Challenges Facing International Students in Writing Academic Essays

Abstract

The current international situation is reflected in our educational settings, where increasing numbers of students study across the boundaries of countries. Large numbers of international students are especially involved in higher education. This paper illustrates what kind of difficulties students from non-English speaking backgrounds have in writing academic essays, one of the compulsory assignments in most anglophone higher education, by using three categories : culture, content and language. This also leads to a discussion of how these students might be helped to overcome these difficulties. In conclusion, some suggestions about the need for collaborative academic environments and institutional support, such as pre-sessional courses, are made