Process Writing

Process Writing is an approach to teaching writing that shifts attention from the finished text to the cognitive and social processes involved in composing. It emerged in L1 composition studies in the 1970s and was brought into ESL/EFL by researchers including Vivian Zamel (1982, 1983) and Ann Raimes (1983, 1985).

Key Insight

Zamel's research demonstrated that skilled L2 writers, like skilled L1 writers, treat writing as a recursive process of exploration and discovery — not a linear transcription of pre-formed ideas. This challenged the prevailing Product Writing model, which treated writing as imitation of model texts.

Stages

Process Writing is typically described in recursive (not strictly linear) stages:

1. Prewriting — Brainstorming, freewriting, discussion, reading, note-taking to generate and organise ideas.
2. Drafting — Getting ideas down without excessive concern for accuracy. Focus on meaning.
3. Revising — Rethinking content, organisation, and argument. Often involves peer feedback.
4. Editing — Attending to surface-level accuracy: grammar, spelling, punctuation.
5. Publishing/Sharing — The final text reaches an audience, giving writing a communicative purpose.

Classroom Implications

The teacher's role shifts from evaluator of products to facilitator of processes: conferencing with students, organising peer response groups, and teaching revision strategies explicitly. Multiple drafts are expected, not optional.

Criticisms

Process Writing has been criticised for neglecting genre conventions and social context (the concern that drove the Genre-Based Approach). Badger and White (2000) argued for a process-genre hybrid. In exam preparation contexts (e.g., IELTS), a pure process approach is impractical given time constraints — writers need both process skills and genre knowledge.