Everyone knows that the South Korean educational system is one of the most intense in the world. Students are in constant competition to excel, and with a cutthroat educational culture, scoring any advantage possible is essential for guaranteeing the best possible future. That’s one reason that students in South Korea work tirelessly to build their English-language skills. Learning English as a second language can be immensely beneficial both in education and beyond, but many students also find English to be particularly difficult to master because the language is irregular and complex. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few writing activities and exercises that can empower South Korean students with the skills to master English language writing as a second language.
After all, English has become the most widely spoken second language in the world and the default language of global business, media, and academia. You might wonder why this is the case since more people are native speakers of Spanish, for example—586 million to English’s 400 million. However, more people speak English worldwide when those who speak it as a second or third language are counted, and it dominates international media, business, and education. Therefore, learning to write well in English is essential to improving your future.
If you are an English language learner, there are some steps you can take to develop strong English skills.
Read a Lot in English
One of the most powerful ways to build your ESL skill set is to read as much as possible in English. The more English literature and writing you consume, the more you will pick up on and internalize the rhythms and structure of written English, allowing you to write in a similar way when you produce your own work. Any English can be helpful in that regard, but you should try to read at least some work in the field that you plan to write in most. You want to have strong models for writing in English rather than poor-quality online writing. The more good writing you read, the stronger your own writing will become.
Try Tweeting in English
Writing tweets is a relatively low-risk and low-stress way of practicing English writing daily. A tweet has 280 characters or fewer, so writing a tweet doesn’t commit you to creating a deeply involved piece of writing—only a small bit of text. That way, you can practice communicating with others in real time using short bits of text that can help you to understand the essential skill of writing concisely. English writing prefers to use the fewest number of words to make a point, so limiting your writing to the 280 characters of a tweet can help you to say more with fewer words. Tweets are also informal, so there isn’t the stress and pressure of formal academic writing.
Write Emails to Practice Your Skills
In your academic and professional career, you will write an enormous number of emails. Whether you write them for professional or personal reasons, writing emails will give you an opportunity to put your writing skills into practice by crafting material for specific audiences, along with the conventions of writing messages in English, including how to greet your reader and close a message. You will be able to practice when and how to use forma modes of address and less formal ways to address someone, based on the purpose of the email and the audience you are targeting. It can be helpful to practice this with a fellow ESL student.
Compose a Report or an Essay
One of the most common ways you’ll use your writing skills in academia is through writing informative essays and research papers. By writing these essays, you will learn how to structure writing in formal ways and use the English language to deliver academic prose—skills that can transfer to educational and business opportunities abroad. Especially if you plan to study overseas, having English language writing skills will be a major advantage that will help you whatever you choose to do.
Consider Assistance from a Professional Academic Writing Service
One of the best ways to develop your English language writing skills is to hire an expert online from a pro essay writing service to write custom papers for you. When you need someone to write an essay in a professional way, the results will help you to develop your skills by showing you the right way to do each part of the assignment. Seeing how a professional from an essay writing company will approach your topic can give you an advantage in your courses and a leg up as you move steadily to improve your writing skills.
Give Advertising a Shot
Everybody knows about advertising. After all, we see it everywhere all the time, promising us powerful solutions inexpensively as a way to free ourselves from the problems in our lives. But for ads to reach their target audience, they need to appeal to them with persuasive language, style, and excitement. When you practice writing an advertisement for products or services, you can improve your persuasive writing skills and develop your ability to think about the audience and how to use language in a way that your audience will respond to. By considering how best to use language to reach the audience, you will be able to apply that skill in other areas of writing.
To Wrap Up
ESL writing skills are fundamental for whatever education and future career you see most fit for yourself. While in many other educational systems, debate skills or the ability to score high in tests are most appreciated, writing skills are the most valuable in the Anglo-Saxon world. You need to know how to write essays, write, not give speeches, describe projects, and submit reports. Once you master these, you will be invincible for the system you face. That is why it is essential to invest your time, efforts, and, sometimes, money in strengthening your ESL writing skills.