PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
I. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY
Today learning English is very important because it is the only language
that truly links the whole world together. English may not be the most spoken
language in the world, but it is the official language in a large number of
countries. It is estimated that the number of people in the world that use in
English to communicate on a regular basis is 2 billion. English is the dominant
business language and it has become almost a necessity for people to use
English if they are to enter a global workforce, research from all over the world
shows that cross-border business communication is most often conducted in
English. Its importance in the global market place therefore cannot be
understated, learning English really can change people’s life. Many of the
world’s top films, books and music are published and produced in English.
Therefore by learning English you will have access to a great wealth of
entertainment and will be able to have a greater cultural understanding. Most of
the content produced on the internet (50%) is in English. So knowing English
will allow people to access an incredible amount of information which may not
be otherwise available!
In fact, many Vietnamese students who have good professional knowledge,
but can’t use English well don’t get good jobs. So, English is the first and the
most important standard for workers who want to work not only at foreign
companies but also at national ones.
Writing which is one of the four skills of learning English can be one of the
most enjoyable and satisfying activities for teachers and students to do together
in a classroom, especially in a foreign language classroom. But writing skill
which includes language, private knowledge and skill, emotion and the
interaction of personal opinion is difficult and challenging to learn and develop
for many students in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular. In
Vietnam, there are many teachers of English who even believe that teaching
writing skill to learners is more complex than teaching other communicative
skills (Mazdayasna &Tahririan, 2001).

How can the fifteen- sentence model help the students at Nhu Thanh High
School improve their argumentative writing skill and get band 7 in IELTS
writing task 2?
The question has been addressed to two of groups that I have been teaching in
Nhu Thanh High School with the aim to examine how the fifteen- sentence
model affect the process of argumentative writing here.
IV. METHODS OF THE STUDY
In this study, I use some research tools to collect and analyze the needed data
Recording is used to record the process of using the fifteen- sentence model
The second tool used in this study is interviews with students at the end of the
research to study whether using the fifteen- sentence model in English writing
lessons is really suitable for them or not.
Surveying through the answer sheets is used to know the practical situation of
teaching and learning English writing skill.

PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT
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CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
I. OVERVIEW OF WRITING SKILL
Lannon (1989) claims that writing is a process delivering meaningful
messages and including its own specific goal. This process requires students to
work hard instead of regarding it as an uncomplicated act (Byrne, 1988).
However, in language teaching and learning process, Tribble (1996, p.3) defines
writing as a language skill that involves “not just a graphic representation of
speech, but the development and presentation of thoughts in a structured way”.
This means writers need to arrange their ideas logically and systematically.
Some of the difficulties associated with the teaching of writing in foreign
language classes come from the nature of writing itself. Writing is an artificial

writer is tasked with investigating an issue, taking a stand on the issue, and

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finding and incorporating a multitude of evidence in a logical manner to support
the overall claim.
Most of us have experience with arguing, but an argumentative essay is quite
different than a verbal argument that arises out of the blue. Verbal arguments
often become heated and unreasonable, while the goal of an argumentative essay
is the opposite: the argument must be specific, reasoned, detailed and supported
with a variety of evidence. Furthermore, a verbal argument often focuses on who
is right regarding a specific issue, while a well-written, researched argument
essay focuses on what is the right side of a particular issue. In short, an argument
essay must be logical from beginning to end.
III. THE DIFFICULTIES OF WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS
Writing an argumentative essay is one of the most common types of
assignments set for the gifted student-choosing exammination. This genre of
writing calls for students to argue for and against a convinced proposal. Most
students are unable to argue or propose a convincing thesis statement.
Argumentation is a procedure to compose an argument by looking for actual
evidence to back up the claim or a thesis statement. To write a good piece of
argumentative writing is often difficult for students. Basically, writing an
argument begins with taking a stance and giving evidence in order to convince
the readers to execute the action or to accept the idea based on a controversy.
Nippold and Ward-Lonergan (2010, p. 238) note that “argumentative writing is a
challenging communication task that needs sophisticated cognitive and linguistic
abilities.” Likewise many research studies confirm that an argumentative writing
essay is the most difficult genre for students. Most students are unable to
produce good argumentative essays because of their lack of readiness for

