SKKN Teaching high school students to write a paragraph by using 4 criteria instructed by British Council

I. INTRODUCTION
REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC
In the integration era, English has become an indispensable part of life and work as well. Therefore, the importance of studying English is undeniable. There are various reasons why a student needs to study this language. However, over many researched practices, most students want to learn English to be able to speak, not to write. Nevertheless, learning writing skill is an important aspect of learning English and improving writing skills of high school students is extremely crucial because being able to write a paragraph effectively provides them with high score in writing section which is one of the most important parts in high school graduation examination. Therefore, teaching them how to write a good paragraph accelerates their English studies for the exam, and they are more likely to get higher scores as well. Besides, some examinations taken by education and training departments for English talented students also require some extents of being fluent in writing. Having good writing skills helps those pupils to be able to write effectively in a specific time limit. Another important reason is that in the far future when young students become potential candidates in job market, employers definitely need them be able to write an English document such as sending an email to foreign partners. Such highly competitive markets force graduates to have high level of English competence to communicate efficiently with foreigners whilst working. The last but not least is that improving writing skills is very important for students who want to study aboard. According to IIE (International Institute education) in 2015, the number of Vietnamese student coming to the United States increased significantly to about 20,000 students, a rise of about 12% in comparison with the last year, 2014 [1].This means, the demand to study abroad in such educationally potential markets such as United States or United Kingdom. However, such English native countries like those have accepted IELTs results which demonstrates the learners’ English ability.
I have been teaching English at Bim Son High School for more than ten years. Through teaching experience, I realize that many students face up with a number of challenging factors despite full guiding steps for writing, and most of them are unable to write a paragraph effectively. They have responded in a negative attitude towards writing, and many of them have said to their teacher that they would bypass the skills in almost examinations. As a teacher of English, I have been trying hard to an effective way to tackle it. For the apparent reasons expressed above, I decided to choose ‘Teaching high school students to write a paragraph by using 4 criteria instructed by British Council’ as a topic for my study in high school program.
II. CONTENT.
PART 1: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BACKGROUND
1.1 What are meant by the 4 criteria of British Council
British Council has extremely clear instruction by which a piece of writing can be evaluated correctly. Particularly, British Council has been the organization to hold IELTS test which represents for International English Language Test System [2]. Those criteria are ‘Task Achievement’; ‘Coherence and Cohesion’; ‘Lexical Resource’; ‘Grammatical Range and Accuracy’. There are over 40 countries around the world where IELTS test is received an official approval as an English standard for people who want to study or work in English native countries. These criteria are used to evaluate IELTS test takers’ performances in two tasks. In the writing task 2, candidates need to write at least 250 words about a specific topic which might be an argumentative or discursive. Although in the real IELTS test, all candidates must write a 250-word essay, the criteria used to evaluate the quality of an essay are definitely the same to that for a paragraph. Using these criteria to apply for Vietnamese English national high school graduation examination not only helps teacher to assess exam takers’ competency but also supports pupils to study more effectively. According to British Council, all criteria are meant as follow: [3]
Task Achievement: this is the criterion used to evaluate how well a writing respond to the task. This criterion also includes how sufficient the length of a writing to the requirement. Generally speaking, the length of a writing task 2 in IELTS for an essay is at least 250 words. Therefore, the score of a candidate will increase if she or he:
+ Pay attention to answer ALL issues in the task question
+ Write about the issues rather than just the general topic
+ Answer the question with relevant main points
+ Plan the supporting points so they do not go off the topic
+ Write over 250 words for an essay
Coherence and Cohesion: This criterion contains of two smaller criteria which are coherence and cohesion. The coherence evaluates how the paragraph links with the topic. That means all the sentences and words are required to be topic-related. However, cohesion needs a candidate to write sentences and ideas very logically. By following the cohesion criterion, all sentences need to be connected together and be supportive each other to make high understanding for readers. Therefore, the score for this criterion will increase if a candidate could:
+ Have appropriate structure: In IELTS tests, whole essay should be explained into 4 to 5 small paragraph. However, applying this into the Vietnamese national high school graduation examination means that a paragraph should be presented appropriately by starting a topic sentence to fold the whole meaning of paragraph about what the candidate is going to write. This sentence should be followed by supporting sentences, and the paragraphs should end with a concluding sentence.
+ Organizing ideas logically: for readers to easily understand.
+ Use a range of linking words to connect sentences ideas.
+ Avoid errors in linking words.
