VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

LẠI THANH TÌNH

Designing a supplementary writing syllabus for grade
10 English-majored students
at Bien Hoa Gifted High School, Ha Nam.

(THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH VIẾT BỔ TRỢ CHO HỌC SINH CHUYÊN
TIẾNG ANH LỚP 10 THPT CHUYÊN BIÊN HÒA,
HÀ NAM)
(M.A Minor thesis)

Field: English methodology
Code: 60140111

Ha noi – 2012
i

DECLARATION

This paper is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts. I confirm this is my own research and this thesis has not been
published or submitted for any other degrees.

Researcher's signature

Lại Thanh Tình
ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Hoàng
Văn Vân for his generous assistance and guidance while I was conducting this
study. I am grateful for his precious advice, constructive criticism and constant
support. Without his help, this study would not have been completed.
My special thanks go to all the teachers in the faculty of Post-graduate
Studies, University of Language and International Studies for their useful lectures.
I also wish to acknowledge the cooperation of my colleagues and all grade
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration i
Acknowledgements ii
Abstract iii
Table of content iv
PART I. INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Scope of the study 2
5. Methods of the study 3
6. Design of the study 3
PART II. DEVELOPMENT 4
Chapter 1. LITERATURE REVIEW 4
1.1. An overview of syllabus design 4
1.1.1. Definitions of syllabus in language teaching 4
1.1.2. Types of syllabus 5
1.1.3. Steps in designing a language syllabus 10
1.2.Literature review on writing syllabus design 10
1.3. Summary 12
Chapter 2. SITUATION ANALYSIS
2.1. Introduction 13
2.2. The school 13

APPENDIX 3 V
1

PART I. INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
Bien Hoa Gifted High School is the only school in Ha Nam province to train
gifted students in some subjects, one of which is English. In April every year, there
is a contest for grade 10 and grade 11 students coming from gifted high schools in
Coastal Area of the North, Viet Nam. English is one of the subjects to be tested in
this contest. The test level in this contest is nearly the same as that of the National
Contest held every year for gifted students all over the country. This is a great
opportunity for students to broaden their experience in test-taking, to get to know
students from other gifted high schools as well as to improve knowledge and skills
for their coming National Contest.
Writing is one of the three language skills (listening, reading, writing) to be
tested in the Contest. It is often considered to be a real challenge for students,
particularly for grade 10 students, who are new-comers at high school and just start
to get familiar with writing skill.
To help students gain the best results, the teachers of English specializing
classes have to work hard to select materials from different sources such as the
Internet and different materials, etc. That is because the current textbook for grade
10 students does not help students to reach the level as required by the test even
though it is designed for students of the advanced category? They need more than
what are provided in the text book in order to achieve better results in the tests for
the gifted.
Therefore, all these above mentioned issues have inspired me to carry out the
study "Designing a supplementary writing syllabus for grade 10 English-majored
students at Bien Hoa gifted High School, Ha Nam Province" with the hope to help
teachers at Bien Hoa Gifted High School to have an insight into language syllabus
design and writing syllabus design and provide an example of supplementary

This study would focus on only designing supplementary writing syllabus for
grade 10, English-majored students so that they can perform successfully in the
English Contest for gifted students in Northern Coastal Area provinces.

5. Methods of the study
3

In order to achieve the above-mentioned aims, qualitative method and
quantitative method are used. Qualitative method is with situation analysis and
document analysis, which aim at finding out the need to design a supplementary
writing syllabus for grade 10 English-majored students at Bien Hoa Gifted High
School. Quantitative method is used to identify and confirm the needs for a
supplementary writing syllabus.
6. Design of the study
The study is organize into three main parts:
The first part, INTRODUCTION, provides the rationale, the aims, the
research questions, the scope, methods and the design of the study.
The second part, DEVELOPMENT, consists of 3 chapters:
Chapter 1: "LITERATURE REVIEW" provides an overview of syllabus
design, definitions of syllabus in language teaching, types of syllabus, steps in
designing a language syllabus and literature review on writing syllabus design.
Chapter 2: "situation ANALYSIS" analyzes the context of the study
including the school, the teachers, the students, the textbook, the Contest for gifted
students from Northern Coastal Area provinces to find out the necessity to design a
supplementary writing syllabus for grade 10 English-majored students at Bien Hoa
Gifted High School.
Chapter 3: "THE SUPPLEMENTARY WRITING SYLLABUS" presents the
content of the writing syllabus with the description of the aims, objectives,
principles of designing, selection of contents and suggestion on teaching and
assessment methods.

syllabus is now seen as an instrument by which the teacher, with the help of the
syllabus designer, can achieve a degree of fit between the needs and aims of the
learner (as social being and as individual) and the activities which will take place in
the classroom". Another author supporting this view is Dave (1990, p1). He states
5