well.
Argument essays can be organized in a variety of ways. Regardless of the order
in which it is organized, all argument essays should explain and support several
reasons why the argument is valid, as well as explain and refute several
opposing arguments offered by the other side. All writers will benefit from
creating an outline to organize all of the information that will be presented, and
this benefit becomes even greater with longer argument essays.
Perform effective and thorough research. Most argumentative essays require
incorporating research into the essay. If this is the case with your essay, make
sure to perform a significant amount of research before fully committing to a
topic. This is important because you need to make sure there are enough credible
sources that can be used in your essay. You don’t want to commit to a topic and
begin writing the essay only to later discover that you can’t find enough quality
sources to make the topic work.
Incorporate logos, pathos, and ethos. Logos is a term that refers to the use of
logic in a debate. As a writer, the use of logos should be primary, should appear
throughout the essay, and it is the best way to convince someone to adopt a
particular stance on any issue. It is also important to avoid using logical
fallacies. While logos should be the primary target, pathos - which is the use of
emotion - can also be incorporated. Pathos means getting the reader emotionally
involved in the argument so that the reader is open to further persuasion. One of
the best places to use pathos is in the introduction. Ethos - the use of credibility
- is also important. The best way for writers to incorporate ethos is by addressing
counterarguments and using credible sources. Additionally, taking a reasonable
stand on the issue (as opposed to an extreme one) will also lead to more
credibility.
V. THE CRITERIA TO GET BAND 7 IN IELTS WRITING TASK 2
One of the keys to success in the IELTS writing test is understanding how the
test is marked and using this knowledge to increase your band score. You can
then give the examiners exactly what they want and focus on doing the things

are completely error free.
- Has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors
VI. A FIFTEEN-PHRASE/SENTENCE SOLUTION AND ITS IMPACT ON
DEVELOPING THE STUDENTS’ ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING SKILL.
These sentences and phrases are based on the criteria of band 7 in IELTS
writing task 2. The fifteen- phrase/sentence solution is actually a format of an
essay. Although students use the model to write, they still give their own ideas.
The benefits of this fifteen- phrase/sentence solution are that the essay is not
only logic, but the students also think and write more quickly and easily
This study is beneficial for teachers to provide valuable insights into the
weaknesses in their learners’ language variants that can be used to develop their
teaching programmes and instructions to more effectively support students’
argumentative writing development.
Additionally, it can also be used as logical guidelines for students to improve
their argumentative writing. The study helps students overcome the main
difficulties such as vocabulary, grammar structure, structure of argumentative
writing, providing solid evidence, time constraints, organized idea, fulfilling task
demand, understanding the questions, writing the thesis statement, interpreting
the questions, pacing , evaluating, topic choice and length.
CHAPTER 2: PRACTICAL SITUATIONS
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I. METHODS OF THE STUDY
The research is done qualitatively in the context of two gifted - student groups
( A and B – At Nhu Thanh High School). In this survey, I use the survey
questionnaire for students. This survey is designed to collect information for the
study on “An investigation into the Reality of teaching and learning English
argumentative writing skill at Nhu Thanh High School.
II. THE REALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH

sentences.
Understanding the argumentative writing structure was also considered difficult
for students because students pointed out that the structure of argumentative
writing posed the main barrier for them to produce a good piece of
argumentative essay. In relation to the difficulties of solid evidence, they stated
that providing solid evidence was one of the most difficult aspects for them to
convince the audience to believe in what they wrote.
With reference to the difficulties of time constraints in argumentative writing,
students faced the difficulties in this aspect. One of students stated:

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“Another problem is the limitation of the time. I cannot write a good piece of
writing because I feel hectic. I need more time to write because of the limited
time I cannot think of strong evidence to write”.
They admitted that it was difficult to write a well-organized argumentative
essay. For example, the following students pointed out that “I don’t know how to
organize the idea of argumentative writing essay. I do not know that I have to
write the Introduction or I have to control the idea. I have to write supporting
detail 1,2,3 and then I have to write the conclusion. I write down what I can
think of without controlling the idea”.
With the reference to the difficulties of fulfilling task demand and understanding
the questions, students considered this task demand difficult. Students stated that
writing the thesis statement was difficult for them to write in order to convince
the audience

CHAPTER 3:
RECOMMENDATIONS
TO HELP THE GIFTED STUDENTS TO IMPROVE


Introducing

2

background

8


topic, idea

Paragraph

heated debate.

topic

3

My view is that/ it strikes my

Give writer’s own idea

4

mind that………..
First, it is obvious that………

Give the 1st reason

………………………

the fact
Explain the example

Supporting

5

( topic sentence)
Explain more

idea

Paragraph

example

8
9

Paragraph

10 That is not to say that……..not

specifically
The idea is basic

more specifically
Don’t deny the opposite

no rational aspect for

important to remember that…/
13 In sum/In conclusion……

the opposite idea
Restate their own idea

14 Meanwhile,………………..

Simultaneously, they
shouldn’t disregard
completely the opposite

15 By doing so,

ideas
Extend the topic

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…………………………

Note:
Using some following complex sentences in order to raise students’
marks:
* That + clause
Ex: That human activities have the greatest impact on the environment is
obvious


Nowadays, an increasing number of people are concerned

2

about the impact of over-reliance on testing on education.
Yet, whether the influence is beneficial or not has recently
caused a heated debate

3

It strikes to my mind that too much testing does teachers

Introductio
n

Paragraph

4

1
5
6

and learners more harm than good.
First, it is obvious that what too much testing brings
educators and children is not marks, but time-consuming and
stress.
This is because not only teachers try to provide knowledge
for students but children also do their best to gain access to

3

10

It is not to say that tests have not had any contributions
to assessments about students’ ability.

