VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

VƯƠNG THỊ LIÊN DESIGNING A TASK-BASED ESP READING SYLLABUS FOR
THE THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS AT HAI DUONG CENTRAL
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

(THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH THEO
ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG GIAO NHIỆM VỤ CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ 3
TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG DƯỢC TRUNG ƯƠNG HẢI DƯƠNG)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: MET HODOLOGY
CODE: 601410
HANOI, 2011
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration I
Acknowledgements II
Abstract III
Table of contents……………………………………………………… IV
List of Abbreviations viii
PART A: INTRODUCTION Error! Bookmark not defined.
1. Rationale Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. Aims and objectives of the study Error! Bookmark not defined.
3. Scope of the study Error! Bookmark not defined.
4. Method of the study Error! Bookmark not defined.
5. The structure of the study Error! Bookmark not defined.
PART B: DEVELOPMENT Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1. An overview on ESP Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.1. What is ESP? Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.2. Characteristics of ESP Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.3. ESP for Pharmacy Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2. An overview on syllabus Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2.1. Definition of syllabus Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2.2. Task-based syllabus Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3. Syllabus Design Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.1. The approaches to syllabus design Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.2. The language-centered approach Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.3. Skills-centered approach Error! Bookmark not defined.

Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER THREE: DESIGNING A TASK-BASED ESP READING SYLLABUS
FOR THE THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS AT HAI DUONG CENTRAL COLLEGE OF
PHARMACY Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1. Selecting a type of syllabus for ESP students Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.2. Aims and objectives of the syllabus Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3. Detailed syllabus Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.1. Content selection Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.2. The organization of the syllabus Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.3. Time allocation Error! Bookmark not defined.
PART C: CONCLUSION Error! Bookmark not defined.
REFERENCES Error! Bookmark not defined.
APPENDICES Error! Bookmark not defined.
1. Appendix 1 Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. Appendix 2: Questionnaire for the ESP teachers Error! Bookmark not defined.
vi
3. Appendix 3: Questionnaire for the third-year students (Phiếu điều tra) Error!
Bookmark not defined.
4. Appendix 4 Error! Bookmark not defined.
5. Appendix 5 Error! Bookmark not defined.
6. Appendix 6 Error! Bookmark not defined.
7. Appendix 7 Error! Bookmark not defined.
8. Appendix 8 Error! Bookmark not defined.
9. Appendix 9 Error! Bookmark not defined.
10. Appendix 10 Error! Bookmark not defined.

1
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
In recent years, important role of English in our society has been much enhanced by

and syllabus design.
2. To investigate the needs perceived by the ESP students, the ESP teachers towards
an appropriate reading syllabus for the ESP students of Hai Duong Central
College of Pharmacy.
3. To propose a reading syllabus based on needs analysis.
3. Scope of the study
This study is carried out with its focus on designing an ESP syllabus for
pharmaceutical students at Hai Duong Central College of Pharmacy on the basic of needs
analysis. Due to the characteristics of the college, only reading skill is covered. Within the
scope of minor thesis, this study focuses on the designing process itself, only the main
theories related to task-based approach; ESP reading and syllabus design are mentioned.
4. Methods of the study
In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed. The
quantitative is used to collect the data by delivered questionnaires and the qualitative is
applied when discussing the data. The methodology of the study is described as follows:
- To gain theoretical background for the study, a careful examination of related
literature has been carried out. What has been perceived from this examination will be the
foundation for the study.
- The study is carried out with 43 students and 4 teachers at HCCP, which will be
presented in great detail in chapter 2. Data about the participants is collected by the form of
questionnaires. The questionnaire is designed to investigate information about students’
needs, wants, and learning-style preference…
5. The structure of the study
This study is divided in three main parts:
Part A: Introduction
In this part, the rationale for the study, the aims and objectives of the study, the scope
of the study, the methodology and the structure of the study are mentioned.
Part B: Development
3
This is the main part of the study which contains three chapters as the follows:

