary. They have considerable difficulty in learning the writing skill.
Writing was traditionally considered as a product, which means that
students write a composition and the teacher provides comments and gives
correction and the students do not have to rewrite the draft. The present trend
regards writing as a process. That is, students write multiple drafts before the
completing final draft. The ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skill;
it must be practiced and learned through experience. Writing is a complex
combination of skills that is best taught by breaking down the process. The
writing process involves series of steps to follow in producing a finished piece
of writing. By breaking down writing step-by-step, the mystery is removed and
writer’s block is reduced. Most importantly, students discover the benefits of
constructive feedback on their writing, and they progressively master, and even
enjoy writing. Although this idea is not new in theory, how to apply it in practice
is not easy. Being a teacher of English at a college, I see the reality of teaching
writing skill in my setting. I have, therefore, decided to conduct a study on this
area to improve the teaching practice in my college.
The study deals with the use of writing process to improve K18 English
course’s writing skill at Binh Phuoc Teacher’s Training College. It focuses on


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the students’ revising and editing the drafts after they receive feedback from the
teacher and the changes made to each paper between the first and final drafts.
The text type was opinion essay.
1.2 Aims of the study
This study attempts to find out measures to improve the quality of teaching
writing to students at Binh Phuoc Teacher’s Training College. It specifically
aims to:
- To investigate the impact of process writing on first year English students’
writing fluency and accuracy.
- To find out effective methods of teaching English writing skill to first year
students at Binh Phuoc Teacher’s Training College.
1.3 Research questions
In order to meet the objectives, the study focuses on the following research
questions:
1. Does the application of process writing help college students improve
their writing fluency and accuracy? If so, to what extent?
2. What types of feedback are effective for students to improve their writing
skill?
1.4 Methods of the study
A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is employed in the
study. The study involves the analysis of students’ writing, interviews, reflexive
journals, and statistical data. Multiple drafts approach is used for error treatment
and content development. Interviews and reflective journals provide in-depth
information that supplements the analysis of writing drafts.
1.5 Significance of the study
The study looks into students’ writing and their common problems. The
findings can help practitioners improve their teaching quality, and the study tries


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to find out how fluent and accurate students’ writings are. The process writing
approach itself is not new; nonetheless, its application in local schools may
require adaption. The study is also an attempt to find out how to apply the
writing process in practice effectively and to discover the benefits of
constructive feedback on their writing. The research results can make theoretical
and practical contributions to English language education.
1.6 Scope of the study
The study deals with the use of writing process to improve K18 English
course’s writing skill at Binh Phuoc Teacher’s Training College. The students
are in their first year of study.
1.7 Organization of the study
Besides the abstract, references, and appendices, the study is organized as
follows.
Chapter 1: Introduction provides an introduction and an overview of the
research. It presents the rationale for the research, defines the aims, research
questions, methods, significance, scope and organization of the study.
Chapter 2: Theoretical background discusses previous related research
and presents the theoretical background for the study. It deals with the writing
skill, writing process and feedback on students’ writing. This part also provides
description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work quoted.
Chapter 3: Methodology presents the detailed procedure of the study: the
methodology, population selection, data collection and analysis.
Chapter 4: Data analysis and discussion deals with the major findings
drawn out from the research. It includes further discussion of the themes that
arise from the data analysis and a response to the research questions based on
the literature and the study.


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Chapter 5: Conclusion
Main points and contents of the study will be summarized based on the
results of the study. The implication of the study and the recommendation for
further research will be presented.


