How to make writing communicative: tips and activities

The communicative approach in teaching English has long proven to be both effective and essential. 

It helps students use the language in real-life situations and achieve better results in communication. 

However, when it comes to writing, for many students it turns into a routine task, using only formulaic phrases, devoid of emotion and meaning. 

In this article, we will look at writing from a different perspective, where students begin to understand the purpose of their expressions and write to be understood.

In the traditional approach to teaching writing, the focus is often on text structure, grammar, and correct language constructions. 

Students are expected to follow certain templates and meet formal requirements, which is undoubtedly important. 

The emphasis is on the idea that needs to be communicated and how it will be perceived by the person reading the text. 

This way, writing becomes more meaningful and closer to real-life communication.

Focusing on the content

When correcting students' writing, the main focus is often on fixing grammatical, lexical, or stylistic errors. 

However, it's crucial to remember that writing's main role is to express ideas and meaning.

Writing should be assessed based on its content and significance. 

When reading a student's text, ask yourself: What is the student trying to say? What idea is he attempting to convey? 

Try to be invested in understanding the student's message, rather than just evaluating the correctness of their writing.

Create a real audience for your students

One of the main challenges of writing tasks in the learning process is that students often view them as just another assignment to complete for a grade. 

They tend to write for an imaginary reader or only for the teacher, without feeling any connection to a real audience. 

In other words, they approach the task superficially, without seeing any real meaning in what they are writing.

The best way to achieve this is by ensuring that their texts are read by real people. 

Find opportunities for students' writing to be shared with their peers, or published on public platforms such as blogs and forums. 

It's crucial to organise the process so that students receive feedback and constructive comments, as this builds their confidence in knowing their ideas are being heard.

Integrate writing with other skills

Writing should not exist in isolation from other aspects of language learning. 

It can be integrated with reading or speaking practice.

Listening can also be incorporated into the writing process: students can listen to podcasts or interviews and then write summaries of what they've heard.

Offer meaningful activities

Introducing activities that have practical relevance for students is key to developing their communicative writing skills. 

When tasks are based on real-life situations, such as writing a letter to a friend or drafting a complaint, students start to understand how these skills can be useful in real-life contexts. 

Consider activities that can give writing a communicative nature, where it serves as a tool for real-world interaction.

Writing a letter to a friend

One effective activity for developing communicative writing skills is writing a letter to a friend. 

They can share news, talk about their experiences or plans, and ask questions, expecting a response.

Chain stories

Throughout this activity, students work together, taking turns to add sentences or paragraphs to a shared story. 

This task helps students adapt to different styles and ideas, while also encouraging creativity and logical structuring of the text.

Writing a review

Writing a review is another effective activity that helps develop analytical skills and critical thinking. 

Students can write reviews of films, books, or music, evaluating various aspects such as the plot or quality of performance.

Writing reviews also brings writing skills closer to real-life situations, as reviews are commonly found in blogs, magazines, and on various platforms.

The silent classroom

During the lesson, students are not allowed to speak out loud; all communication happens exclusively in written form.

This method helps them improve their ability to express thoughts in writing and teaches them to read and analyse others' texts more carefully.

Detective story: solve the mystery

This is an activity where students become detectives, solving a mystery through a series of written clues. 

The teacher creates a story of a crime or mystery, breaking it down into several stages with key clues, which are given to students in the form of short written messages.

Each student can take turns receiving new pieces of information and writing their questions or guesses, which help them progress further in the plot.

Message in a bottle 

In this activity, students imagine themselves as survivors on a deserted island. 

Their task is to write a letter asking for help, which needs to be detailed and convincing enough to catch the attention of rescuers. 

An element of surprise can be added: other students take on the role of "rescuers" who will read the letters and decide whose message is the most convincing and worthy of rescue.

Overall, communicative writing is an important skill that needs to be developed through meaningful and practical tasks. 

When students write not just for grades, but for a real audience or as part of engaging activities, they begin to see the value of writing as a means of communication. 

Our goal is to integrate writing with other skills, create tasks that reflect real-life situations, and offer creative approaches to teaching so that our students can effectively use writing in their everyday lives.