draw attention to a learning-centred approach “in which all decisions as to content and
method are based on the learner´s reason for learning”.
Coffey (1985:79) observes that ESP is “a quick and economical use of the English
language to pursue a course of academic study (EAP) or effectiveness in paid employment
(EOP)”. Lorenzo (2005:1) reminds us that ESP “concentrates more on language in
context than on teaching grammar and language structures” He also points out that as
ESP is usually delivered to adult students, frequently in a work related setting (EOP),
that motivation to learn is higher than in usual ESL (English as a Second Language)
contexts. Carter (1983) believes that self-direction is important in the sense that an ESP
course is concerned with turning learners into users of the language.
5
1.1.2. Characteristics of ESP
We have established the relationship between ESP and ELT. Now you will be
informed about some characteristics of ESP. ESP is seen as an approach by Hutchinson
and Waters (1987). They suggest that ESP does not concern a particular language,
teaching methodology or material. If you want to understand ESP, they suggest that you
find out exactly why a person needs to learn a foreign language. Your need for learning
English can be for study purposes or for work purposes. However, it is the definition of
needs that is the starting point for decisions which determine the language to be taught.
Strevens (1988) makes a distinction between absolute characteristics and variable
characteristics of ESP. The absolute characteristics are that ESP courses are:
1. Designed to meet the specific needs of the learner;
2. Related in content to particular disciplines or occupations;
3. Centred on language specific to those disciplines or occupations;
4. In contrast to General English.
The variable characteristics are that courses may:
1. Be restricted in the skills to be learned;
2. Not be taught according to a particular methodology.
Robinson (1991) also suggests two absolute criteria for defining ESP courses. The
first is that ESP programmes are normally goal-oriented. The second is that they derive

specific learners in specific contexts and thus must be carefully delineated and
addressed with tailored to fit instruction”. Mohan (1986:15) adds that ESP courses focus
on preparing learners “for chosen communicative environments”.
Learner’s purpose is also stated by Graham and Beardsley (1986) and learning
centredness (Carter, 1983; Hutchinson & Waters, 1987) as integral parts of ESP. Thus it
could be argued that ESP, from the outset, focused on learner centred teaching, a situation
that was certainly not true of traditional general English courses. As stated above however,
this situation has changed dramatically in recent years.
To sum up, there are three features common to ESP: (a) authentic materials, (b)
purpose- related orientation, and (c) self-direction. These features are indeed useful in
attempting to formulate one’s own understanding of ESP. Revisiting Dudley-Evans' (1997)
claim that ESP should be offered at an intermediate or advanced level, one would
conclude that the use of authentic learning materials is entirely feasible. The use of
authentic content materials, modified or unmodified in form, is indeed a feature of ESP,
7
particularly in self-directed study and research tasks. Purpose-related orientation, on the
other hand, refers to the simulation of communicative tasks required of the target setting,
for example, student simulation of a conference, involving the preparation of papers,
reading, note taking, and writing. Finally, self-direction is characteristic of ESP courses
in that the point of including self-direction is that ESP is concerned with turning learners
into users. In order for self-direction to occur, the learners must have a certain degree of
freedom to decide when, what, and how they will study. There must also be a
systematic attempt by teachers to teach the learners how to learn by teaching them about
learning strategies.
1.1.3. ESP for Pharmacy
English for each specialization has its own particular characteristics. In terms of
pharmacy, most of texts are prescriptions, instructions, or scientific articles about some
kinds of medicines, therefore, the vocabulary mainly relates to drugs, components of drugs,
diseases, use and side effect of medicines and so on. Undoubtedly, pharmaceutical
terminologies are quite difficult to remember, especially for learners at beginning level of

“Syllabus is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught (as distinction from
how they will be taught, which is the matter for methodology)
The following detailed guideline for syllabus designer was given by Dubin and
Olshtain (1980:28):“what it is called, it is a document which ideally describes:
 What the learner are expected to know at the end of the course, or the course
objectives in operational terms.
 What is to be taught or learned during the course, in the form of an inventory of
items.
 When it is to be taught, and at what rate of progress, relating the inventory of items
to the different levels and stages as well as the time constrains of the course.
 How it is to be taught, suggesting procedures, techniques, and materials.
 How it is to be evaluated, suggesting testing and evaluating mechanism.
In short, there are many different views in syllabus design. Each one has its own
strong and weak points. So syllabus designers have to take account the objectives and the
learners’ needs to design an appropriate syllabus that meets the demand. I will not follow
anyone’s and I will mix the above view to find out the best points.
9
1.2.2. Task-based syllabus
A task-based syllabus is based on task-based learning, an approach where learners
carry out tasks such as solving a problem or planning an activity. The language learnt
comes out of the linguistic demands of the activity. A task-based syllabus is structured
around a series of these tasks.
In task-based syllabus, the activities or tasks are considered the main organizing
principle. The tasks are focused rather than the language or topics. They are a series of
complex and purposeful tasks that the students want to practice with the language they are
learning, for instance, applying for a job, talking to a social worker, getting housing
information over the telephone and so on. Concerning about this syllabus, Robinson stated:
“The procedural or task syllabus, consisting of a set of tasks or activities ordered
according to cognitive difficulty. Class time is devoted to performance of the task and
attention is only directed to language if this is necessary for completion of the task. A