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CHAPTER 2
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
This chapter covers the theoretical issues related to the study. It reviews the
works of foreign and Vietnamese scholars and researchers, and discusses
theoretical issues to lay the foundation for the data analysis and implication
chapters.
2.1 Theoretical background for the study
2.1.1 Writing skill
Writing is one of the four skills in language acquisition. It has been defined
in many ways, which show different viewpoints of the authors. According to
“Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary” (1989), writing is to “make letters or
other symbols on a surface (usually paper), especially with a pen or pencil”.
Writing, for Crystal (1995: 257), is ‘‘… a way of communicating which uses a
system of visual marks made on some kind of surface’’. Hedge (2000:302)
contends that writing is “a complex process which is neither easy nor
spontaneous for many second language learners”. This proposition concurs
with Ur’s point of view (1996: 161) “Most people acquire the spoken language
(at least their own mother tongue) intuitively, whereas the written form is in
most cases deliberately taught and learned”.
Writing has a number of functions. It is used to facilitate communication as
letters, newspapers, advertisements; each of them carries out a specific purpose.

According to Nunan (1991: 84), writing serves four main functions. Firstly, it is
used primarily for action such as the public signs on roads and stations, product
labels and instructions on food or tools, recipes, maps, bills, etc. Secondly, it is
for social contact as letters, postcards, greeting cards and personal
correspondence. Thirdly, writing provides the readers with information as


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newspapers and magazines, non-fiction books (textbooks, public notices,
guidebooks, etc). Finally, written language entertains the readers with comic
strips, fiction books, poetry and drama.
In educational settings, teaching and learning writing also play an
important role in developing students’ compositional ability. White (1981)
indicates a number of reasons why writing occupies a place in the language
syllabus. The first reason is that writing is the commonest way of examining
students’ performance in English. Consequently, students’ writing ability is a key
to examination success. Second, in the eyes of both parents and students, writing
helps them see what has been done and what has been achieved during the
process of learning. Furthermore, in classroom, writing may be used as one
technique to help the lesson interesting. In addition, teachers may use writing as
a testing device to provide feedback on what students have learned. Students’
writing can be the useful evidence of successes or failures in learning. The last
reason is that our writing will be judged by the readers in parts of style, content
and logic. This requires the writers to spend a great deal of care and thought on
the process of writing.
For that reason, writing also helps students learn (Rames, 1983). Writing
reinforces the grammatical structures, idioms and vocabulary that students have
learned. Moreover, when students write, they have chances to go beyond what
they have just learned to say. They can discover the language. Finally, in the

process of writing, students necessarily become involved with new language and
the effort to express ideas. The constant use of eye, hand and brain helps
reinforce learning. With all the roles mentioned above, we can see that writing is
an important skill in teaching and learning languages at any levels.
2.1.2 Principles of teaching writing
Teaching how to write effectively is one of the crucial life-long skills that


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instructors impart to their students. It is a matter of prescribing a set of
predetermined tasks or exercises to the students. When teaching a writing
course, instructors not only teach about how to develop ideas in writing, but also
pay proper attention to how to write English sentences grammatically and
systematically. The effectiveness of writing instruction depends on both teaching
compositions and assessment. Self-evaluation is an essential component that must
be imbedded in the process. In assessing students’ compositions, teachers should
respond to their writing based on criteria that have been communicated and taught
to students and responses to errors. To respond the error the teacher can use a
feedback that contains specific criteria.
According to Graham and Perin (2007), a set of recommended
approaches for teaching writing to adolescent students include the 11
instructional methods below:
1. Writing strategies involves teaching students strategies for planning,
revising, and editing their compositions.
2. Summarization involves explicitly and systematically teaching students
how to summarize texts.
3. Collaborative writing uses instructional arrangements in which
adolescents work together to plan, draft, revise, and edit their compositions
4. Specific product goals are a method in which students are assigned

specific, reachable goals for their writing.
5. Word processing uses computers and word-processors as instructional
supports for writing assignments.
6. Sentence combining involves teaching students to construct more
complex, sophisticated sentences.
7. Prewriting engages students in activities designed to help them generate
or organize ideas for their composition.


