DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE WRITING SKILLS OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS MAJORING IN PRIMARY EDUCATION THROUGH COMMUNICATIVE EXERCISES

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of mastering foreign language writing skills by higher education students specializing in Primary education, which has specific characteristics determined by general didactic and professionally oriented factors. It has been established that, according to curriculum requirements, a graduate of a non-language higher education institution should possess foreign language writing skills at the B1-B2 level. According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, this level implies the ability to produce clear, logically structured texts of various genres and styles.The term «writing» is characterized in its narrow sense as the technique of using the graphic and orthographic system of a given language, and in its broad sense as written language ‒ the ability to express thoughts in written form.Three stages in writing instruction are outlined: mastering graphics and orthography using orally practiced material; acquiring structural sentence patterns characteristic of both oral and written communication and combining them in speech; and mastering written language as a means of communication.It is noted that the research focuses on the third stage of writing instruction ‒ the development of skills for expressing personal ideas through communicative writing exercises in real or simulated real-life contexts. Among communicative writing exercises are genres of written communication such as letter writing, short autobiographies with cover letters, filling out official forms, as well as writing notes, descriptive essays, narratives, reflections, and essays.It has been determined that teaching letter writing (both informal and formal) can be divided into three stages: the stage of familiarization with a model letter and its structural conventions; the stage of developing skills in structuring a letter; and the stage of enhancing letter writing skills.The core principles for assessing written work have been identified: task achievement, text coherence, cohesion, grammatical accuracy, lexical variety, and genre-appropriate style.A sample communicative task ‒ a letter to the editor expressing a personal opinion on an issue ‒ is presented to develop B1-level professionally oriented writing skills of higher education students majoring in Primary education.