for syllabus design are as follows:
- Progress from known to unknown matter.
- Appropriate size of teaching units.
- A proper variety of activity.
- Teach ability.
- Creating a sense of purpose for the student.
Garcia (1976:26) expands on this and provides more comprehensive criteria
which should be taken into consideration when designing a language syllabus. He says that
particulars concerning the social forces, the prejudices, the habits and the motives of the
student population, the relation of student characteristics to what are considered universal
concepts in language learning processes, contemporary insights into the nature of the
language, and how it should be taught to non-native speakers and for what realistic
purposes, must guide curricular decisions.
1.3.1. The approaches to syllabus design
To design an appropriate syllabus for the objectives, the designers have to take the
approaches to syllabus design into account. There have been different approaches to the
language syllabus design. According to Wilkins (1976), there are two main approaches to
syllabus design: analytic and synthetic in language teaching. However, Hutchinson and
Water (1987) classified three kinds of approaches: language-centered approach, skill-
11
centered approach, and learning-centered approach. In my paper, I will present the
approaches of Hutchinson and Water.
1.3.2. The language-centered approach
Language-centered approach is quite simple and familiar in course design to
language teachers. It aims to draw as direct connection as possible between the analysis of
the target situation and the content of the ESP course (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987:65).
This approach seems to be a very logical and straightforward procedure. Firstly, it begins
with the learners, proceeds through various stages of analysis to a syllabus, then to
materials used in classroom, finally to the evaluation of mastery of the syllabus items.
Despite of the strong point above, it has a number of limits. Firstly, it may be

approach provides a full picture of analyzing the target situation and learning needs in the
theoretical view of leaning and learner.
In contrast to the skills-centered approach, learning- centered one considers the
learner discarded and the target situation analysis is allowed to determine the content of the
course with little further reference to the learner. Learning-centered approach takes account
of the learner at every stage of the design process.
In conclusion, determining a suitable approach for the syllabus is not an easy task of
any designers. It seems to upgrade in three approaches presented above in rank. The
language-centered approach is said to be the nature of the target situation performance and
that will determine the ESP course but the skills-centered approach says that is not enough,
they must look behind the target performance data to discover what processes enable
someone to perform. Those processes will determine the ESP course. Whereas, the
learning-centered one supposes that is not enough either. They must look beyond the
competence that enables someone to perform, because what they really want to discover is
not the competence itself, but how someone acquires that competence (Hutchinson &
Waters 1987:72). Because of the best points, the learning-centered will be applied in
designing the ESP reading syllabus for students at HCCP.
1.3.5. The steps in syllabus design
Designing a language syllabus is a complex process. It asks designers to follow some
obligatory steps such as investigating needs analysis, selecting and grading content… Each
designer has their own view on this issue. According to Hughes (1983:7), the first
important step must be the choice of aims and objectives while Munby (1978), Richard
(1984), Nunan (1988) thought that needs analysis should be the initial step with other
13
different steps. Here are the typical steps in designing a syllabus that I will carry out in my
thesis, except for the last one:
1. Needs analysis
2. Goals and objectives determining
3. Content selecting and grading
4. Teaching methods suggesting

- How do the learners learn?
- What resources are available?
- Who are the learners?
- Where is the ESP course take place?
- When will the ESP course take place?
So the syllabus designers have to answer the above questions to find out the learners’
learning needs to plan the best syllabus for them.
1.3.7. Determining goal and objective
Determining learning goals and objectives is a vital step in syllabus design, which
helps the designer choose a suitable content for the learner. According to Graves (1996:17),
goals are general statements or the final destination, the level students will need to achieve.
Objectives express certain ways of achieving the goals, in other words, objectives are
teachable chunks, which in their accumulation form the essence of the course.
Sharing the same idea with Graves, Nunan(1988:61) states that “objectives can be
useful, not only to guide the selection of the structures, functions, notions, tasks and so on,
but also provide a sharper focus for teachers”.
Goal is also defined by Brown (1995:37) as “general statements concerning
desirable and attainable program purposes and aims based on perceived language and
situation needs”.
The process of defining goals asks the syllabus designer and the participants consider
carefully the program’s purposes with the specific reference to what the students should be
able to do when they finish the course. Thus, goals and objectives of the syllabus
determine the selections of the learning contents and teaching procedures.
15
1.3.8. Selecting and grading content
After determining the goals and objectives of the course, content selecting and
grading are examined. That is the process of choosing linguistic content such as topics,
vocabulary, grammar, tasks for each lesson. Shaw (1976) considers the selection of content
to be concerned with two questions:
1. How much can we teach or how much can be learnt by the learners?

