Writing is often believed to be one of the most important forms of communication. Regardless of how the writing is communicated, it gives us valuable links into the past. In deed, in written works, words leave behind a record of what was and has been said. From such works, it can be seen where our ancient civilizations started and where our current civilization is headed. This is vital to modern-day society. Therefore, almost all the written documentations are vital to all spheres of life, especially to learning a foreign language.
In learning a foreign language, writing is considered as the ticket to greater academic achievements in a learner’s life. In other words, writing is considered as an indispensable means of learning and acquiring a foreign language. In the first place, writing helps to foster the learners’ creativeness and imagination in language use. Hence, they may help learners become good writers in not only their mother tongue but also their foreign language. In a better position, writing serves as a tangible learning evidence for the learners. Therefore, the learners’ writing skills may help to hone their learning abilities and to develop critical thinking in other language skills. Most importantly, writing is both an essential part of the learning process and one of the most important ways that help the learners to communicate their ideas to others. Thus, writing should be considered of great importance, especially, in the context of the English Department-Military Science Academy (MSA).
In the environment of the English Department-MSA, the writing skill has been considered of crucial importance in teaching and learning curricula since the Ministry of Defense mandated it to educate and to train military cadets to become army officers who use foreign languages in such careers as translators, teachers, and interpreters for military forces as well as military counselors to other countries. At the same time, it has been mandated to educate and to train civilian students to meet the demands of job vacancies for non-military forces.
The reason for writing skills being attached importance to is its practicality. After graduating from the academy, due to their job requirements, many of the graduates will use writing skills in their professional life. To the military cadets, whatever career path they are provided, they will have to write letters, memos, reports, speeches, and proposals, even books in their job. Some of them will take IELTS or TOEFL tests for overseas study if mandated. To the civilian students, without any government’s subsidy, besides the fore-mentioned needs of writing skills, they have to meet the demands for any job they apply for. Hence, all the students need to learn writing skills.
Being aware of the responsibility, the first and foremost priority of the English department, MSA is given to improving the quality of teaching and learning writing skills so that the students will be able to satisfy the requirements of their jobs after graduation regardless of whether they are subsidized or not.
The first way applied by the academy is that besides general language practice, 40 periods (45 minutes a period) are allocated for writing skills every year, except for the fourth year students who have to spend one semester doing their trainee jobs. Though the time allocated is not enough, it is, at least, paid equal attention to other language skills.
Furthermore, the writing skill is distinctively focused on each semester. The freshman begins with correcting common errors on simple sentences, linking sentences using transitional signals and writing simple sentences. The second semester covers common error correction on complex sentences, linking sentences using transitional signals and writing complex sentences. The third term deals with all kinds of letters, memos and notes. The fourth semester marks simple compositions such as narrative, descriptive, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect. The third school year is begun with academic writing in which topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence, coherence, cohesion, unity, types of paragraphs are introduced. The second term introduces a general introduction to academic essay in which thesis statements, and introductory, concluding, developmental paragraphs and the essay outline are dealt with. The seventh term signals the end of the writing curriculum when all types of academic essays are handled. The whole learning process indicates that the writing skill is viewed of significance.