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8. Inquiry activities engage students in analyzing immediate, concrete data
to help them develop ideas and content for a particular writing task.
9. The process writing approach interweaves a number of writing
instructional activities in a workshop environment that stresses extended writing
opportunities, writing for authentic audiences, personalized instruction, and
cycles of writing
10. Study of models provides students with opportunities to read, analyze,
and emulate models of good writing.
11. Writing for content learning uses writing as a tool for learning content
material.
2.1.3 Approaches to teaching writing
Various methods of teaching composition have been employed in language
teaching. They can be categorized into two major approaches, namely the
process and the product approach.
2.1.3.1 The Grammar-Syntax-Organization Approach
This approach stresses on simultaneous work on more than one
composition feature. This approach originates from the idea that writing should
not ever be taught separated from other skills which are learnt sequentially.
Thus, students are trained to pay much their attention to organize; they should

also work on the necessary grammar and syntax. This approach helps students
see the connection between the purpose of their piece of writing and the forms
of language that are needed to convey messages. Through this approach,
teachers may emphasize their students’ grammatical and discourse competence.
2.1.3.2 The Free-Writing Approach
Different from the Controlled -to- Free Approach, this approach stresses
writing quantity rather than quality. The emphasis in this approach is on content


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and fluency rather than on accuracy and form. It is partly illustrated by the fact
that students are often given the topics and self-manage to write with only
minimal teachers’ correction. Teachers may start their classes by asking students
to write freely about a particular topic without concern about grammar and
spelling within a short while. In free-writing approach, it is important that
teachers allow students to express what they want to say and focus on the
students’ own creativity and self- discovery. In addition, one more important
feature of this approach is that little is done with errors because according to
Raimes, teachers do not correct students’ free-writing but only comment on the
content. Some students volunteer to read their writing to the class, which
provides a real audience for students. Nevertheless, the concern for accuracy,
syntax, and mechanics are seen as of little importance in this approach. In this
regard, the free-writing approach has limitations in preparing EFL students for
academic writing. In conclusion, the free-writing approach considers content as
the most important instead of accurate forms of languages.
2.1.3.3 The Paragraph –Pattern Approach
Instead of emphasis on accuracy of grammar or fluency of content, this
approach stresses on organization. Classroom procedures associated with this
tradition have tended to focus students’ attention primarily on ‘form’. Students

are asked to read and analyze a model text and then write another piece of
writing that has the same organization with the original one. Besides, some
common writing activities, within this tradition, require students to group
provided relevant facts, rearrange them in the logical order to form an outline,
and then write a complete text based on that outline. In short, this tradition sees
writing as basically a matter of arranging sentences and paragraphs into
particular patterns. Typical organizational principles for materials include
paragraph structuring, particularly related to functional categories, and the use of


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a range of linking devices. Sentence-level and grammar practice is not omitted
but is set in the context of a longer and purposeful belief of language.
2.1.3.4 The Genre Approach
In the 1980s the genre approach became popular along with the notion
that student writers could benefit from studying different types of written texts.
Derewianka (1992) defines genre as the schematic structure of a text which
helps it to achieve its purpose. Texts differ in terms of their purpose, and
different cultures achieve their purposes through language in different ways.
Texts also differ according to particular situation in which they are being used.
In essence, genre theory is a theory of language use. The genre-based
writing teaching is actually developed on the basis of child language studies
undertaken within the systematic functional model that shows how young
children learn language and how, in particular they learn to develop texts.
(Halliday, 1975, Paiter, 1986, Oldenberg, 1987). These studies demonstrate that
in the course of adult care-takers and children interaction, adults are constantly
modeling genres in their discourse with young children. So we must find ways
to introduce strategies familiar to students from their experience of learning to
talk. Usually in the course of learning, the adults and the children share the same

experiences. Therefore, the classroom genre for teaching genres should include
the three basic stages: modeling, joint construction and independent
construction. Sawyer and Watson (1982) stresses that learning to write is
learning to control genres. Genres are identified by their generic structures.
Students should learn first of all the structure, but the emphasis on structures
should not detract from the essential emphasis on meaning. Rothery’s (1985)
suggestion for a genre-based approach to teaching writing includes the following
steps:
1. Introducing a genre: modeling a genre by reading to the whole class,


