Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Essay Writing Competition: Case Study for Exploring Writing Skills Issues in English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

In the digital era and the twenty-first century labor market context, more and more emphasis is placed on the prospective employees‘ transversal or transferable skills, which are not limited to a specific academic discipline or knowledge area but are applicable to many occupations and professional environments. In this context, the importance of effective written communication in a foreign language has been recognized by many employers, which is a foreign language skill that requires systematic development and more detailed assessment. The aim of this paper is to explore the main dilemmas surrounding the writing skills issues in ESP, with particular emphasis on English for Academic Purposes (EAP), as observed and analyzed in an essay writing competition featuring the topic of TTIP agreement, which was organized by the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb, the British Embassy in Zagreb and the Student Association eStudent in November, 2015. 131 students from 34 higher education institutions in Croatia entered the competition, while 41 qualified for the online essay writing and 23 submitted their full essays. The essays have served as a discourse analysis and a case study taking into consideration the following criteria: task achievement, academic relevance and referencing, professional and practical relevance, cohesion and organization of the text, standard of English and completeness of the work. In addition to the aforementioned categories, a range of frequently highlighted transferable skills such as critical thinking skills, research and investigation skills, information and media literacy skills, personal and social responsibility as well as global awareness are also examined in this context. The Assessment Committee consisted of members of the Department of Business Foreign Languages, the Department of Organization and Management, the Department of Trade and officials from the British Embassy in Zagreb, whose assessment criteria are compared to the observations based on practical teaching experience in ESP classes and the relevant sources that have been used in this research. The findings cannot generate answers to the dilemmas presented in this paper but can suggest ways of improving students’ writing skills and academic competence, which might in the long run ensure their future employability as well.