ENGLISH-LANGUAGE WRITING COMPETENCE IN TERTIARY STUDENTS ON THE BASIS OF DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS

Abstract

The article examines the development of descriptive writing skills in students of higher education institutions in the process of learning English. The relevance of the study is grounded on the growing role of English as a primary means of academic, intercultural, and professional communication, as well as the need for the purposeful development of foreign-language written competence among future specialists. Writing is viewed as a complex, integrated type of language activity that combines linguistic, cognitive, and communicative components. Descriptive writing is defined as a foundational genre of written discourse that provides a basis for mastering narrative, argumentative, and analytical writing and fosters the development of observation skills, precision in linguistic expression, logical text organization, and imaginative thinking. The paper outlines the theoretical foundations of descriptive writing within the framework of modern linguodidactics, clarifies its essence and functions, and identifies its key stylistic characteristics, including the use of specific and precise vocabulary, the active incorporation of sensory details, adjectives and adverbs, and figurative language devices. The study analyzes typical difficulties students encounter when producing descriptive texts, such as limited vocabulary, interference from the native language, insufficient coherence and structural organization, and the blending of genre features. A step-by-step methodology for teaching descriptive writing is proposed, based on a combination of guided writing, the sensory approach, the use of visual stimuli, and systematic work on lexical imagery. The methodological framework provides for a gradual transition from controlled exercises to creative tasks, ensuring the development of stylistic awareness, imagination, cognitive flexibility, and students’ confidence in writing. The study substantiates the feasibility of systematically integrating descriptive writing into academic writing courses as an effective means of developing foreign-language written competence