Enhancing Writing Proficiency: The Role of Model Essays as Corrective Feedback Tools in IELTS Writing Task Achievement and Coherence/Cohesion

Abstract

Proficiency in IELTS writing tasks is crucial for obtaining high scores in this internationally recognized test. This quasi-experimental study investigated the effectiveness of corrective feedback in improving the gain scores of both academic writing task 1 and task 2. Sixty Iranian students participated in pre/post-test administrations, with the experimental group receiving instruction based on the analysis made on 10 model essays, and the control group received reformulation on their own produced texts. Two skilled raters assessed the students' typewritten texts in terms of task response and "coherence/cohesion" – two writing band descriptors. After conducting ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests, the results demonstrated that the treatment group achieved significantly higher scores in the two mentioned components. In both the post-test and delayed post-test, the Experimental Group (EG) consistently outperformed the Control Group (CG) in task response sub-scale of academic writing task 1 & 2 (p < 0.05). Further examination, employing a multi-mediator approach, accentuates the substantial impact of these writing rubrics on the overall IELTS score. Additionally, within the EG, there was a significant increase in coherence scores between the pretest and posttest (p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant change was observed between the post-test and the delayed post test (p > 0.05).