WRITING

Traditionally, writing has been a difficult skill to develop in self-study. In order to improve, students need careful teacher feedback, correcting spelling and grammar, or making recommendations to improve style and structure.

With the advent of AI, however, an increasing number of tools are becoming available to help with this. The technical aspects of writing – spelling and grammar – are the easiest to correct, and spellcheckers have been doing this for some time now (with varying results). Programs to tackle the stylistic and structural sides of writing are now entering the market. Most such apps, or sites, have basic-level free resources, with paid-for options for greater functionality.

Here are my recommendations for the best ESL writing sites:

British Council – Writing

The British Council’s excellent Learn English website has some great interactive resources to develop your writing skills. Take an online test to establish your level, then work through the tasks suitable to your level. Lots of the site’s content is free, with the chance to enroll for paid-for lessons from professional tutors.

Receive a 20% discount on all paid-for British Council courses by using this link – 20% OFF

Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)

The General Writing section of this site – brought to you by Purdue University in the U.S. – has some excellent resources to help you develop your writing skills. Polish up your grammar, punctuation and academic writing style.