Controlled writing emerged in the 1940s-1960s as a way to teach grammar, syntax, and mechanics. It involves providing students with some or all of the content and/or structure to complete a writing task. Controlled writing helps prevent errors from first language interference and reinforce proper use of second language patterns. It is useful at all levels and allows students to practice specific grammar points or structures. Common forms of controlled writing include controlled composition, question-answer tasks, guided composition, parallel writing, and sentence combining.

2. Use as many words as you can

4. similar to guided writing (not the
same though)and serves as
foundation for free writing.
Stresses the importance
of grammar, syntax and
mechanics
Emerge in 1940’s to 1960’s

5. One of the main proponents of controlled
writing is Raimes (1983), which states
that, unlike free writing, controlled writing
takes place when learners are supplied with
“a great deal of the content and/or form
an outline to complete
a paragraph to
manipulate passage to continuemodel to follow

6. Silva (1990) added that controlled writing
assists in both preventing errors that
apparently occur from first language
interference and reinforcing proper use of
L2 patterns. Therefore, engaging
learners in controlled writing in L2 can
be “as an exercise in habit formation
[in which the ESL/EFL learner] is simply
a manipulator ofpreviously learned
language structures”.

7. A useful tool at all levels of composition
teaching.
 Controlled writing tasks give students
focused practice in:
1. Getting words down on paper.
2. Concentrating on one or two problems at a
time.

8. Can fit into a writing curriculum at any
level of student ability in these places:
1. Before writing – students
practice a grammatical point or
syntactic structure within a
text and not just as a sentence
exercise.
2. After writing – when we determine
what problems students may face
and assign a guided task to give
them practice with the problematic
areas.

10. CONTROLLED COMPOSITION, QUESTION
AND ANSWER, GUIDED COMPOSITION,
PARALLEL WRITING, & SENTENCE
COMBINING

12. Example:
Everyday Kate wakes up at 6.
She prepares breakfast for the
whole family before preparing
herself to go to work.
She drives to her workplace
which is twenty minutes away.
She takes a coffee break at 10
a.m.
Instruction: Describe Kate’s
routine last Monday, and change
the report. Start with “Last
Monday, Alice woke up at 6.”

13. I deserve an
explanation. I
deserve an
acceptable and
reasonable
reason!
Change to passive

14. This format allows students a little more
freedom in structuring sentences.
Students are not given actual text they are
going to write, but rather are given a series
of questions, the answers to which form the
text.
Carefully constructed questions will produce
a coherent text.

15. Example:
James daily morning routine
6:00 wake up
6:05 shower
6:10 put on school uniform
6:20 eat breakfast
6:35: put on shoes
6:40 say goodbye to Mom and walk to school
Instruction:
By answering the following questions with complete
sentences, write a paragraph that describes Abu’s
daily morning routine.
1. When does Abu wake up?
2. What does he do first?
3. What does he do next?
4. What does he do then?
5. When does he eat his breakfast?
6. What does he do after breakfast?
7. What does he do before walking to school?

16. It is an extension of controlled composition.
Less controlled than the previous ones – provides
only some of the content and form of the
sentences students will use.
Finished products will be similar but not exactly
alike.
Students are given a first sentence, a last
sentence, an outline to fill out, a series of
questions to respond to, or information to include
in their writing.
Students can discuss, make notes, share findings
and plan strategies before they begin to write.

17. Example:
Students are shown a picture. They are to write 3 paragraphs about the picture.
a. Begin by telling the reader that the picture shows__________. Then go on and
describe the ________ of the _________.
b. Start your second paragraph by saying something about the ________ in the
picture. Describe ________ in detail.
c. Start your third paragraph with “Other than that, the ______________ is also
__________.”. Go on and describe the rest of the characteristics of
__________.

18. It is the combining of “base” or “kernel” sentences
into one longer compound or complex sentences.
Researchers found that sentence-combining
exercises improve students’ sentence structure,
length of sentence, and sentence variety.
A good way of introducing new language structures
without the complicated explanations and jargons.
Content is given – does not provide students
opportunity to formulate ideas, but does provide
plenty of practice with syntactic structures that are
more common in writing than in speech.
Gives students chance to use grammatical knowledge
they have to make choices about structures.

19. Example:
She needed to move faster.
She woke up late this morning.
Combine the sentences to form a new
sentences using the correct
conjunction(s).
I want to get a high salary.
I ask for a high percentage
of the movie’s profit.

20. The freest kind of controlled writing.
Students read and study a passage and then
write their own on a similar theme – use as a
guide the vocabulary, sentence structure,
cohesive device and the organization of the
model passage.
Thus, parallel writing can best be described as
rewriting with different basic information,
which again is provided.

21. Okay. Please close
the front gate
behind you when
you leave.I’m leavingfor
swimming
practice,
Mom. See you
later.
Rewrite the
dialogue into a
narrative.

22. A practical process of reinforcing grammar, vocabulary
and syntax in context (Raimes, 1983).
When the students write the passages, conventions of
written English (indentation, punctuation, connecting
words, spelling etc.) are used.
Can be used with different levels.
PROS OF CONTROLLED WRITING

23. Provide learners with ample
writing practice using correct
grammar forms compared to
free writing.
Allows learners to monitor
their own progress within the
parameters provided.
Can be prepared and
corrected quickly – reduces
burden on the teacher.
Helps to systematically and
gradually cover different
teaching points (Paulston,
1972).

24. References
Cambridge English. Retrieved from
http://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2015/06/controlled-
guided-writing-tasks-beginners-part-1/
http://www.slideshare.net/willys007/approaches-
to-student-writing
Controlled Writing: An Effective Traditional Practice for
Developing ELLs’ Composition. Retrieved
fromhttp://fll.univ
biskra.dz/images/pdf_revue/revue14_15/nemou
chi%20abdel%20hak%202.pdf