An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE HUMANITY & MANAGEMENT RESEARCH ISSN (print) 2833-2172, ISSN (online) 2833-2180 Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 Impact Factor: 6.79 ,10.58806/ijsshmr.2025v4i10n06DOI: Page No. 1902-1910 IJSSHMR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 www.ijsshmr.com Page 1902 An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University Trinh Huynh Chan Thu Dau Mot University ABSTRACT: Essay writing is a fundamental academic skill crucial for students' success across various disciplines. Although its significance is widely recognized, students often face challenges that can compromise the overall quality of their essays. This article investigates the common errors that students frequently make in essay writing, such as poorly constructed thesis statements, underdeveloped arguments, insufficient evidence, and organizational issues. By combining theoretical exploration with empirical analysis, the article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of these errors and propose practical solutions for improvement. We will utilize research findings, educational theories, and insights from teaching practices to clarify how these mistakes affect essay quality. Additionally, we will offer actionable tips to help students enhance their writing abilities. Identifying and addressing these common pitfalls is essential not only for improving individual writing skills but also for contributing to students' broader academic success. This article serves as a guide for both students and educators, offering a road map to better writing. Through a detailed examination of these frequent mistakes and a discussion of effective strategies for avoiding them, we seek to support students in developing stronger writing habits. By working together, students and teachers can address these issues, refine their writing practices, and achieve higher standards of academic excellence. KEYWORDS: Essay Writing Errors, Error Analysis, Essay Organization, Thesis Statement INTRODUCTION Essay writing is a cornerstone of academic success, serving as a primary method through which students demonstrate their understanding, critical thinking, and ability to communicate effectively. Despite its significance, many students struggle with various aspects of essay writing, resulting in common errors that hinder the overall quality of their work. Understanding these errors is crucial for both students and educators in improving writing skills and achieving academic success. One of the most critical components of an essay is the thesis statement. The thesis statement is meant to clearly present the main argument or point of the essay and provide a road map for the reader. A well-constructed thesis statement is specific, debatable, and indicative of the essay’s direction. However, students often struggle with creating a strong thesis, resulting in essays that lack focus and coherence. Another common issue is weak argument development. Effective essays require students to construct arguments that are not only logically sound but also well-supported with evidence. Many students have difficulty developing their arguments fully, leading to essays that are underdeveloped or lack depth. This can affect the persuasiveness of their essays and their ability to engage readers effectively. Inadequate evidence is closely linked to argument development. Essays should present evidence that is relevant, sufficient, and well-explained to support the claims made. Students frequently make errors in providing evidence, such as using irrelevant or insufficient sources, or failing to integrate evidence effectively into their arguments. This can undermine the credibility of their essays and weaken their overall argument. Organizational problems are another frequent issue in student essays. A clear and logical structure is essential for guiding the reader through the essay's argument. Common organizational issues include disjointed paragraphs, lack of logical flow between ideas, and ineffective transitions. These problems can make an essay difficult to follow and detract from its overall effectiveness. This article aims to explore these common errors in depth, offering a theoretical background, methodological insights, and practical findings to support students and educators in improving essay writing skills. By addressing these issues, the study seeks to enhance students’ writing abilities and contribute to their academic success. An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University IJSSHMR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 www.ijsshmr.com Page 1903 LITERATURE REVIEW Understanding common errors in essay writing requires exploring various theoretical frameworks that underpin effective writing practices. These theories offer insights into the essential components of strong essay writing and help identify areas where students often struggle. 