According to Harmer 2004:7 writing is the only skill that can produce a real product, which is touchable, readable, and keep able for long time. It can be said
that writing involves time and space. It is a permanent record of communication. Referring to those definitions, it can be concluded that writing is a written
communication. It is a complex process to produce a product in the written form to express and organize ideas to communicate.
2. Purposes of Writing
The purpose of writing depends on the purpose of the text. There are several text types which have different purposes, for example to describe, persuade,
entertain, argue, and explain. According
to Nunan’s 2003:88 theory, writing is viewed as a means of communication which is commonly used to express and impress. It means that
writing is communication which has two main purposes. First, writing is used to express ideas or opinions. Second, the text is used to communicate the ideas or
opinions. Meanwhile, Byrne 1997: 6 suggests that there are five pedagogical purposes
of writing. a. The introduction and practice of some form of writing enables us to provide for
different learning styles and needs. b. Written work serves to provide the learners with some tangible evidence that
they are making progress in the language.
c. Exposure to the foreign language through more than one medium, especially if skills are properly integrated, appears to be more effective than relying on a
single medium alone. d. Writing provides variety in classroom activities, serving as a break from oral
work. e. Writing is often needed for formal and informal testing.
3. Micro and Macroskills of Writing
Micro and macroskills of writing help the teacher to assess hisher students’
writing. Brown 2004:221 mentions micro and macroskills of writing that can help the
teacher to assess hisher students’ writing.
Micro skills 1. Produce graphemes and orthographic patterns of English.
2. Produce writing at an efficient rate of speed to suit the purpose. 3. Produce an acceptable core of words and use appropriate word order
patterns. 4. Use acceptable grammatical systems e.g., tense, agreement, pluralization,
patterns, and rules. 5. Express a particular meaning in different grammatical forms.
6. Use cohesive devices in written discourse. Macro skills
7. Use the rhetorical forms and conventions of written discourse. 8. Appropriately accomplish the communicative functions of written texts
according to form and purpose. 9. Convey links and connections between events and communicate such
relations as main idea, supporting idea, new information, given information, generalization, and exemplification.
10. Distinguish between literal and implied meaning when writing. 11. Correctly convey culturally specific references in the context of the written
text. 12. Develop and use a battery of writing strategies, such as accurately
assessing the audience’s interpretation, using prewriting devices, writing with fluency in the first draft, using paraphrases and synonyms, soliciting
peer and instructor feedback, using feedback for revising and editing.
