CAMBRIDGE DELTA

LSA 3
SKILLS
WRITING

‘Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text’

CANDIDATE’S NAME: PANAGIOTIS PARASKEVOPOULOS

CENTRE NUMBER: GR 108
WORD COUNT: 2483
Candidate No:

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3
Language Analysis.................................................................................................................. 3
Skills needed to write such a text at elementary level.......................................................... 4
Issues & Problems ................................................................................................................. 6
Suggestions / Solutions ......................................................................................................... 7
Bibliography......................................................................................................................... 10

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

Introduction
Writing, unlike speaking, which can be acquired naturally without the need for formal
instruction, is a skill that can evade mastery even in one’s native language, not to mention in
a foreign language. That is because learning to write does not simply involve mastering “a
set of mechanical ‘orthographic’ skills” (Tribble 1997: 12) but it entails “learning a new set of
cognitive and social relations” (Tribble: 12). This becomes evident when we consider
different writing genres and the conventions that govern them. It could be said that through
mastery of writing that one becomes effective in developing ideas and arguments (Tribble:
13).

So, the topic of my essay concerns helping elementary learners analyse a particular genre –
descriptive text- discover its underlying conventions so that they are able to produce a
written text within this genre.

The rationale behind my topic has to do with the fact that, at an elementary level, writing is
mainly used “as a means of reinforcing language that has been taught” (Harmer 2007: 32).
This usually involves writing sentences or paragraphs whose objective is to practice grammar
as a kind of consolidation practice or even as a preparation for speaking activities. However,
I feel that the main objective of a writing lesson should be “to help learners become better
writers and to learn how to write in various genres using different registers” (Harmer: 34).

Language Analysis
Descriptive texts provide information highlighting features, qualities, distinctive aspects of
something –a person, a thing, a procedure, etc- so that the reader of the text should have a
clear idea of the item described.

 As any kind of writing, they tend to contain a high number of content words compared
to functional words because the writer’s purpose is to create a mental image in the
reader’s mind to achieve their purpose. At elementary level, these tend to be as
descriptive adjectives and nouns
 There is lexical cohesion mainly through repetition of important content words, words
from the same family and lexical sets which relate to topic of the text.
 There is grammatical cohesion by means of pronoun reference, which can be anaphoric
or cataphoric, and linkers, which describe relationships between parts of the text like
result, cause, concession, etc.

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

 They are usually written in the third person unless the writer provides a personal
description like in an informal email to a new net friend.

Descriptive texts are closely associated with narrative texts since both appeal to the reader’s
imagination through the senses. However, the main difference is that descriptive texts tend
to focus on images whereas narrative ones on actions.

So, a descriptive text is usually defined as a type of discourse whose aim is to represent a
person, object, landscape, etc. by mainly answering the question ‘What is it like?’

Depending on the impression the writer wants to create on the reader’s mind, descriptive
texts can be categorised in objective and subjective. Objective-type descriptions can be
found in technical and scientific texts whose aim is to provide systematic information of all
aspects of the object described resulting in an almost photographic description. On the
other hand, the aim of a subjective description is to provoke emotions on the reader’s mind
based on the writer’s purpose of writing the text. So, the description of a house in a novel
will be completely different from that of a house description on an online website since the
purpose and the audience differ and affect the content. As for the structure of the text, this
also depends on the writer’s purpose but it usually starts with a general description and then
it focuses on the aspects that the writer considers important with the genre conventions.

So, what is important in the writing process is the fact that the purpose of our writing and
the audience we address determine almost all aspects like the layout and “the appropriate
lexical, grammatical and content choices” (Tribble: 25) since ‘different purposes provoke
different kinds of writing’ (Harmer: 15).

Skills needed to write such a text at elementary level.