1. Definition of error Many analysts have different definitions about errors. Chan et al (1982) defined an error as the use of a linguistic item in a way that indicates faulty or incomplete learning of learners. Lennon (1991) states that error is a linguistic form which is not usually made by the native speakers. Norrish (1987) defined an error as a systematic deviation that happens when a learner has not learnt something and often makes error when writing. From my viewpoint, mistake is a usage that is incorrect due to the writer’s carelessness, fatigue or lack of attention. It is related to a learner’s performance. Error is a usage that is incorrect due to the writer’s incomplete or false knowledge. It is related to a learner’s competence. There are three main types of errors that we often find in student compositions. They are lexical errors, grammatical errors and discourse using errors. According to Meara (1984) and Grauberg (1971), the language which produced by foreign language learners inevitably contains various types of errors and English is not an exception. It is considered the process of learning a language. Errors are committed by the second language learners because they do not have an adequate amount of knowledge of the language they learn. Similarly, Allwright and Bailey (1991), state that error is the production of a linguistic form that deviates from the correct form native speakers produce. However, if errors produced by learners happen too frequently, they significantly affect the quality of academic writing (Astika 1993; Engber 1995). Carter (1998) suggests that mistakes in lexical selection may be less generously tolerated outside classrooms than mistakes in syntax. The English language which is produced by Vietnamese students also contains errors of various types. Do students make errors because they are affected by their mother tongue? Corder (1992) comments that mother tongue plays a role in the cognitive process of L2 language learning and language use. 2. The Role of the Thesis Statement The thesis statement is a fundamental element of an essay, serving as the central claim or argument that the essay is designed to support. According to Baxter (2008), a thesis statement should be specific, arguable, and indicative of the main points that will be discussed in the essay. A clear and focused thesis provides direction and coherence, allowing the reader to understand the essay’s purpose and the argument being made. Toulmin’s model of argumentation (1958) further supports the importance of a well-crafted thesis statement. In this model, the thesis functions as the central claim, supported by evidence and reasoning. The model emphasizes the need for a clear claim, supported by grounds (evidence) and warrants (justifications), which aligns with the role of the thesis in guiding the essay’s argument. 3. Argument Development and Logical Structure Effective argument development relies on principles of logic and coherence. The Toulmin model (1958) highlights the importance of logical reasoning, evidence, and warrants in constructing a persuasive argument. A strong argument should be well-reasoned, with clear connections between the claim, evidence, and justification. Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals—ethos, pathos, and logos—also provide a theoretical foundation for effective argumentation. According to Aristotle (350 BCE), a successful argument should appeal to credibility (ethos), emotions (pathos), and logic (logos). In essay writing, this means presenting arguments that are credible, emotionally engaging, and logically sound. Structural theories of writing also emphasize the importance of organization. Williams (2003) outlines the essential components of a well-organized essay, including a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each section of the essay should serve a specific purpose and be logically connected to ensure coherence and clarity. 4. The Use of Evidence Evidence is crucial for substantiating arguments and enhancing the credibility of an essay. Becker (1998) emphasizes the importance of relevant, sufficient, and clearly explained evidence. Effective use of evidence involves selecting appropriate sources, integrating evidence into the argument, and explaining its relevance to the thesis. Common errors in evidence use include providing irrelevant or insufficient evidence, failing to properly cite sources, and not clearly explaining the connection between evidence and the argument. These issues can weaken the overall argument and detract from the essay’s credibility. 5. Organizational Strategies Organizational strategies are fundamental to effective essay writing. According to structural theories of writing, an essay should have a clear and logical structure, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion (Williams, 2003). Each section should be organized to guide the reader through the essay’s argument. An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University IJSSHMR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 www.ijsshmr.com Page 1904 Common organizational issues include disjointed paragraphs, lack of logical flow between sections, and ineffective transitions. These problems can make an essay difficult to follow and diminish its overall effectiveness. Effective organizational strategies involve creating a coherent structure, using clear transitions, and ensuring a logical progression of ideas. 