Essay Writing Errors of Iranian EFL Learners at Under-graduate Level: A Case Study of Medical Learners

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing essay writing errors of Iranian EFL learners at under-graduate level in Bushehr. Moreover, the researcher tried to find that if there was a significant difference between kinds of essay writing errors committed by Iranian EFL learners at under-graduate level. The significance of the results of their committed errors was also considered. The participants of this study were 80 under-graduate students at medical science university in Bushehr. Three questionnaires were used during the fall semester of 2014 to reach the aim of this study. The first one was general English proficiency test in order to have homogenized participants. The second was background questionnaire that was used to elicit information on students' age, gender, and level of education, etc. The last one was essay writing test which was selected to examine the ability of the subjects in order to distinguish various parts of an essay. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between kinds of essay writing errors committed by Iranian EFL learners at u nder-graduate level. Also, it was found that most of the errors occurred due to lack of knowledge. To eradicate and overcome the errors special drilling and practices have been suggested.