The role of paragraph writing in developing writing skills in English with high school and university students

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issue of developing writing skills at a high school and university. The authors point out the significance of teaching students how to write texts (personal letters, emails, reviews, discursive and argumentative essays) in a foreign language similar to the ones they write in their native language. Particular attention is paid to developing a paragraph as a universal type of an academic text. Analysing traditional classification of exercises, the authors emphasise the necessity of shifting the focus from reproductive exercises to productive ones in teaching writing skills. They also highlight the importance of introducing theoretical information in practical English classes and doing exercises following the principle from simple to complex.