6. Common Writing Errors Common writing errors include grammatical mistakes, poor sentence structure, and ineffective use of transitional phrases. Harris (2006) emphasizes the importance of clear and correct writing mechanics in ensuring effective communication. Understanding these common errors helps in developing strategies for revision and improvement. Grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues, incorrect punctuation, and sentence fragments, can detract from the overall readability and professionalism of an essay. Addressing these errors involves careful proofreading and attention to writing mechanics. METHODOLOGY This study employs a mixed-methods approach to analyze common errors in student essay writing. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods, the research provides a comprehensive view of the issues and identifies effective strategies for improvement. 1. Data Collection Data were collected through two primary methods: essay analysis and student surveys. A sample of 300 essays from undergraduate students across various disciplines was analyzed to identify common errors. The essays were selected to ensure a diverse range of topics and writing quality. 2. Qualitative Analysis Qualitative analysis involved a detailed examination of the essays to identify recurring errors in thesis statements, argument development, evidence use, and organizational structure. Essays were coded for common issues, and themes were extracted to understand the nature and frequency of these errors. This analysis provided insights into specific areas where students commonly struggle. 3. Quantitative Analysis Quantitative data were gathered through surveys administered to both students and instructors. The surveys included questions about perceived difficulties in essay writing and common challenges faced by students. Statistical analysis was used to identify trends and correlations between student perceptions and actual writing errors. 4. Evaluation Criteria Essays were evaluated based on established criteria, including clarity of thesis, coherence of argument, effectiveness of evidence integration, and overall organizational structure. A rubric was developed to assess each aspect of the essays consistently and reliably. 5. Data Analysis Data from both qualitative and quantitative sources were analyzed to identify patterns and commonalities. The analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of specific errors and the factors contributing to these issues. The findings were used to develop recommendations for improving essay writing skills. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Essay organization A perfect essay usually has an impressive introduction, well-organized content, and a powerful conclusion. Bad college essays often lack structure or content and do not impress the reader. Some learners do not know how to make their essays more impressive because of lacking one of these parts. Previous research has shown that the organization of an essay is usually made up of a thesis statement, three or more supporting paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. In order to make our essay more convincing, we need to present a well-structured piece of writing. According to Corder (1982), an essay should include three parts: Introduction, Body and Conclusion. The writer needs to be clear about what elements he should include within these three sections of an essay. We also need to be clear about the function of each of these essay sections. Students in the Faculty of Foreign Language also make this kind of errors while writing. In my opinion, when we make text structure errors, we will not be able to convey our meaning effectively. Therefore, students should pay attention to this point. The table below outlines the elements of an essay. An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University IJSSHMR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 www.ijsshmr.com Page 1905 Table 1. The elements of an essay Introduction - General statement to the topic - Thesis statement - Brief summary of the main topic or arguments made in the essay Body paragraphs 1. Paragraph 1 Topic sentence A supporting sentence 1 supporting sentence 2 supporting sentence 3 Concluding sentence A 2. Paragraph 2 Topic sentence B supporting sentence 1 supporting sentence 2 supporting sentence 3 Concluding sentence B 3. Paragraph 3 Topic sentence C supporting sentence 1 supporting sentence 2 supporting sentence 3 Concluding sentence C The supporting sentences support, expand or explain the main point made in the topic sentence Conclusion Restatement or summary of the main points made in the body paragraphs and a final comment 1. Thesis statement A thesis statement, which offers a concise summary of the main point or claim of the essay, research paper, etc. usually appears at the end of the introductory paragraph of an essay. The thesis statement is developed, supported, and explained by means of examples and evidence. Thesis statements help organize and develop the system of proper writing. They are essential components of scholarly research papers. In other words, the thesis statement which tells the topic of each paragraph in the body of the essay, communicates the main idea of an essay and tells the reader what the author is going to show or prove. It is the most specific idea in the introduction. One of the most prevalent issues identified in the essays was the presence of weak or unclear thesis statements. Many students struggled with crafting a specific and debatable thesis, resulting in essays that lacked