A Case Study of a Korean University Student's L2 English Academic Writing

For many students who study abroad in tertiary education, writing an essay is a key part in the successful completion of a course. Language and an understanding of academic writing conventions can influence the course outcomes, so problems and issues that are identified in their writing could help to retroactively inform the areas of concern for students and language teachers. This research aims to contribute to this knowledge by analyzing drafts produced in English for a Master's degree by a South Korean student. Issues found include the misuse of metaphors and emotive language, as well as a lack of epistemic modality, metadiscourse markers, and critical writing. The findings and the analysis of these issues could have implications for EAP (English for Academic Purposes) pedagogy.