METHODS OF MEASURING AND EVALUATION OF WRITING SKILLS

Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17708632 257 ISRG PUBLISHERS Abbreviated Key Title: ISRG J Arts Humanit Soc Sci ISSN: 2583-7672 (Online) Journal homepage: https://isrgpublishers.com/isrgjahss Volume – III Issue -VI (November-December) 2025 Frequency: Bimonthly METHODS OF MEASURING AND EVALUATION OF WRITING SKILLS Sema Mehdi Hikmet Nakhchivan State University, Turkan Ismayilli Mehraj, Nakhchivan State University, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1687-6203 | Received: 07.11.2025 | Accepted: 11.11.2025 | Published: 25.11.2025 *Corresponding author: Sema Mehdi Hikmet Nakhchivan State University, Turkan Ismayilli Mehraj, Nakhchivan State University, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology Introduction Writing is an activity that takes place in line with the purpose. Writing in a foreign language is a skill that needs to be developed starting from the beginner level. Naturally, a fluent writing activity with internal consistency cannot be carried out at the beginner level. The work to reach proficiency in writing skills usually follows a process that goes from simple activities to more complex activities. Beginner level writing activities include writing words correctly, using spelling rules correctly to create meaning, using words appropriate to the context and being able to arrange words, and using connective elements correctly to ensure fluency. Abstract Writing is a complex productive skill that develops progressively from simple to advanced levels. The evaluation of writing skills in a foreign language requires systematic and reliable methods that balance accuracy, creativity, and communicative purpose. This study examines major approaches and techniques used to measure and evaluate writing proficiency, focusing on imitative, controlled, and picture-based writing activities. It emphasizes that assessment should not rely solely on mechanical accuracy such as spelling and punctuation, but also on contextual coherence, cultural appropriateness, and purpose-oriented writing. The paper discusses challenges related to subjectivity and reliability in evaluation and highlights the need for standardized scoring criteria to ensure fairness. Furthermore, it argues that authentic, real-life writing tasks—such as picture description and sequence activities—provide more valid and creative ways to assess learners’ writing competence. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of integrating validity, reliability, and authenticity in writing assessment to accurately reflect learners’ true communicative ability. Keywords: Writing skills, assessment, evaluation methods, imitative writing, controlled writing Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17708632 258 Proficiency in writing skills includes knowing the rules of written language, establishing connections between events, creating the main idea, generalizing and exemplifying, creating superficial and deep meaning, using culture-specific references correctly and writing appropriately for the target reader and purpose (Lantolf, 2004). Success in writing skills does not go hand in hand with the definition of „proficiency in language‟. The decisions on proficiency in writing skills depend on very carefully established criteria. As a subjective process, direct evaluation of written products makes it difficult to provide a measure of applicability. Since the differences in evaluation criteria affect proficiency decisions, the reliability criterion can also be controversial. “Since the experiences and education of those who evaluate writing skills are different, they should use common scoring criteria instead of making evaluations based on their own subjective experiences.” (Ismayilli, 2024). Imitative Writing requires correct writing of letters, words, spelling rules and short sentences. The main purpose in such activities where original contexts are not created is to measure and evaluate vocabulary/grammar. Two measurement and evaluation techniques have been examined in the context of criteria under the title of reflective writing. Activities Measuring Letter, Word, and Punctuation Knowledge: Activities measuring letter, word, and punctuation knowledge (Tasks in Writing Letters, Words, and Punctuation) are techniques designed to measure and evaluate knowledge of writing words correctly, using uppercase/lowercase letters and punctuation marks in the correct place in a sentence (Ismayilli, 2024). One of the criteria of proficiency in writing skills is the correct spelling of words and the correct use of punctuation marks. However, this knowledge should not be evaluated with short sentences without context or as multiple choice. Activities that Measure Spelling and Phoneme Knowledge: Spelling knowledge involves writing words correctly. In exams where more traditional measurement and evaluation techniques are used, it is performed by dictating a series of words. The word is first dictated, then repeated in a sentence, and finally the word is read again in isolation. When writing skill depends on the level of proficiency in listening skills, the decision of success may lose its validity (Babayev, 2021). The success of the student depends on the level of success in listening skills. In addition, the problem of pronouncing words in a way that all students can hear equally or the reliability criterion due to the pronunciation differences of each teacher is a controversial technique. Intensive Controlled Writing requires the use of words, collocations, idioms in context and grammatically correct sentences. Meaning and context were important to ensure accuracy and appropriateness. Assessment practices begin with the student being given the text to read. Dictation: Dictation, a technique that measures listening skills rather than writing and is very easy to prepare, involves writing down what is listened to. A student who listens to a paragraph/text read two or three times at normal speed creates a paragraph based on the notes he/she takes. Dictation cannot be considered a very common real-life activity except in situations that require the use of special-purpose language. In addition, multiple repetitions for the purpose of dictation are not an original application. In this context, dictation cannot be considered an original and valid technique due to its application characteristics (Davison, C. 2004).The establishment of scoring/evaluation criteria depends on which knowledge/skill (comprehension, spelling, grammar) is measured. Since dictation requires the use of more than one skill (listening-comprehension, writing), it can be a useful technique in terms of measuring general language proficiency. The condition for turning the technique into a valid tool is to make the technique original, that is, to transform it into real-life activities. Picture-Cued Sentence Writing: Picture-Cued Sentence Writing includes techniques that use pictures as context. The use of pictures in measuring and assessing writing skills can be adapted to each language level. As seen in the techniques given below, they can be designed with different structures from beginner to advanced levels. Short sentences, picture completion, and narrative techniques that arrange pictures in meaningful order are given as techniques that include the use of pictures in measuring and assessing writing skills. Picture Description: Picture description activities are designed to measure and evaluate the knowledge and skills of using words and grammatical structures necessary to describe objects in a picture, explain their location, and make comparisons. Activities are valid to the extent that they enable creative writing. Therefore, it is important to create techniques and criteria that focus on measuring and evaluating creative writing skills that are appropriate for the purpose and context without prioritizing reliability and applicability conditions. Picture Sequence Description: The „Picture Sequence Description‟ technique, which is an original and valid activity that supports creativity, measures story writing skills based on a series of pictures. In the context of the time that needs to be allocated for scoring and the possibility that the criteria may change according to each evaluator, the technique, which cannot fully meet reliability and applicability criteria, can be defined as an alternative way of measuring and evaluating writing skills. Conclusion The evaluation of writing skills in a foreign language is a multidimensional process that requires attention to both linguistic accuracy and communicative effectiveness. Effective assessment should not be limited to measuring mechanical aspects such as spelling and grammar but should also consider creativity, coherence, and the ability to express ideas meaningfully within a given context. The study highlights that techniques such as imitative writing, controlled writing, and picture-based writing provide diverse opportunities to measure different dimensions of writing proficiency. However, the reliability and validity of these techniques depend largely on the use of clear, standardized scoring criteria and the reduction of subjectivity in evaluation. Authentic and purpose-driven writing tasks better reflect real-life communication and thus serve as more valid indicators of learners‟ writing competence. In conclusion, developing balanced, transparent, and context-sensitive assessment practices is essential for accurately measuring and improving writing skills in foreign language education. REFERENCES 1. Davison, C. (2004). The contradictory culture of teacherbased assessment of written work of recently arrived immigrant ESL students. Language Testing, 21(3), 305– 34. Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17708632 259 2. Gottlieb. bl. 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