Academic writing progress

Academic writing development in English Medium Education (EME) contexts is under-researched, particularly its longitudinal trajectory. This study, conducted in a private business university in Spain, compares the academic writing progress of students in EME programmes with those in non-EME (Spanish as a Medium of Education, SME) over the first two years of their academic courses. Using pre- and post-test holistic IELTS writing scores, the study involved EME participants who received 60 hours of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) training and SME participants who received 240 hours of English for Specific and Academic Purposes (ESP/EAP) courses. The study allowed for controlled comparison as the same content lecturers teach in both mediums, and the same language lecturers teach ESP/EAP. Findings indicated that initially higher-scoring EME participants showed limited improvement, whereas SME participants demonstrated substantial improvement in writing proficiency. Limited progress in EME students is linked to insufficient ESP/EAP support and a possible lack of linguistic feedback within content courses, as evidenced by assessment inconsistencies between English- and Spanish-medium programme academic guides. This study highlights the need for dedicated writing development in EME contexts, increased collaboration between EME content and ESP/EAP lecturers, and encourages greater attention to linguistic feedback in content courses to foster sustained writing development.