focus and coherence. Common problems included vague language, failure to present a clear argument, and insufficient specificity. Essays with weak thesis statements often had an unclear direction, making it challenging for readers to understand the main argument. For example, a thesis like "Many people believe that climate change is a problem" lacks specificity and does not present a clear argument. A stronger thesis would be, "Climate change is a critical issue that requires immediate action due to its severe impact on global ecosystems and human health." Table 2. Errors about the thesis statement in the students’ essays Errors about thesis statements in the students’ essays Errors in essays of group 1 Errors in essays of group 2 Errors in essays of group 3 Total Rate (%) Successful thesis statement 48 47 50 145 48.3 Unsuccessful thesis statement 30 35 32 97 32.3 No thesis statement 22 18 18 58 19.4 Total 100 100 100 300 100 From the Table 1, it can be seen that there are 145 essays starting with a successful thesis statement, taking the proportion of 48.3 %. Using unsuccessful thesis statements takes the proportion of 32.3% with 97 essays. The number of essays without thesis statements is 58. Below are some of the students’ essays which do not have any thesis statements. An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University IJSSHMR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 www.ijsshmr.com Page 1906 (1) Nowadays many people have cellphones. Cellphone is a great mean of communication for friends, family and society to connect together. Cellphones help us to keep in touch with our friends. We can use Facebook, Zalo in cellphones to chat with our old friends and to make the acquaintance of our new friends. Moreover, it can help us to exchange exercises with groups as we can send mail to friends when we need. In addition, cellphones help to take a photograph of friends when we go to the picnic. Besides, cellphones is also help us to contact with our family. For example, when we go to school to stay away from our house, cellphones can help us connect with our family. It helps us to know about somebody’s health in family. With society, cellphones help us to search for necessary information for study such as we can learn English on the internet by downloading English data or updated new short news every day. However, using cellphones too much will affect user’s health… (2) With today’s growing industry of entertainment technology, you can watch movies on TV or view it in a theatre. There are many different between watching a movie on TV or viewing it in a theatre. Comfort is always important in order to enjoy a movie. A theatre don’t offer a lot of comfort to the audience because in the cinema attend many people and it is probable that there would be distractors like noise, cellphone ringing among others that may almost impossible a total comfort during the movie. Conversely, movies on TV has the advantage that is so private with a silent environment. Moreover, you can lie down your bed and rest… (3) Do you prefer watching a movie on television to viewing it in a theatre? Some people prefer watching a movie on television, others like watching it in a theatre. In my opinion, there are three major differences when you watch a movie at home comparing with watching it in a theatre. They are the feeling, quality and fee. The first different thing is the freedom and comfort. You can feel comfortable when watching a movie on television than viewing it in a theatre. You may lie down on the sofa, speak and smile with your family or friends who seeing a movie with you at home. Conversely, you have to attend the rules of the theatre. You are not allowed to use cellphones and smoke while staying in the projection room. Furthermore, you can miss the plot thicken of the film when going to the toilet. You also feel more truthful when watching a movie at home than viewing it in the theatre. The fee is also another different thing. For example, with the same film, watching at home you need to rent DVD which spending 50.000 VND. But you go to the cinema with your friend you have to buy two tickets with 150.000 VND. The fee of seeing a movie at home is twice cheaper than viewing it in the theatre. If you see a movie at home, you can save a lot of money… The first two essays above lack thesis statements. It is difficult for the reader to get to the point of writing. The essays do not tell the reader what the author is going to show or prove. In the extract (3), although the thesis statement is not very strong, it can communicate the main idea and tell the reader what the author is going to show or prove. It also informs the readers on the topic of each paragraph in the body of the essay. The reader will know that the writer is going to write about the feeling, quality and fee that people will face when they go to the cinema to see movies or watch them at home. 2. Organization of supporting paragraphs in an essay Rajatanun (1988) states that a paragraph is a unit of writing which expresses one central idea and consists of two kinds of sentences: topic sentence and supporting sentences. Jayakaran (2005) argued that the basic unit of any writing such as a composition, an article, or a short story is the paragraph. A paragraph contains some sentences that expand the main