Elementary level learners need to practice and apply a range of sub-skills to be able to
produce a well-written text according to the conventions of a particular text type. Of course,
some of them apply to all types of text regardless of the genre they are writing in. So,
learners will need to be able to:

 write grammatically accurate sentences and punctuate them appropriately.

 connect and signal appropriately the direction their message is taking by using
appropriate cohesive devices. At this level, they should be able to apply basic lexical

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

 cohesion like the repetition of words or words from the same family, and the use of
words from the same lexical field. Regarding grammatical cohesion, they must know to
use basic reference devices like pronouns (it, he, her, etc.) and some determiners like
this, that, etc. They should also be able to use some basic linkers like and, but, because,
so, then, etc.
 write coherently so that their text has an internal logic so that the reader will be able to
understand two basic things, the writer’s purpose and the writer’s line of thought
(Harmer: 25). So, the reader must be able to understand whether the writers wants to
impart information, express an opinion, require a course of action etc. In addition, the
sequencing of information should facilitate understanding of the writer’s purpose. For
example, in a descriptive text, it should be clear what is being described each time and
to what end.
 select and maintain the appropriate register throughout the text so that it suits the
purpose, and the target reader(s). This involves using the appropriate topic vocabulary
and adopting the right tone regarding the formality or informality of the language used
(Harmer: 26)
 generate ideas and make plans since jumping straight into composition is courting a high
risk of failure (Tribble: 114). So, a good writer knows that composing a text is just one
part of a multilayered process.
 treat their first attempt as a draft which should be analyzed, redrafted and edited so
that it achieves “clarity of expression and factual and grammatical accuracy” (Tribble:
115)

However, the most important skill is to be able to recognize the genre you are writing in
because it affects all aspects of the text. For example, when you write a descriptive text of a
house that you want to rent through an online platform, you should be aware of the typical
layout and organization of the text, the register adopted and the typical grammatical and
lexis employed in such texts so that you produce a similar text that follows the typical
conventions of the particular genre, which will render it acceptable by the “discourse
community” (Harmer: 16) it addresses. In addition, the ability to analyze the text enables the
writer to place the text within an appropriate social context (Tribble: 58) which facilitates
achievement of one’s purpose.

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

Issues & Problems
1. It is likely that elementary students find it difficult to punctuate their text appropriately
because they might be unaware of punctuation conventions or they might not have had
enough practice. Some of the most common problems are the following:
 capitalisation
 the proper use of commas
 the use of an apostrophe to indicate contraction or the possessive form of nouns.
 indentation or properly marking the beginning of a new paragraph.
2. Learners might be unable to achieve properly connected text because they lack the
appropriate grammatical and lexical means to make their texts cohesive. At elementary
level, some of the most basic problems refer to:
 inability to use proper reference devices like pronouns (It is near the city centre) and
determiners, e. g. this / that.
 difficulty using basic linking devices such as so, and but.
 difficulty making their text more cohesive through lexical means like using words
from the same family or using words from the same lexical fields.
3. Learners usually have difficulties generating ideas, making notes of them before
choosing the most important ones and making a plan based on them. So, they can find
themselves writing ‘on the spot’ which results in texts characterized by poor
organization and quite often incoherent. This can probably be attributed to lack of
proper training since it is something that they do not do even in their L1.
4. Learners, probably because of lack of appropriate practice, are unable to write within
the conventions of the particular genre they are writing, something which has a
cascading effect on the production of the text. So, they fail to consider properly aspects
like adopting the appropriate layout, targeting their intended audience appropriately,
using the proper register and tone and making the appropriate linguistic choices. As a
result, the product of the learners’ work can be a text which might not have many
grammatical mistakes but fails to achieve its communicative purpose. So, it becomes
obvious that writing outside genre conventions can have a detrimental effect on all
aspects of written text.

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

Suggestions / Solutions
For the problems and issues mentioned above, these are some suggestions that could be
applied to tackle them.