to Harmer (1993:190), reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and brain. The eyes
receive messages and the brain then has to work out the significance of these messages.
Goodman (1971:12) sees reading “as a language receptive process, it is a
psycholinguistic process in that it starts with a linguistic surface representation encoded
by a writer and ends with meaning, which the reader constructs. Here the writer encodes
thought as language and the reader decodes language to thought”.
William (1990:2) also states that reading is a process whereby one looks at and
understands what has been written.
1.4.2. Reading skills in ESP
According to Dudley-Evans (1998:10), ESP teaching is more motivating for learners
than GE because the focused nature of the teaching, its relevance and its aims are widely
accepted by learners. Many learners are hungry for material and advice that will help them
with their specific course or with particular skills related to their course. So reading in ESP
is very important to improve their specialized terms and concepts that help them easier in
their learning special subjects and future jobs as well. In addition, “extracting information
accurately and quickly is more significant than language details; that understanding the
microstructure comes before language study; and that application of the information in the
text is of paramount importance. The reader first processes the language and then links the
ideas to what is already known.” (Dudley-Evans & Jo St John, 1998:96)
In teaching ESP reading, there is the recognition that good reading requires balance
between language and skills. Alderson (1982) tested several hypotheses about the role of
language and skills and showed that poor reading in a foreign language is due to poor
reading in L1, together with an inadequate knowledge of the foreign language. He also
showed that learners need to reach a threshold level of language knowledge before they are
able to transfer any L1 skills to their L2 reading tasks (cited in Dudley-Evans, 1998: 96).
17
Dudley-Evans (1998:96) states that the reading component of an ESP course requires
a balance between language and skills development, here are some key skills to be
transferred into the new language:
- Selecting what is relevant for the current purpose;

goals.
Nunan (1991) gives out five characteristics of a task-based approach to language
teaching as follows:
(i) An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target
language.
(ii) The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.
(iii) The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but
also on the learning process itself.
(iv) An enhancement of the learners’ own personal experience as important
contributing elements to classroom learning.
(v) An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation
outside classroom.
Task-based syllabus which is considered the cornerstone of TBLT is defined by
Richards (1992) as syllabus which is organized around tasks, rather than in terms of
grammar or vocabulary. In task-based learning, communication tasks (where language
forms are not controlled) involve learners in an entirely different mental process as they
compose what they want to say, expressing what they think or feel.
Tasks remove the teacher domination, and learners get chances to open and close
conversations, to interact naturally, to interrupt and challenge, to ask people to do things
and to check what they have done. Much of this will involve composing in real time. The
resulting interaction is far more likely to lead to increased fluency and natural acquisition
than form-focused exercises that encourage learners to get it right from the beginning.
1.5.2. Tasks in TBLT
1.5.2.1. Defining tasks
In a number of books, the word “task” has been used as a label for various activities,
including grammar exercises, practice activities and role plays. In some other books, tasks
are defined as activities where the target language is used by the learners for a
communicative purpose (goal) in order to achieve an outcome.
19
Nunan (1989) defines tasks as activities that can stand alone as fundamental units

20
5, Sharing personal experience, i.e tasks that allow learners to talk freely about
themselves and share experiences.
6, Creative tasks, i.e projects, often involving several stages that can incorporate the
various types of tasks above and can include the need to carry out some research.
A rhetorical classification:
A rhetorical classification of tasks draws on theories of rhetoric that distinguish
different discourse domains in terms of their structure and linguistic properties- narrative,
instructions, descriptions, reports… That is a classification that often underlies language
courses for academic purposes and is often linked to the specific language functions that
figure in academic written discourse, for example, definitions, classifications, and giving
examples.
A cognitive classification:
A cognitive approach for classifying tasks is based on the kind of cognitive
operations different types of tasks involve. Prabhu (1987) distinguishes three general types
of tasks based on the kind of cognitive activity involved:
1, Information gap activity involves a transfer of given information from one
person to another or from one place to another. For example, using information in a text to
complete a chart or table.
2, Reasoning-gap activity involves “deriving some new information from given
information through processes of inference, deduction, practical reasoning, or a
perception of relationships or patterns” (Prabhu, 1987). Prabhu points out that this activity
also involves sharing information but requires going beyond the information provided. An
example of this kind of task is a task that requires students to work out a teacher’s
timetable from a set of class timetables.
3, Opinion-gap activity involves identifying and articulating a personal preference,
feeling, or attitude in response to a given situation. Examples of this are story completion
and taking part in a discussion. Such tasks are open in the sense that they afford many
possible solutions.