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2. Focusing on a genre: modeling a genre explicitly by naming its stages,
3. Jointly negotiating a genre: teacher and class jointly composing the genre
under focus,
4. Researching: selecting material; assessing information before writing,
independent construction: students individually construct the genre
It should be noted that the genre approach sees writing as “predominantly
linguistic”. They also emphasizes that writing in the genre approach “varies with
the social context in which it is produced.” At the heart of the approach therefore
is the view that witting process should offer students explanations of the way
language functions in social contexts (Hyland, 2003). According to Grossmann
(2009, p.7), the language chosen in writing will be chosen by several elements
which are not only the “purpose” of the writing but also “the subject matter, the
relationships between the writer and the audience, the pattern of organization”.
Therefore, the teacher plays an important role in providing model language and
facilitating the learner’s understanding of the writing purpose and context.
Hyland (2003) proposes that the teacher takes an authoritative role to scaffold or
support learners as they move towards their potential level of performance until

they gain autonomy.
2.1.3.5 The Product Approach
The product oriented approach focuses on the end result of the learning
process, what is expected from the learner is to do as fluent and competent user
of the language (Nunan, 1991: 86). This is a traditional approach, in which
students focus on the study of model texts. Priority is given to accuracy and
conversations are taken from the model.
The product approach aims at making the students competent in the
language when they write relevant and coherent pieces of writing. It focuses on
the final product of the writers and the texts written by the students are based on


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models provided by the teacher. Brown (2001) notes that significant attention
was paid to “model” compositions that students would emulate and on how well
a student’s final product measured up against a list of criteria that included
content, organization, vocabulary use, grammatical use, and mechanical
considerations such as spelling and punctuation.
2.1.3.6 The Process Approach
Writing in process approaches is seen as predominantly to do with
linguistic skills, such as planning and drafting, and there is much less emphasis
on linguistic knowledge, such as knowledge about grammar and text structure.
There are different views on the stages that writers go through in producing a
piece of writing, but a typical model identifies four stages: prewriting;
composing/drafting; revising; and editing (Tribble 1996: 39). This is a cyclical
process in which writers may return to pre-writing activities, for example, after
doing some editing or revising. A typical prewriting activity in the process
approach would be for learners to brainstorm on the topic of houses. At the
composing/drafting stage they would select and structure the result of the

brainstorming session to provide a plan of a description of a house. This would
guide the first draft of a description of a particular house. After discussion,
learners might revise the first draft working individually or in groups. Finally,
the learners would edit or proof-read the text. In process approaches, the teacher
primarily facilitates the learners’ writing, and providing input or stimulus is
considered to be less important. Like babies and young children who develop,
rather than learn, their mother tongue, second language learners develop, rather
than consciously learn, writing skills. Teachers draw out the learners’ potential.
Process approaches have a somewhat monolithic view of writing. The process of
writing is seen as the same regardless of what is being written and who is
writing. So while the amount of pre-writing in producing a postcard to a friend


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and in writing an academic essay are different (Tribble 1996: 104), this is not
reflected in much process teaching.
2.1.3.7 Process Approach versus Product Approach
There are certain differences between the two approaches to teaching
composition. The product approach pays much attention to the study of the
model text provided by the teacher. The result of the learning process depends
on the final product. The process approach, in contrast, focuses on the writing
process rather than the final product. It argues that the final draft of the writer is
the result of many stages. In the process approach, students have time to write
and rewrite the composition before handing the final.

