TEACHING WRITING AND ERROR CORRECTION IN AN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES CLASSROOM IN 2014-2020 IN UKRAINE

Abstract

. Before 2014 teaching writing in the English for Specific Purposes course at Ukrainian universities was pretty similar to the General English course at secondary schools with strong emphasis on grammar. But the British Council “English for Universities” project started in 2014 in Ukraine triggered dramatic changes in teaching writing and error correction in an ESP class. Namely, catering the course for meeting the learners’ needs, identifying the genres to focus on, using three approaches to teaching writing: product, process and social-constructionist approaches, peer-learning and proofreading, emphasis on developing writing sub-skills rather than polishing grammar, introducing brand-new approach to assessment and evaluation of a piece of writing (peer evaluation and assessment, introducing the system of clear and concise criteria for assessment). The article describes not only the changes that were introduced, but also the impact of these changes on the readiness of graduates and students to function successfully in a professional environment relying on their feedback. The results of a quantitative research conducted in 4 focus groups: 30 (20+10) Master’s degree students and 30 (20+10) 1st-year Bachelor’s degree students from two universities of Ukraine are depicted.