Implementation of Peer-Assessment to Improve Essay Writing

Abstract

Writing an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) extended text like an essay is the result of many hours of brainstorming, planning, writing, editing, and proofreading. Improving writing skills requires an entirely different set of competencies as thinking, drafting, and revising procedures which require special skills that are not developed naturally (Brown, 2000). To improve English proficiency levels in Ecuador, in 2012 the Ministry of Education implemented the English as a Foreign Language Curriculum Guidelines aligned with the Common European Framework Reference (CEFR). According to these guidelines, Ecuadorian students will be able to achieve a B1-B2 level when they finish high school. Holding a B2 level implies that the language competence of an independent user has been achieved. Focused on writing skill the EFL Ecuadorian Curriculum Guidelines states that “students will be able to produce persuasive and narrative essays with correct layout, punctuation, and grammar, using a large number of cohesive devices to link their utterances into a clear and coherent discourse” (p.10). In contrast with the Ministry of Education’s expectations, a study conducted by Education First in 2021 shows that the English Proficiency Index for Ecuador is very low, holding the 18th position out of 20 countries in the region. Learners struggle with production skills, students have difficulties in the construction of a well-written piece and with the process of writing. Among the main challenges observed in students’ essays are unorganized layout, vague introductions, lack of cohesion and unity among body paragraphs, absence of linking devices, and grammar and punctuation errors. Additionally, it is evident that students “jump” from one idea to another without linking devices forming very long and unclear sentences. Finally, the repetition of highfrequency words, adjectives, and adverbs reveals a lack of fluency in their discourse