ABSTRACT
It was reported in the THES 1981 (p. 5) that 25 per cent of first year students at university in Arts, Sciences and Social Sciences needed help with basic writing skills. Barrass (1982) reported that the reasons for this were lack of planning; failure to answer the question; failure to capture and hold the interest of the audience; lack of precision in the use of words and using long words where short ones would do. He also made an analysis of how people are judged by their writing. Thus if the writing was clear, with correct spelling, had good punctuation and grammar, and the arguments were well presented then the writer was regarded as considerate, well-educated, competent and forceful. If on the other hand the reverse was the case then the writer was regarded as inconsiderate, lazy, careless, uneducated and incompetent. Teachers in schools and employers at large appear to be little different in attitude.
