ABSTRACT
This chapter contextualizes the comparison of Chinese and British students’ undergraduate assignments amidst the recent rise in numbers of international students in UK universities. Following discussion of the reasons for the increase in numbers of Chinese studying abroad, I examine the likely homogeneity of the L1 Chinese students in the study, and explore the educational background of students from the largest national grouping: the PRC (or China). English Language Teaching (ELT) education within the PRC at primary, secondary and tertiary levels is also described in order to understand the experiences and expectations this student group bring to assignment-writing in UK universities; I briefly consider the English language background of students from the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, and from Taiwan and Singapore. The chapter summarizes the characteristics of Chinese students’ writing given in the literature, with a focus on the commonly asserted findings of frequent words and chunks comprising the use of a group of preferred connectors, informal language and first person pronouns. Finally, the chapter discusses the challenges faced by all undergraduate students in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and considers the additional difficulties encountered by Chinese students.
