text, teacher and students work together to write their own texts in the genre learned. In this stage, students need to recall any knowledge from the two
previous stages. Then, the last stage known as individual application is a stage in which students work individually and independently to write a text in selected
genre learned. We have to keep in mind that this stage can only be done if students have successfully produced a jointly constructed text.
2.2. Writing Ability in ELT
There are various definitions of writing proposed by experts. Lunenburg 2010:2 says that writing is a process of encoding ideas by selecting words to
compose a message in which the output is in the form of written language. It is a process of transferring ideas which requires appropriate words selection before
finally putting them together in a written or printed form Fairbairn and Winch, 2011:32. In more complex opinion, Wingersky et al. 1994:4 argue that writing
is a process of discovering, organizing, and communicating a writer’s ideas to the
readers. In other words, we can say that writing is an activity to express ideas or feelings in written form by selecting the appropriate words to make the message
clear. Everybody knows that writing is a fundamental skill in learning a
language. Its importance is even clearly reflected in 2006 Institutional Based Curriculum. In the curriculum, it is stated that students are required to learn
writing in order to be able to communicate ideas in written form. Regarding to the statement, we can see that writing, as another form of communication act Al-
Buainain, 2009:7, plays a crucial role in life. Through this kind of communication, students can communicate with others even without really having
a face-to-face interaction and in spatial time Sari et al., 2013:73. In the same opinion, Fairbairn and Winch 2011:33 assert that writing is the only way of
communication that allows people to communicate over time and space. By acquiring writing, students can communicate with a huge mass of people from any
parts of the world at about the same time. It means that they can have a more effective and efficient communication through writing.
Unfortunately, putting ideas into words is not an easy thing to do. It takes a long and complicated process like brainstorming, planning, outlining,
organizing, drafting, and revising before it is finally published. Moreover, students have to be able to ba
lance their own intention and their readers’ if they want to produce a worth-reading piece of writing. In this case, they have to ensure
that one’s intention does not go over the others; a writer, readers, and text are something that tightly bound to each other Richard, 2002:21. Those three
components distribute the same portion of important role in a piece of writing. A writer needs readers to communicate his ideas. In reverse, readers also need a
writer to produce a piece of writing conveying clear message. Furthermore, to be able to produce a clear, effective, and efficient writing,
students need to carefully consider the five aspects of a good writing which cover content, organization, grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics Raimes, 1983:6 and
Heaton, 1988:135. Content is believed to be the most substantial element in writing since it carries out the ideas. No matter how fascinating the content is, if it
is not well organized, readers will find it difficult to understand. To have a well- organized piece of writing, students will need three elements: coherence, unity,
and correct generic structure. Another aspect needed to have a good piece of writing is grammar. It influences the way readers read the text. Using
ungrammatical sentences in a piece of writing may mislead readers in interpreting the message. Using appropriate choice of words vocabulary is the next important
aspect of a good writing. Using words which are appropriate to the context will help students to develop the clarity of the message. Then, the last aspect to be
considered is mechanics. This aspect usually covers spelling, punctuation, capitalization. The correct use of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization in a text
will absolutely improve the quality and credibility of a text.
2.3. The Text Types Taught in the Eighth Grade of Junior High School Level
