The next level of writing, the students may carry out intensive or controlled writing. This activity focuses on grammar, vocabulary or
sentence formation and not necessarily to convey meaning. Moving on to the next level, the students will be engaged in more complex activity in
writing in which they are asked to produce a good piece of writing using the better skills than the previous activities.
c. Feedback
Feedback is essential for encouraging students to keep their goals in mind Nation : 2009. It means that it is important to provide them with
feedback about the effectiveness of their writing so that the students can carry on the idea of their writing. Feedback is widely seen as important for
encouraging and consolidating learning and it is also regarded as an essential factor in the writing context. Therefore, it is used as a way to
respond to students’ writing to help them enhance their writing skills.
1 Feedback on written work
Harmer 2007: 147 provides some techniques used in giving feedback on students’ writing.
a Responding
Responding to students’ works can be considered as one of giving feedback on their writing. The response on the students’ work can be used
as means of feedback which motivates them when it is done constructively. The feedback given can be seen as responding to students work rather than
assessing or evaluating what they have done. It can further stabilize their confidence and motivation.
b Correcting
Some teachers use codes and put these codes either in the body of the writing itself, or in a corresponding margin. This makes correction
much neater, less threatening, and considerably more helpful than random marks of comment. Frequently, the uses of symbols as indirect feedback
on students’ writing refer to students’ errors, such as in word order, spelling, or verb tense. The symbols are presented in the following table:
Table 2.1: Symbols of written feedback
Symbol Meaning
Example error
S Spelling
The asnwer
is obvious
WO An error in word order
I like very much it. G
A grammar error I am going to buy
some furnitures. T
Wrong verb tense I have seen him
yesterday. C
Concord error People is angry.
Something has been left out
He told that he was sorry.
WW Wrong word
I am interested on jazz music.
{} Something is not
necessary He was not {too}
strong enough. ?M
The meaning is not clear That is a very
excited photograph. P
A punctuation error Do you like london.
FI Too formal or informal
Hi Mr Franklin, Thank you for your
letter …
