Investigating Grammatical Errors Made by the Students of International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in Writing in Khartoum State

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating the grammatical errors made by the students of the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) schools in writing. The study adopted the descriptive-analytical method of research. As a tool for data collection, the researcher designed a test that consisted of a writing task and some grammatical items in addition to a questionnaire for ELT teachers to measure their opinions about the curriculum and the students’ performance in writing . The writing task aimed at measuring the students' abilities in dealing with the difficulties posed by grammatical errors. It was administered to a total sample of 150students. The ELT teachers' questionnaire on other hand, aimed at assessing the ELT teacher' perspectives and views on the relevance of writing composition and to the learning and teaching writing. It was administered to a total sample of 40 ELT teachers at Int. schools. The above mentioned tools were to use the criteria of validity and reliability. The researcher raised four questions about the grammatical errors in writing composition. Moreover, four hypotheses were formulated to correspond to these questions. The findings revealed low abilities in using the correct grammatical rules in writing skills. The study was concluded by some recommendations and suggestions for further studies.