Speakers
Description
This replication study explores whether an eight‑week, workshop‑based intervention on coherence and cohesion can produce consistent gains in IELTS‑style academic writing when delivered across two parallel eleventh‑grade English‑specialised classes. Both classes participated in the study. Over eight weeks, both groups received identical intervention consisting of five 60–75‑minute workshops. These workshops moved through four stages: awareness‑building using concrete metaphors and comparison of band 6.0 versus 8.0 model essays; paragraph organisation with a focus on topic sentences and the I‑E‑E structure (Idea‑Explain‑Example); cohesive devices including referencing and substitution rather than mechanical linker lists; and finally peer review using a simple coherence and cohesion checklist. A pre‑test and post‑test IELTS Task 2 essay measured each student's coherence and cohesion band score. The results were strikingly similar across both classes. In the first class, all 35 students improved by at least half a band, and 70 percent reached band 7.0 or higher. In the second class, 33 out of 34 students improved by at least half a band, and 68 percent reached band 7.0 or higher. Perhaps more importantly, students in both classes stopped asking which connector to use and started asking whether their paragraphs actually flowed. These findings suggest that explicit, metacognitive coherence and cohesion training is replicable across different teachers and classroom contexts. For Vietnam's goal of repositioning English from a foreign to a second language, structured workshops of this kind offer a practical and transferable model.
Key words: coherence and cohesion, IELTS writing, gifted EFL students, workshop-based intervention, Vietnam, EFL to ESL repositioning
Required equipment: laptop (Windows or macOS) with HDMI port, projector connection, PowerPoint or PDF slides, laser pointer, and a whiteboard or flipchart for interactive activities during the workshop‑style presentation.
Biography
- Nguyen Ngoc Thuy is an English teacher at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School in Cao Lanh, Dong Thap. She is passionate about English language teaching, student wellbeing, and professional development. With experience teaching gifted high school students, she is particularly interested in designing engaging learning materials, integrating SEL and Wellbeing Circle activities into the curriculum, and helping students develop both academically and personally.
In her professional work, she focuses on creating supplementary materials, designing examination papers, and preparing students for provincial and national competitions, as well as international English qualifications such as IELTS. She is also interested in academic writing, curriculum development, and innovative teaching approaches that make language learning more meaningful and effective.
Although she does not consider herself an expert, she strongly values continuous learning through collaboration with colleagues and reflection on everyday classroom experiences. She believes that teaching is an ongoing journey of growth and discovery. This paper represents part of her continuous effort to improve her teaching practice and contribute positively to the educational community. She would sincerely appreciate any feedback or suggestions from fellow educators and researchers.
- Nguyen Minh Tri is an English teacher at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School in Cao Lanh, Dong Thap. He holds a Master's degree in TESOL Methodology from Can Tho University and has been teaching for four years. His main interests lie in professional development, syllabus design, curriculum development, and academic writing. In his day-to-day work, he focuses on designing exam papers and creating supplementary materials for gifted students, aiming to support their preparation for provincial, regional, and national competitions, as well as IELTS and other international qualifications. He would not call himself an expert, but he genuinely values learning from colleagues and from everyday classroom experience. This paper represents a small part of his ongoing effort to better understand his own teaching. He would be very grateful for any feedback or suggestions from the academic community.
| Affiliate type | Vietnamese public school |
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