"There need be no conflict between the two. We can specify a syllabus in whatever
way seems sensible; and can then use whatever methodology we want in order to
transmit our syllabus content". Candlin (1984) suggests a perspective implying that
syllabuses are "social constructions, produced interdependently in classrooms by
teachers and learners They are concerned with the specification planning of what
is to be learnt, frequently set down in some written form as prescriptions for action
by teachers and learners." According to Munby (1978), syllabus design is seen as "a
matter of specifying the content that needs to be taught and then organizing it into a
teaching syllabus of appropriate learning units."
In short, there are different views of syllabus with different definitions.
Therefore, it is essential for the designer to decide on which view to follow. With
the aim of designing a supplementary syllabus for grade 10 gifted students, the term
"syllabus" in this study focuses on the content and its organization, which means in
the narrow sense.
1.1.2. Types of syllabus
Willis (1990) holds that syllabus can be specified in different types based on
what is to be learnt and taught. Here is the review of some types of syllabus
suggested by several authors as well as their features.
As stated in Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p85), "one of the main purposes
of a syllabus is to break down the mass of knowledge to be learnt into manageable
units" and "this breakdown has to be based on certain criteria". There is a list of
eight syllabuses presented as followings: Topic syllabus, Structural/situational
syllabus, Functional/notional syllabus, Skills syllabus, Situational syllabus,
Functional/task-based syllabus, Discourse/skills syllabus. According to Hutchinson

the more complex in a principled fashion according to criteria such as difficulty and
progressive ordering" (Furey, 1983, p.16). Besides, language learners especially
self-studied learners find it easy to follow as grammatical items are graded orderly
and systematically.
However, this type of syllabus has its own shortcomings. The first one is
when applying the structural or grammatical syllabus, "meaning has been taught, of
course, but it has been primarily the meaning of words and sentences as isolates,
and not their meaning within stretches of discourse" (Yalden, 1983, p.27). The
7

second weakness is due to the grading content. It prevents students from producing
needed structures that have not been taught, which restrains students' creativity and
ability.
To conclude, this type of syllabus is not suitable in communicative teaching
and learning as nowadays.
 Situational syllabus
Unlike structural syllabus, situational syllabus is not constructed orderly. The
designer of this type of syllabus has to use real or imaginary situations needed by
students for selecting and presenting language content.
Wilkins (1976, p.16) indicates that the situational syllabus is very
advantageous as "it will include only what is relevant to the learner. It will be more
motivating because it is learner-centered rather than subject-centered. The
distinction between language for learning and language for use will disappear". This
is highly suitable for designing a language course for a specific purpose such as for
engineers, for taxi driver, for receptionists, etc.
However, designing a situational syllabus is a problem to the designers as
Wilkins (1976, p.16) argues that it is difficult to identify "what is meant by
"situation"". It cannot provide us a clearly defined standard for grading of teaching
points. Therefore, this type of syllabus is practical in some circumstances only,
especially for learners with immediate aims and needs.

8. Dealing with the international payments
9. Recording and decoding information
10. Travelling
11. Reporting
12. Receiving visitors
As can be seen, this syllabus is designed basing on tasks which learners are
supposed to perform. Therefore, it is used for learners who need language to
communicate with specific purpose. For designing a syllabus for academic writing,
this type of syllabus is not considered suitable.
 Skill-based syllabus:
The word "Skills" refers to linguistic abilities (pronunciation, vocabulary,
grammar and discourse). In skill-based syllabus, the content of the language
teaching involves a collection of particular skills which are needed by learners to be
9

competent in using a language. Robinson (1991, p.37) defines skill-based syllabus
as "something of a half way house between content or product syllabuses on the one
side and method or process syllabuses on the other". Hutchinson and Waters (1987,
p86) had an example of "skill syllabus" as cited following:
1. Organizing your studies
2. Improving your reading efficiency
3. Taking notes
4. Taking part in seminars
5. Writing an essay (i) Research and using the library
6. Writing an essay (ii) Organization
7. Writing an essay (iii) Presentation
8. Assessment, study techniques and examinations
In this type of syllabus, the primary purpose is to learn the specific language
skill in language competencies, such as listening for details, listening for main
ideas; reading for general comprehension, skimming, scanning; writing a letter of

1. Needs analysis
2. Goals and objectives of the syllabus
3. Principles of designing the syllabus
4. Selection of contents
5. The organization of syllabus
6. Suggestion on teaching methods and evaluation methods
1.2. Literature review on writing syllabus design
Although there have been quite a few researches about language syllabus
design, the author of this study only find a limited number of researchers offering an
insight into designing a writing syllabus in particular. Dorothy & Carlos had a book
named "Paragraph writing" published. In that book, the authors provided a syllabus
for writing paragraphs, which is a combination of both topic syllabus and task-
based syllabus. Another task-based writing syllabus can be found in the book
"Writing tasks, an authentic task approach to individual writing needs" Cambridge
University Press, introduced by Anh. There are seven units organized as follow:
1. Writing notes and memos
2. Writing personal letters
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3. Writing telegrams, personal ads and instructions
4. Writing descriptions
5. Reporting experiences
6. Writing to companies and officials
7. Presenting facts, ideas and opinions.
In Vietnam, some studies on designing a writing syllabus have been carried
out so far.
In 2007, Nhan had her M.A thesis: "Designing a writing syllabus for the
national team of English at Vinh Phuc gifted secondary school", which seems to be
the first one investigating into how to design a writing syllabus for high school
gifted students. Later, Chuyen (2009) conducted a study named "Designing an