In the process of

composing the writing, they can change, rearrange, add or delete any words or
sentences that make their thoughts more clearly, more effectively and in a more

interesting way.
The main differences between two approaches are outlined by Steele
(2007) in the table below:
Process Writing
 Text as a resource for comparison

Product Writing
 Imitate model text

 Ideas as starting point

 Organization of ideas more
important than ideas themselves

 More than one draft

 One draft

 More global, focus on purpose,

 Features highlighted including

theme, text type, i.e., reader is

controlled practice of those

emphasized

features

 Collaborative

 Individual

 Emphasis on end product
 Emphasis on creative process
Table 2.1: Comparison of Process Approach and Product Approach
It should be noted that certain genres may lend themselves more favorably


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to one approach than the other. Formal letters or postcards, for instance, in
which the features are very fixed, would be perhaps more suited to a productdriven approach, in which focus on the layout, style, organization and grammar
could greatly help students in dealing with this type of writing task. Other
genres, such as descriptive and narrative essays, may be more suitable with
process-driven approaches, which focus on a process of idea generation. Writing
multiple drafts before an effective product is created and exchanging of texts
help the students to direct their writing to their reader, therefore making a more
successful text.
2.1.4 The Process of writing
The process of writing comes through several stages before reaching the
final draft. It is a process that involves six distinct steps: prewriting, drafting,
responding, revising, editing and publishing. It is known as a recursive process.
While writers are revising, they might have to return to the prewriting step to
develop and expand their ideas. The following is a figure illustrating recursive
nature of writing and the stages of writing process.

Figure 2.1: Stages in Writing Process (Hyland, 2003)

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2.1.4.1 Prewriting
In this stage, students involve the activities such as reading, brainstorming,
mind mapping, discussing, fast writing, questioning, interviewing, which
encourage them to generate ideas before they write their sentences in the first
draft. Then, students try to order their data and arrange them according to their
priorities that mean which idea is going to be the first, which is the second, and
so on.
The prewriting stage is divided into three steps. The first step is to put the
ideas into objectives according to the main idea and eliminate all the irrelevant
ones. The second step relies on putting a topic sentence to each of the objectives
made in the first step and the topic sentence must reflect the whole objectives
that is when the reader reads the topic sentence, he can infer what is coming.
The last step in the first stage is to order the objectives according to what the
writer thinks is appropriate to be the first, second and so on.
2.1.4.2 Drafting
Drafting is to start writing according to the ideas planned before. The result
of brainstorming session provides opinions about topic. Oshima and Hogue
(2002; 28) call this stage as writing and revising drafts. They argue that no piece
of writing is perfect the first time and the writer has to write and revise several
drafts until he/she produces the final draft. In the first step, the composition might
be written without considering grammar, punctuation, or spelling and no
importance to the structure. Students may add new information in the drafting
stage; there is no matter to hesitate because the focus is on ideas, purpose,
coherence and relevance, unity, sufficient supporting ideas and concluding
sentences. As a last step in the drafting stage, the student checks the grammar,
spelling and punctuation mistakes.

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2.1.4.3 Reviewing /Revising
Revising is the stage where the writer comes through his/her final draft and
tries to define the different lapses and corrects them in a second draft. All good
writers go through several steps of the revision because they want to make their
writing the best it can. At this point, they consider what they have written, get
feedback from others, and then make changes. They can scratch out unnecessary
or irrelevant information, squeeze ideas that they want to add into the margin,
and even cut up and re-paste the paper to change the order or make addition.
According to Oshima and Hogue (2002; 29), during the first revision we should
concern mainly with content and organization. This is how to proceed:
Read over the paragraph carefully for a general overview. Focus on the
general aspects of the paper and make notes in the margin.
Check to see that you have achieved your stated purpose.
Check for general logic and coherence.
Check to make sure that the paragraph has a topic and that the topic
sentence has a central (main) focus.
Check for unity. Cross any sentence that does not support the topic
sentence.
Check to make sure that the topic sentence is developed with sufficient
supporting details. Be certain that each paragraph gives the readers enough
information to understand the main idea.
Check the use of transitional signals.
Finally, does your paragraph have or need a concluding sentence? If you
wrote a final comment, is it on the topic?
The next revision is to check for grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and
punctuation. This checking is specific as following: (Oshima and Hogue, 2002;