Lexical Resource: This is criterion used to assess the ability of using wide range of vocabulary. Candidate is required to not only use less common and topic-related words (at academic and formal level) in correct contexts but also use many synonyms to demonstrate the paraphrasing ability. Therefore, the score for this criterion will increase if a candidate could:
+ Pay attention to collocations (which verb matches which nouns)
+ Paraphrase carefully to avoid errors
+ Use a range of words appropriate for the topic
+ Spell words correctly and avoid making errors 
+ Avoid using informal and spoken language	
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: the ability of use various complex grammar and structures of candidates. The more complicated but accurate structure a candidate can use, the higher score she or he can get. Therefore, the score for this criterion will increase if a candidate could:
+ Use different grammar tenses (conditionals, perfect tenses, passive voice, past tenses, future tenses, etc.)
+ Pay attention to word order in the sentences correctly
+ Use a range of sentence structures
+ Use the correct punctuation (full stops and commas)
+ Avoid errors in grammar (errors will lower the score – see the descriptor below).
+ Correct using of articles, plural nouns, uncountable nouns and so on
+ Using complex sentences such as ‘while’, ‘because’, ‘although’, and so on.
IELTS band writing descriptors [4]
Band
Task Achievement
Coherence and Cohesion
Lexical Resource
Grammatical Range and accuracy
9
fully addresses all parts of the task
presents a fully developed position in answer to the question with relevant, fully extended and well supported ideas
uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention
skillfully manages paragraphing
uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
8
sufficiently addresses all parts of the task
presents a well-developed response to the question with relevant, extended and supported ideas
sequences information and ideas
logically
manages all aspects of cohesion well
uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately
uses a wide range of vocabulary
fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings
skillfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation
produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation
uses a wide range of structures
the majority of sentences are error-free
makes only very occasional errors or inappropriateness
7
addresses all parts of the task
presents a clear position throughout the response
presents, extends and supports main ideas, but there may be a tendency to over generalize and/or supporting ideas may lack focus
logically organizes information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout
uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use
presents a clear central topic within each paragraph
uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision
uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation
may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation
uses a variety of complex structures
produces frequent error-free sentences
has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors
6
addresses all parts of the task although some parts may be more fully covered than others
presents a relevant position although the conclusions may become unclear or repetitive
presents relevant main ideas but some may be inadequately developed/unclear
arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression
uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical
may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately
uses paragraphing, but not always logically
uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task
attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy
makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication
uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms
makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication
5
addresses the task only partially; the format may be inappropriate in places
expresses a position but the development is not always clear and there may be no conclusions drawn
presents some main ideas but these are limited and not sufficiently developed; there may be irrelevant detail
presents information with some organization but there may be a lack of overall progression
makes inadequate, inaccurate or over use of cohesive devices
may be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution
may not write in paragraphs, or paragraphing may be inadequate
uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task
may make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader
uses only a limited range of structures attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences
may make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader
4
responds to the task only in a minimal way or the answer is tangential; the format may be inappropriate
presents a position but this is unclear
presents some main ideas but these are difficult to identify and may be repetitive, irrelevant or not well supported
presents information and ideas but these are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response
uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive
may not write in paragraphs or their use may be confusing
uses only basic vocabulary which may be used repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the task
has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; errors may cause strain for the reader
uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses
some structures are accurate but errors predominate, and punctuation is often faulty
1.2. Factual situation
Statistics have proved that the students in high school program do not have high level of English ability. In the 2015 national high school graduation examination, the result for English subject was shocked when the number of pupils who had the mark below the average was significantly high, shown in following graph. [5]
Figure 1 English marks in the 2015 National high school graduation exam
Source: The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) 2015
The most important factual situation that hastens me to choose this topic very urgently is that the English writing ability of pupils in Bim Son high school is extremely limited. In the school year 2018-2019 I was in charge of classes: 12A1, 12A5, 11B1, 11B3 in academic year 2018-2019. Because writing a paragraph is not included in the paper of GCSE examination , most students do not like writing skills. It can be seen through the results of the surveys I conducted about the student’s attitude toward the writing lesson before the study:
School year 2017-2018
Classes
Number of students
Number of students like
Number of students dislike
Number of students hate
11B1
37
8
16
13
11B5
40
18
17
5
School year 2018-2019
Classes
Number of students
Number of students like
Number of students dislike
Number of students hate
12A1
37
2
16
19
12A5
39
10
19
10
Through teaching experience, I have realized that most of them are unable to write a paragraph effectively. The reason for this bad situation is that they have not been coached to write effectively by their teachers, and they find it absolutely difficult to organize their writing. They lack of general knowledge, which leads to the inability to figure out the ideas for specific topic. They lack of both grammar and vocabulary to convey their thoughts into paragraphs. Therefore, each writing lesson of teachers and pupils are usually stressful because it is inefficiently taught when pupils just feel very disappointed about their writing skills, and they seem to be indifferent to writing skills. 
