The Effect of Genre-based Instruction of Writing on Iranian EFL Students’ Performance in IELTS Academic Writing

Writing is one of the most important language skills for taking part in IELTS. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of genre-based instruction of writing on Iranian EFL students’ performance in IELTS academic writing. To perform the study, the researcher selected ۵۲ students – ۲۰ males and ۳۲ females – out of the initial total of ۹۰ students in Islamic Azad University – Malekan Branch majoring in Agriculture, Chemistry, and Architecture using the Nelson English Language Test. The selected participants were divided into two groups: one experimental and one control group. Both control and experimental groups wrote an academic essay as the pre-test. The participants in the control group followed the traditional topic writing procedure whereas the learners in the experimental group were instructed based on the principles of genre-based instruction. Finally, the participants in both groups wrote another academic essay as the post-test. The gathered data were analyzed through running Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and the results indicated that the experimental group had higher amount of progress in comparison to the control group. The results of the present study may be useful for IELTS preparation course teachers, learners, and course administrators to pave the way for the development of the learners’ writing.