11 Of course, teachers and parents, through tests, get an indepth understanding about their children’s studying.

11


12
Nonetheless, too much testing is responsible for students’
Conclusion

detrimental results when their workloads are too many.
13 In sum, too much testing results in not only time-consuming
and stress but also lack of opportunities to improve life
skills.
14 Meanwhile, education sector and government should make
suitable policies to testing to offset the drawbacks they
cause.
15 Only by doing so can teachers and students develop their
fullest extents.

Example 2: Le Thao Van’s essay( the 12th grader)
Topic: “Tourism has become one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
Millions of people today are travelling farther and farther throughout the year.
Some people argue that the development of tourism has had negative effects

considerable contributions to economic development.

12


1

5

This is because it creates enormous job opportunities for
locals, which consequently improves their living standard.

6

Therefore, this is the reason why many developing countries
make law and policies to encourage international investment
into tourism.

7

Another point worth noting is that tourist development

8

boosts cultural contacts worldwide.
For example, water puppet shows which belongs to Vietnam

Supporting
idea


development of economy and cultural communication.
14 Meanwhile, government and organizations will figure out
some ways to offset the drawbacks it has caused
15 Only by doing so can tourism brings us sustainable
development.

Example 3:
Topic:

Tran Thu Thao’s essay

( the 12th grader)

“ Some people think rich countries should help poor countries by

giving money directedly. Others believe that there are more effective forms of

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international aid. Write an essay (about 250 words) to express your personal
point of view”
1

Nowadays, an increasing number of people are concerned

2

about the poverty that many developing countries face.
Yet, whether what types of international aid are more

better give them tools of making a fortune.

6
7

Another point worth noting is that the developed countries

8

can train talents and experts for the poor ones.
This means that the rich countries can provide scholarships

2
Giving an

and financial help to students from the poor regions, which

example
9

some famous Western Universities are actually doing.
It is a wiser way to deliver help

Paragraph

10 This is not to say that under no circumstance should the rich

3

countries provide aid in form of money.

significant contributions in having a detailed profile of students’ weaknesses in
writing argumentative essays. Such information would be beneficial for teachers
to design and improve their writing programmes and teach effectively to further
support students’ writing improvement.
* These sentences and phrases are based on the criteria of band 7 in IELTS
writing task 2. The fifteen- phrase/sentence solution is actually a format of an
essay.
The benefits of this fifteen- phrase/sentence solution helps students not only
write a logic essay but think and write more quickly and easily. It also helps
students overcome the pressure of structure of argumentative writing, providing
solid evidence, time constraints, organized idea, fulfilling task demand,
understanding the questions, writing the thesis statement, interpreting the
questions, pacing.
Especially, when compared with the criteria to get band 7 in IELTS writing
task 2, the students’ essays totally satisfy these criteria.
* The following is the result chart of group A and class B:

Group

Before using The fifteen- After using The
fifteenphrase/sentence solution
phrase/sentence solution
Excellent
Good Fair
Excellent
Good
Fair

A
B


(The 12th graders are discussing and giving comments on the essays)

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The 12th graders are discussing and giving comments on the essays
PART THREE: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
I. CONCLUSION
Argumentative writing has been confirmed by researchers to be the hardest
model in writing. This genre of writing is important for gifted students to
express their own points of view in academically appropriate forms and
strategies. Unfortunately, students often encounter difficulties in the use of
complex syntactic patterns and appropriate elements in composing
argumentative writing.
It is also proved by the research that students are more engaged in the writing
activities when the tasks are more meaningful to them. More specifically, in my
case that means the tasks that give my students a more meaningful reason to
complete engage them more.
II. REFLECTIONS
This study has given me a chance to know more about my students, about what
goes wrong with them when they are not engaged in my writing class. In the
study, I also have chance to access a number of researches of many experienced
language educators and teachers, from which I obtain new knowledge of
language teaching and learning in general and knowledge of meaningful tasks in
teaching writing in particular.
During the research, I also learn more about the methods of doing research in a
scientific way. Firstly, I learn to look at the situation of my English teaching and
learning critically and make research questions with the hope of improving it. I
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6. Maleerat Ka-kan-dee1 , Sarjit Kaur 2. Argumentative writing difficulties of
Thai English major students
7. Kirk Kenny. Marvellous Techniques for IELTS writing.

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