Write&Improve Tool and Writing skill

Abstract

As a consequence of the rapid growth of technology, teachers must adapt to new ways of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). One effective adaptation is the utilization of web tools. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to determine the impact of the Write&Improve tool on the writing skills of B1+ level students at the Centro de Idiomas of Universidad Técnica de Ambato. The research methodology employed was pre-experimental with a quantitative approach. The primary research instrument consisted of the writing section of the Cambridge Preliminary English Test (PET). The PET test was used for pre- and post-tests to collect data. The data was collected from a sample of 8 undergraduate students, consisting of 6 males and 2 females. Additionally, the test results were evaluated using a rubric provided by Cambridge, which assessed four criteria: content, communicative achievement, organization, and language. Each criterion was rated on a scale of 1 to 5 points. In the pre-experiment phase, a total of eight interventions were conducted over a period of five weeks, focusing on activities designed to improve writing skills using the Write&Improve web tool. During these interventions, students were required to write paragraphs based on topics covered in the PET test. The writing process consisted of three steps: pre-writing, while-writing, and post-writing, with feedback provided by both the web tool and the teacher. The data collected from these interventions were analyzed using the statistical program IBM SPSS. Main findings suggest a significant improvement in writing skills After the interventions.