1. Regarding problems with punctuation and, especially, capitalization and proper use of
commas, learners need to be trained gradually. First, they can be given sentences or
small paragraphs with no commas and asked to identify problems, something which can
be achieved with the proper guidance of the teacher. Then, they can be guided to the
correct punctuation and can be given further tasks to try on their own. Gradually, there
can be a shift toward longer texts. The same can be applied to the proper use of
capitalization. The teacher can elicit from the students the proper use of capitalization
through the analysis of sentences and paragraphs and then students can be given small
paragraphs to apply capitalization. I have used activities like these with my Greek
elementary students. I have found that they quickly got used to the use of comma and
proper capitalization since there are similar conventions in Greek.
2. Regarding problems with cohesion, there are a number of tasks that could be employed.
Considering reference, learners at an elementary level can be asked to identify referents
such as pronouns. This can be done at sentence level (sentences should consist of more
than one clause) and gradually they can deal with paragraphs and small texts. Then, they
can be given paragraphs or texts where referencing is problematic because no referents
have been used. For example, there can be sentences like ‘I live in a flat on the third
floor. The flat has four rooms, a living room …’ and they can be asked to make it more
coherent and less repetitive by using the appropriate reference word. As for the proper
use of linking words, a typical task that could be employed initially is to give students
pairs of sentences and ask them to join them with appropriate linkers (Thornbury 2005:
33). For example, they can be given pairs of sentences like this:

I like Chinese food. I often go to Chinese restaurants.

The film was slow. I enjoyed it.

Another task that I have used is to give learners sentences with a multiple choice of
continuations and ask them to choose the best one. Then, I gave them the beginnings of
sentences and asked them to complete them on their own. Finally, they can be given
paragraphs where there are no linkers and can be asked to connect them by using
appropriate linkers.

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

 I have employed such activities with my students and they have worked. It helped them
become more aware of the importance of reference and cohesion. Of course, learners
should not be expected to master them immediately but they should be seen as part of
a training process.

3. As far as generating ideas is concerned, it is important to give learners opportunities to

think before embarking on writing. This can be done in various ways which make use of
collaboration and make the process more enjoyable and productive. For example, there
is the buzz group which is ‘by far the most common collaborative model’ (Harmer: 87)
where students are put into groups and are asked to generate ideas about a topic, e. g.
describing their home to a new net friend. A more elaborate version of this is the
pyramid discussion (Hedge 2008: 59-60) where students first work individually, then are
asked to work in pairs before working in groups which consist of members from
different pairs. This process allows for ‘the widest exchange of ideas’ (Hedge: 60) and
students can find themselves with a comprehensive list of points to choose from.

Regarding making notes of the ideas they generate, students should be shown first
various effective ways of making notes as ‘this can contribute to the generation of ideas
themselves’ (Harmer: 88). One popular visual way of representing ideas is a spidergram
or mind map (Harmer: 89, Hedge: 57) where the students start with the topic in the
centre and start producing a web of ideas which branch out in various ways depending
on the ideas the learners generate. They can then be asked to choose the ideas they like
best and make a list of the points they would like to include in their writing before
deciding in what order they should put them.

My Greek students, who are not familiar with such techniques, usually need time to get
used to such brainstorming and planning techniques but most of them adopt the ones
that suit them most. Of course, this demands a systematic approach on the part of the
teacher and should be implemented gradually so that learners have time to try out the
different ways and choose the ones that fit their learning styles.

4. As for the learners’ inability to write within genre conventions, they need to be trained
in recognizing these and try to apply them in their own writing. So, they can be given a
text that falls into a particular genre, e. g. description of a house in an informative article
and they can be guided into a genre analysis. In this way, the teacher can elicit aspects
of the genre like the layout, the organization of the information, the typical grammatical
and lexical choices and the overall communicative purpose of the text. Then, they can be

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

 guided into producing a similar text. Activities like this, help learners understand that
writing within a genre places constraints on form and content (Tribble: 46), something
which can helpful for learners once they have grasped this. Of course, the ‘concept of
genre is dynamic, not static (Tribble: 52), which means that genres should not be seen as
a straitjacket but, at an elementary level, learners should not be expected to produce
something original but through a kind of ‘parallel writing’ (Harmer: 29) they should be
able to produce some acceptable imitation. My experience with Greek students seems
to verify this.

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text

Bibliography
 Harmer J., (2007) How to Teach Vocabulary, Essex: Pearson
 Hedge T., (2008) Writing, 2nd edn, Oxford: Oxford University Press
 Thornbury S., (2005) Beyond the Sentence, London: Macmillan
 Tribble C., (1997) Writing, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos – Helping elementary learners write a descriptive text