continued
Macro Skills 1
Use the rhetorical forms and conventions of written discourse. 2
Appropriately accomplish the communicative functions of written texts according to form and purpose.
3 Convey links and connections between events and communicate such relations
as main idea, supporting idea, new information, given information, generalization, and exemplification.
4 Distinguish between literal and implied meanings when writing.
5 Correctly convey culturally specific references in the context of the written
test. 6
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 drafts, using paraphrases and synonyms, soliciting peer and instructor feedback, and using feedback for revising and editing.
The use of micro and macro skills of writing as presented in Table 1 provides some skills which become the focus in learning writing. The micro skills
of writing are appropriately applied to imitative and intensive types of writing tasks, while macro skills of writing are essential for the successful mastery of
responsive and extensive writing. In the teaching of writing, the students need to learn the forms of language as well as the function of language. By using these
micro and macro skills, it can be expected that the writing tasks quality will also be improved and suitable for the students‟ level proficiency.
e. Process of Writing
A writing process is a complicated process since the writing process needs cognitive abilities in recognizing some segments of language to produce a
qualified writing. In general, the writing process is done through two steps that are exploring ideas and processing the ideas into readable text. Rivers 1981:294
claimed that writing in the language becomes a complicated activity because writing involves meaningful segments of language: words, sentences, grammar,
and how to transfer those segments of language into written forms. The goal of the teaching writing skill can be achieved through some
approaches. Harmer 2001:25 says that there are two approaches in teaching writing. They are focusing on the product of the writing process and focusing on
the writing process itself. He states that focusing on the writing process leads those which support a process approach in writing. However, the teachers have to
pay attention to the various stages of any piece of the writing process. There are many conceptions dealing with the writing process. In
developing a piece of writing, a writer faces several stages to do. Those stages can be referred to the process of writing. Richards and Renandya 2002: 316 state the
process of writing as a classroom activity includes the basic writing stages. Those basic writing stages are planning, drafting, revising, and editing. In the same line,
Harmer 2004: 4-6 mentions that writing process has four main elements. They are planning, drafting, editing, and final version.
Planning is the first process of stating the writing process. It is the most important stage because a writer plans what heshe is going to write by choosing
and narrowing a topic. It also includes the process of gathering information and organizing it. To start writing, a writer has to plan and consider the purpose,
audience, and content structure. Then, the next element is drafting. Drafting is the process of writing in the first version. It is often done on the assumption that it
will be developed later. Therefore, a writer may produce a number of drafts on the