basic idea. Additionally, O’Donnell and Paiva (1993) provided more details about the essential parts of paragraph writing. A good paragraph includes a topic sentence, supporting sentences, details, logical orders, logical connectors, and a concluding sentence. Finally, many paragraphs can be combined into an essay. An essay is a collection of paragraphs that presents facts, opinions and ideas on a topic. Richards (2010) states that essay is a piece of writing that analyses and evaluates a topic or an issue. It is a piece of writing which is written from the author’s personal dimension. The writer must decide how many paragraphs need to be explained in the thesis. Any essay must be organized in at least four paragraphs with the introduction, conclusion and two paragraphs of the main body. The writer must consider if each body paragraph in the essay develops a part of the thesis or not. Does each paragraph have good examples and enough supporting sentences? Do the supporting sentences which expand the main idea of the paragraph provide evidence, details, or information about the topic sentence? The well-organization of the supporting paragraphs can make the essay become unity and coherence. Unity in writing is the connection of all ideas to a single topic. In an essay all ideas should relate to the thesis statement, and the supporting ideas in a main body paragraph should relate to the topic sentence. For example, if your essay is about the advantages of Facebook, you should discuss only that. You do not need to talk about the disadvantages. When all the supporting sentences refer to the main idea, or the topic of the paragraph, the paragraph has unity. If the paragraph has unity, the essay also has unity. On the other hand, if a paragraph contains a sentence or some sentences that are not related to the main topic, it lacks unity and the essay does not have unity, either. Coherence is related to unity. Ideas that are arranged in a clear and logical way are coherent. The purpose of coherence is to help the readers understand the main points. A coherence paragraph means that the supporting sentences should be organized in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan of development. Some essay paragraphs of the students have unity and coherence, but others lack these two criteria. The table below describes the use of organization of supporting paragraphs in the students’ essays. An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University IJSSHMR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 www.ijsshmr.com Page 1907 Table 3. Errors about the organization of supporting paragraphs Errors about the organization of supporting paragraphs Errors in essays of group 1 Errors in essays of group 2 Errors in essays of group 3 Total Rate (%) Unity and coherence 62 56 59 177 59 Lack unity and coherence 38 44 41 123 41 Total 100 100 100 300 100 It can be seen in Table 2, the organization of supporting paragraphs in the students’ essays lacking unity and coherence is 41%. The total number of essays containing paragraphs with good unity and coherence is 177. In some cases, some sentences of the essays do not relate to the topic sentence or the thesis statement. The following examples prove this: (1) Cellphones reduce the family relationship. Many people have little time for parents and grandparents. According to a recent statistics, there are about four billion people using cellphones in the world. Many people use sell phones. They do not have time to watch television. TV does not attract them anymore. Cellphones make people depend on them. In recent years, we can easily see many people in the coffee shops with cellphones on their hand. They gather to talk to with each other but their eyes always look at their phones. (2) Knowing a lot of academic vocabulary is very important in learning English, but it is not easy to study academic vocabulary. There are some ways in order to improve our academic vocabulary. First of all, we must have a good dictionary. Nowadays, dictionary is not expensive at all. It helps us to look up the new words and to know how to read it. But I think we should guess the meaning of new words before we look it up in our dictionary. This way will help us to remember new words in a long time. Secondly, most people have a bad habit, we always translate English into our mother tongue when we read an English sentence. To improve better our academic vocabulary, we must break that bad habit. Moreover, we should study the whole sentence instead of studying each simple word. This is a good way to enlarge our academic vocabulary. We also need to learn grammar when we learn English. In the above two extracts, the students give irrelevant ideas to support the main viewpoints although the topic sentences are clear. In extract (1) the topic here is how “cellphones reduce the family relationship” but the students wrote sentences without relating to the main idea: “They do not have time to watch television. TV does not attract them any more”. These two sentences are not related to the topic of the essay. As the same way of developing supporting details in the extract (2), the sentence “Nowadays, dictionary is not expensive at all” and the sentence. “We also need to learn grammar when we learn English” digress from the topic. Therefore, it is considered to be inadequately developed. As a result, the paragraph (2) was incoherent. 