Bien Hoa Gifted High School is a longtime established school in the system
of high schools for gifted students. It was founded in 1959 and called "Ha Nam high
school". It was officially called "Bien Hoa Gifted High School" in 2009. Each year,
our school is responsible for forming 27 classes with 10 specializing subjects:
mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, informatics, literature, history,
geography, English and Russian. Students who want to enter the school have to pass
an entrance examination consisting of three subjects: Maths, Literature, English and
a specialized subject with the specialized mark being doubled.
In the same way, those who take entrance examination for language
specializing class have to take three compulsory subjects and a specialized English
test. The Ha Nam Department of Education has had a plan to include listening and
speaking skill in the test beside reading, writing and using of language which have
been tested so far. However, because of some factor, this plan has not been
implemented.
2.3. The teachers
The school consists of eight English teachers, most of whom are young, aged
between 25 and 35, only one is 53 years old. Three of the teachers have already
M.A degree, one of them is finishing her M.A course and the rest hold a B.A degree
in English language teaching.
There are two teachers taking charge of each English-majored class. Because
seven out of eight teachers are quite young, the experience they have is rather
13

limited. Only the leader of the group, who has 12 years of teaching experience, has
had a chance to take a one-week-course on English language teaching in Singapore.
The rest has little chance to communicate with native speakers. Therefore, teaching
English is based mainly on self-collected materials and records.
The author of this study is responsible for grade 10 English-majored
students. There are two important English contests for grade 10 English-majored
students which are: the provincial contest and the contest for gifted students in

eight members participating. Since the third year of it, there have been more and
more gifted high schools registering even though they are not in the Coastal Area.
Some provinces from the far North, the Middle Area and the South such as Lao Cai,
Thai Nguyen, Hue, Quang Nam have also joined the contest. The latest contest held
in April 2013 in Hai Phong, there was 20 gifted schools from different provinces
taking part in it. That is to say the contest is gaining more and more popularity.
The contest is a wonderful chance for gifted students to gain experience in
their specialized subject as well as sharing learning strategies with other gifted
students from other specialized high schools. Each team (for a subject) of each
school consists of three students. Those who get the best result in each subject will
be given gold medal; the second best, silver medal and the third best bronze medal.
However, the result of English teams of Bien Hoa Gifted High School has
not been considered good so far. In the first two years, 2007-2008 and 2008-2008,
was one silver medal each year. In the last two years, there was only one
consolidation prize each year.
The test format of the English contest includes listening skill, reading skill,
knowledge of language and writing skill. To grade 10 students, only paragraph
writing and letter writing are to be learned in the program. Thus, paragraph writing
is the main type of writing asked in this contest.
Following is a table presenting the collection of writing topics in the contest
from 2008 to 2012:

Table 1: Writing topics in the test collected in the years: from 2008 to 2013

No.
Topics
Specific writing exercises
School year
1
School talks/


(2008-2009)

(2011-2012) (2008-2009) (2011-2012)

(2010-2011) (2010-2011)

(2009-2010)
(2010-2011)
2
People's
backgounds
3
Daily
activities


(2010-2011)
5
School
outdoor
activities
- Write a paragraph of about 150 words on the
following topic: "Going camping is a useful extra
curricular activity for students. Using reasons and
examples to support that idea."
(2012-2013)
6
The Mass
media
- How do movies or television influence people’s
behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to
support your answer.
- Write a paragraph (about 150 words) on the topic
“parents should allow children to watch TV”
- Televised action films are the main cause of
increasing violence in real life, particularly among
teenagers. Write a paragraph of about 200 words
expressing your agreement and support for this
point of view.
- Writing a paragraph about the advantages or
disadvantages of the internet in our life. You should
write at least 120 words.
(2009-2010)
(2012-2013)
17

disadvantages of being the only child in the family.
8
Undersea
world 9 9
Conversation
- Climate change is among the serious problems that
mankind are currently facing.
Write a paragraph of about 150 words presenting
some possible solutions to this problem
- Write about the consequences of polluting and
suggesting some possible solutions to that problem.
(2009-2010)

(2011-2012)
10
National
parks 11
Music

Contest.
2.6. The textbook
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The textbook used for teaching grade 10 English-majored students at Bien
Hoa Gifted High School is "Tiếng Anh 10 Nâng cao" or "Advanced English 10".
The textbook is for English-majored students in gifted high schools and for students
of social science and humanities discipline. It is a theme-based textbook. There are
16 topics for the whole year. The writing tasks in the textbook can be summarized
as in the following table:

Table 2: Summary of the writing tasks in the textbook "Advanced English 10". No.
Topics
Writing task types
Specific writing exercises
1
School talks
Writing a narrative
Write a story about your school activities.
2
People's
backgounds
Writing a summary
Write a summary of a Biography
3
Daily
activities

media
Writing about
advantages and
disadvantages
Write a paragraph about the advantages or
disadvantages of computers.
8
Life in the
community
Giving directions
Write a letter to a new friend of yours to
invite him/her to your home for the weekend.