Difficulties in L2 English Essay Writing

Abstract

Writing has been recognized as the most difficult skill for EFL learners and essay writing is one of the fundamental abilities that Vietnamese tertiary students are required to attain. This chapter aimed to investigate Vietnamese EFL learners' difficulties in learning English essay writing (EEW). It employed qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with 12 EFL learners studying EEW at several universities in Ho Chi Minh City. The findings show that the students encountered several major difficulties, such as inadequate sources of grammar and vocabulary, ineffective ideation and writing style, insufficient motivation and interest, poor planning and structure, and other issues during their EEW. Among those problems, learners found a lack of grammar and vocabulary sources and poor idea generation and writing style the most challenging. The findings from this study contribute to the literature on EFL teaching and learning in Vietnamese tertiary education in general and EEW in particular.