3. Weak Argument Development Another significant finding was the prevalence of weak argument development. Many essays demonstrated underdeveloped arguments, characterized by insufficient explanation and lack of logical progression. Common issues included unsupported claims, vague reasoning, and failure to address counterarguments. For instance, an essay arguing that "Social media has a negative impact on mental health" may present only anecdotal evidence without exploring the broader research or counterarguments. Effective argument development involves presenting well-reasoned arguments supported by evidence and addressing potential counterarguments to strengthen the overall argument. 4. Inadequate Evidence The use of evidence was another area of concern. Students frequently provided evidence that was either irrelevant, insufficient, or not well-integrated into their arguments. Common problems included failure to explain the relevance of evidence, reliance on anecdotal or unreliable sources, and inadequate citation practices. For example, an essay claiming that "Exercise improves cognitive function" might use a single, outdated study as evidence without considering more recent research or explaining how the evidence supports the claim. Effective use of evidence requires selecting relevant sources, integrating evidence into the argument, and providing clear explanations of its relevance. 5. Concluding paragraph A concluding paragraph is the last paragraph in an academic essay. It generally summarizes the essay, presents the main idea of the essay, or gives an overall solution to a problem or an argument given in the essay. First, the concluding paragraph will restate the thesis statement of the essay to emphasize the main point. Next, it will outline the main points of the essay. Finally, it will leave the reader with a moral or lesson of some kind related to the topic of the essay. Students at Thu Dau Mot University made errors when they write the conclusion. The following table illustrates this issue. An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University IJSSHMR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 www.ijsshmr.com Page 1908 Table 4. Errors about the concluding paragraph in the students’ essays Concluding paragraph Errors in essays of group 1 Errors in essays of group 2 Errors in essays of group 3 Total Rate (%) Clear concluding paragraphs 42 46 47 135 45 Unclear concluding paragraphs 58 54 53 165 55 Total 100 100 100 300 100 Table 3 indicates that there is 45% of the students’ essays containing a clear concluding paragraph. The number of the essays with an unclear concluding paragraph occurs at a high rate (with 55%), which shows that many students were not able to summarize the content they presented in their essays. Below is an example in which students do not have a clear concluding paragraph: “All cellphones have some disadvantages. We spend a lot of time using cellphones so we do not have time for our family and friends such as playing outdoor activities together. Although we can call for somebody and see their images, we do not feel less happy when we meet them directly. There is no denying that cellphones have changed the way relate to each other in good ways. However, people should keep and develop relations with direct communication.” Obviously, in this extract, the student did not write the concluding sentence. The student seemed to develop another topic by writing “However, people should keep and develop relations with direct communication.” Lack of the concluding sentence of the concluding paragraph this essay writer makes the reader feel that the essay is unfinished and the reader can expect some more details. In other words, the writer does not seem to sum up the main idea of the essay, so the reader does not think that the essay stops here. From what has been presented up to now, it is clear that writing a good essay is rather difficult to great a number of students. It is likely that some of them are unable to organize the structure of an essay and to develop the supporting ideas in order to achieve coherence excellently. CONCLUSION This study has identified several common errors in student essay writing, including issues with thesis statements, argument development, evidence use, and organization. By understanding these errors and their impact on essay quality, both students and educators can take steps to improve writing skills and achieve better academic outcomes. Addressing common errors in essay writing involves focusing on several key areas: crafting a clear and specific thesis statement, developing well-reasoned arguments supported by adequate evidence, and organizing the essay effectively. Additionally, attention to grammar and writing mechanics is crucial for ensuring clarity and professionalism. Educators play a vital role in guiding students through these challenges by providing targeted feedback, instructional support, and resources for improvement. By addressing these common errors, students can develop stronger essays, enhance their writing skills, and achieve greater academic success. According to the research result, the students in Thu Dau Mot University face three kinds of problems in writing. They are inadequate learning of grammar rules and vocabulary, inadequate learning of writing essays and also struggle with the interference of their mother tongue - Vietnamese. In order to help students avoid committing errors while writing essays, the researcher gave his research result to fifteen instructors of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Thu Dau Mot University so that they could study for two weeks. When the required time was over, the researcher met these teachers again and required them to answer the two questions. The first question is “After reading my research results, according to you, what causes the types of errors in students’ writing essays?”