Difficulties of Writing Solid Paragraphs Facing EFL Students at Azawia University

Abstract

This research aims to study the difficulties faced by students learning English as a foreign language in developing well-written paragraphs in English. They usually transfer features of their mother tongue to the target language. For example, Al-Khatib (2001) indicated that students have a tendency to write long sentences with coordinating conjunctions, repetition and argumentation through presentation and explanation (Al-Samdani, 2010). They often talk about the topic and repeat phrases before stating the main points (Al-Mohammadi, 2013). The sample consisted of (102) students who indicated both types of errors and frequent errors that students made when studying the writing course in their first academic year. The data collected showed that students face many problems in writing a good topic as well as concluding sentences and supporting details by adding examples, reasons and using discourse markers appropriately.