The Effect of Teaching Lexical Cohesion on Improving IELTS Academic Writing Task Two

Subject Areas : آموزش زبان انگلیسی

Samaneh Ahadi Kashi ¹ , Parviz Maftoon ²

1 - Department of English, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - دانشگاه علوم تحقیقات تهران دانشکده زبان

Received: 2023-12-18 Accepted : 2024-06-02 Published : 2024-09-03

Keywords: Keywords: Academic Writing Task Two, IELTS, Teaching Lexical Cohesion,

Abstract :

Inspired by Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) framework, this study delved into the impact of lexical cohesion training on the writing prowess of English language learners. Drawing upon an experimental design, this study investigated the effect of lexical cohesion instruction on IELTS Academic Writing Task Two performance. Over an eight-week course, a total of 60 IELTS candidates were screened based on their performance in the Quick Oxford Placement Test and these individuals were assigned to either the experimental or control group. Each participant was required to complete two writing assignments during the study. A sequence of six writing tasks was developed and put into practice. The participants’ compositions were evaluated on two instances: pre-test and post-test. A meticulous tapestry of independent-samples t-tests was woven to unveil the distinctions in performance between the cohorts. A quantitative evaluation of the learners’ written work demonstrated that instruction in lexical cohesion had a statistically significant effect on their writing scores. Possible explanations for this exceptional performance are explored, and recommendations are offered for second language (L2) writing instructors and researchers.

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