. The second question is: “When you read my research result, can you recommend some methods to our students for avoiding errors while writing essays?” After having the answers of these teachers, the researcher summarized these suggestions and used them for future teaching. Making errors in essay writing is a common problem for the students in the Faculty of foreign Languages in Thu Dau Mot University. The analysis of errors in the 300 English essays of students gives me an overview about the English learning as well as English writing of these students. Many students do not know how to organize their writings. Therefore, the teacher should teach them how to write an essay with three main parts: introduction, body paragraph and conclusion. For each paragraph student must write a topic sentence, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence. In order to organize coherent paragraphs or essays, students should use some of the following transitions such as “and”, “but”, “besides”, “furthermore”, “in addition”, “moreover”, “first”, “second”, “third”, “next”, “finally”, “for example”, “likewise”, “similarly”, “although”, “despite”, “in spite of”, “yet”, “however”, “in contrast”, “otherwise”, “therefore”, “in conclusion”, “in short”, “in summary”, “nevertheless”, “on the contrary”, “on the other hand”, “in other words”, “for this reason”, etc. in their writing. These transitions help to make their essays more easily to understand and more attractive to the reader. An Analysis of Common Errors in English Essay Writing by Students at Thu Dau Mot University IJSSHMR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2025 www.ijsshmr.com Page 1909 In order to write coherent and well-structured essays, the writer has to be creative and concentrate on the content. Firstly, learners should always write an essay with relevant facts, concrete details, and specific examples. They also need to read the required topic or required question carefully before writing. To write more quickly, students should list the key words they intend to use in their writing at the beginning of the test. Secondly, each essay needs to have a strong thesis statement. The thesis statement expresses the writer’s thoughts on the topic and tells the reader how the topic is going to be developed. Therefore, writers should always support their thesis with their own ideas in the main part of the essay. While planning their essay, they should think carefully and ask themselves whether they have enough ideas to support their thesis or not. Thirdly, in the conclusion part, students need to take advantage of their last chance to say something important to their readers such as emphasizing the purpose and importance of what they wrote in their essay. Fourthly, some students often do not remember that an academic essay requires the writer to use vocabulary which is not used in their daily life. Therefore, slang expressions and nonstandard verb forms should never be used in an academic essay. Finally, a good essay should never contain sentences which are too long or too short. If they use sentences that are too long, they make their essay harder to understand. On the other hand, they can destroy the logical development of their idea if the sentences in their essay are too short. Therefore, learners are advised to use a good balance of both long and short sentences. To sum up, knowledge of error analysis is helpful for language performance. It also improves a process of teaching and learning writing. It is clear that students’ ability to communicate in writing will be better if they recognize how to effectively avoid errors and how to logically arrange information. It is hoped that the results of this thesis will be helpful for students to increase their awareness of the importance of writing in English so that they can improve their writing skills. It is also hoped that the research results will be helpful for English teachers to develop effective measures for teaching the English writing skill to meet the needs of AUN integration of Thu Dau Mot University in general and the Department of Foreign Languages in particular. REFERENCES 1) Allwright, D., & Bailey, K.M (1991). Focus on the language classroom: An introduction to classroom research for language teachers. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 2) Aristotle. (350 BCE). Rhetoric. Retrieved from [insert link or publisher] 3) Astika, G.G. (1993). Analytical assessment of foreign students’ writing. RELC Journal, 24, 61-72. 4) Baxter, L. A. (2008). The Thesis Statement: A Guide for Writers. Journal of Writing Research, 10 (2), 45-59. 5) Becker, H. S. (1998). 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