PART 2: SOLUTION
It is very important to understand that in order to improve writing skills, both teachers and pupils have to cooperate closely and continuously. On the scale of this research, I have been taking more than 2 months constantly coaching learners in two classes: 11B1, 11B5 (2018) and 12A1, 12A5 (2019). These classes are the ones whose students particularly focus on English, so writing class activities seem to be carried out quite propitiously. I have been implementing a close process in which pupils are trained continuously and intensively, especially when the national high school graduation examination is coming soon. I found that the traditional approaches usually teaching students to write a sentence and then build up to a finished paragraph. However, in this study, I have a quite reverse process in which I initially teach students by giving them a sample to follow and then I analyze it in details very clearly so that they are able to understand thoroughly the structure and the criteria required of an excellent paragraph. As a result, after at least four repeated process, especially being stressed on analyzing in detail the given sample, students will gradually find it easier and more enthusiastic to write a paragraph. The process includes five main steps as follow:
Step 1: The step is giving students a writing sample which is written by the coach as a very good example to answer the writing task. In this step, I always give them some minutes to read the sample given.
Step 2: This step provides them with clear analysis on the paragraph. Followed by the four criteria, pupils are all coached to understand each criterion and showed why and how the sample meets all the criteria to get a high score. By doing this, they are able to understand immediately and constantly absorb these important factors.
Step 3: After being educated to understand the writing sample given the teacher, all students are required to re-write the task so that they show how many percent that they could understand the teacher’s analysis. This step helps them to memorize what have they been taught to write, and they are more likely to gradually imitate the way to write an academic writing with high competence.
Step 4: although they are given a clear analysis on the sample paragraph, their writing might contain various mistakes, including spelling mistakes, grammatical mistakes, and styling mistakes. However, with the step of correction, all these kinds of mistakes are corrected just-in-time precisely. Therefore, pupils would definitely improve their writing ability.
Step 5: After all pupils’ paragraphs are corrected, they are given more consulting samples from the teachers so that they could have rich and prestigious writing materials. They may keep these materials as an important resource to read after to absorb the grammar and vocabulary as well as they way to organize a paragraph.
Accordingly, there are various class activities which can be used to support writing skills, especially writing an excellent paragraph as the initiatives through teaching experience as follow:
2.1 Activity 1: Analysis excellent paragraph samples given by the teacher with the four criteria. [6]
The aim of this activity is to show students the way how to analyze a good paragraph. Therefore, all students in the class are given a topic to write a paragraph so that the teacher will be able to investigate their improvement process accompanied by schoolbook. 
Order
Lesson’s name
Activities given – write a paragraph about
1
Home life
The importance of family in personal life?
2
Cultural diversity
Why do we have to protect cultural heritages?
3
Ways of socializing
The importance of social relationship to a person’s success?
4
School education system
The importance of studying English?
5
Higher education
Is a bachelor’s degree indispensable in one’s life?
6
Future jobs
-What are the qualities does a good employee have?
- Which job would you like to do in the future?
7
Economic reforms
What are the elements of a high quality life?
8
Life in the future
What is the ideal world in the future in your point of view?
9
Deserts
What are the factors that caused desert?
10
Endangered species
-What are the reasons for environmental pollution?
-What measures should be taken to protect endangered species?
11
Books
The importance of reading books in a person’s life?
12
Water sports
What are the benefits of doing sports?
13
The 22nd Sea Games
Describe a popular festival/ a sports event in your country?
14
International Organization
An international organization that you would like to work for?
15
Women in society
The ways to ensure equal right of women in modern society?
16
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
What should be done by the government and each individual to build a strong association?
 The following six samples based on the six themes which are designed in accordance with the topics of sixteen units in the textbook of English 12 are given as good examples to analyzing a high score paragraph so that students are coached to build their own ones which can meet the marking criteria used by ministry of education and training.
SAMPLE 1 : THEME 1: YOU AND ME
 Within 140 words write a paragraph about the importance of social relationships a person’s success.
Here is sample written by the class teacher as a very good example:
There is no doubt that in the world which has become more and more integrated, social relationships make such a considerable contribution to our achievements. To begin with, when s