In his book, Academic
Writing: A Handbook for International Students, Bailey (2006) elucidates
“the writing process and covers all the key writing skills” (p.i) with the
intention of teaching academic English writing skills and to give practice on
the formal writing aspects, i.e. conventions, acknowledging sources, layout,
style. This significant book is proposed for “overseas” (p.iii) students
studying at English colleges and universities who want to capitalize on
academic potential.
Bluntly organized into four
parts, namely, The Writing Process,
Elements of Writing, Accuracy in Writing and Writing Models, the book offers
varied writing tasks, short explanations, extra exercises, and material to
assist students in writing academic texts. Whereas the first two parts guides
learners on the process of understanding the title to its subsequent
proofreading, the last two parts offer revision and reference; Useful models
are presented to students, intended to offer opportunities to practice those
areas which are difficult for them or to have reference of the types of writing
they may need.
According to Bailey (2006)
“the structure of the book has been made as simple as possible” (p. ii) as
students might exploit the book “in the classroom or self-study” (p. i). For
students to use it autonomously, more explanations are needed. It seems that
the first part of the manual might need the teacher's guidance. Bailey’s (2006)
book would have been more suitable for English-medium learners, if the author
had presented clearer explanations and handy examples for guiding students in
task completion.
Academic writing is
complemented with a Cross-reference
and a Writing Test section that
helps students to further exploit the units. Since the two last parts of the
book are organized alphabetically, Bailey (2006) underlines that this “allow
them [students] to find what
they want quickly” (p. iii). This design leads students to jump from one unit
to the other. The book would have been a “practical and easy-to-use guide”
(p.i), if the author had organized the explanations relating the topics.
The writing
test section contains four small tests for students (to) check their
progress and identify weak areas. Had Bailey (2006) designed tests that
integrate writing skills, accuracy and grammar practices, students would have
got profit of this section. Answers for close-ended
activities are also provided. Particularly important in the inclusion of
model answers for open-ended tasks, which might serve as models for students’
responses.
Of equal concern is the
selection of topics for students to write pieces of academic texts. Since
Bailey (2006) recognizes that “the type of writing they are asked to do depends
on the subject they are studying” (p.iii), the book offers a variety of topics
to work on. Nevertheless, the book does not offer useful links to search for
valuable information for the essays. Had the author added a reference section
for students to look for specific information, students would have control over
the topics proposed.
On the whole, Bailey (2006)
succeeded in recognizing non-native students’ needs and in designing diverse
kinds of activities to ensure that their writing skills meet the necessary
academic standards of a discourse community. Whilst advanced learners might
profit from the exercises while acquiring specific knowledge, Bailey’s (2006)
book would have been more useful, if the author had graded the activities from
teacher’s guided to freer ones accompanying the latter with suitable
explanations, concise examples, a different cross-referencing layout and a list
of sources to find suitable information. Had this been fruitfully achieved, the
result would have been not only remarkably convenient but also unquestionable
for its users.
Reference
Bailey, S. (2006). Academic Writing: A handbook for
international students. (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis e-library.
Retrieved from http://npu.edu.ua/!e-book/book/djvu/A/ii_kgpm_27.pdf
Retrieved from http://npu.edu.ua/!e-book/book/djvu/A/ii_kgpm_27.pdf
