Writing Tasks

For many ESL/ EFL learners, the writing skill can be the most difficult skill to master. This doesn't mean that they shouldn't be challenged to write, but teachers should consider their students' needs and levels and adjust their teaching accordingly.

Try out the following ideas for your writing lessons.

Types of Tasks

* Copying text word for word
* Writing what you dictate
* Imitating a model
* Filling in blanks in sentences or paragraphs
* Taking a paragraph and transforming certain language, for example changing all verbs and time references to past tense
* Summarizing a story text, video, or listening clip (you can guide with questions or keywords)
* Making lists of items, ideas, reasons, etc. (words or sentences depending on level)
* Writing what your students want to learn in English and why
* Writing letters (complaint, friend, advice) - give blank post cards or note cards or stationery to add interest; you can also use this to teach how to address an envelope
* Organizing information, for example making a grid of survey results or writing directions to a location using a map
* Reacting to a text, object, picture, etc. - can be a word or whole written piece

Writing Technique

What is RAFT?

The RAFTs Technique is a system to help students understand their role as a writer, the audience they will address, the varied formats for writing, and the expected content. It is an acronym that stands for:

Role of the Writer - Who are you as the writer? Audience - To whom are you writing?
Format - What form will the writing take?
Topic + strong Verb - What's the subject or the point of this piece?

Almost all RAFTs writing assignments are written from a viewpoint different from the student's, to another audience rather than the teacher, and in a form different from the ordinary theme. Therefore, students are encouraged to use creative thinking and response as they connect their imagination to newly learned information.

What Is Its Purpose?

The purpose of RAFTs is to give students a fresh way to think about approaching their writing. It occupies a nice middle ground between standard, dry essays and free-for-all creative writing. RAFTs combines the best of both. It also can be the way to bring together students' understanding of main ideas, organization, elaboration, and coherence...in other words, the criteria by which compositions are most commonly judged.

How Can I Do It?

Step one: Explain to the students how all writers have to consider various aspects before every writing assignment including role, audience, format, and topic. Tell them that they are going to structure their writing around these elements. (It may be helpful to display the elements on chart paper or a bulletin board for future reference).

Step two: Display a completed RAFTs example on the overhead, and discuss the key elements as a class.

Step three: Then, demonstrate, model, and "think aloud" another sample RAFTs exercise with the aid of the class. Brainstorm additional topic ideas, and write down the suggestions listing roles, audiences, formats, and strong verbs associated with each topic.

Step four: Assign students to small, heterogeneous groups of four or five or pairs and have them "put their heads together" to write about a chosen topic with one RAFTs assignment between them.

Step five: Circulate among the groups to provide assistance as needed. Then have the groups share their completed assignments with the class.

Step six: After students become more proficient in developing this style of writing, have them generate RAFTs assignments of their own based on current topics studied in class.


The RAFTs strategy can be used as a prewriting strategy and/or as a strategy for helping students prepare for a small or large group discussion.

Teaching Writing to EFL students

Teaching Writing to EFL students

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