ABSTRACT
We have just seen how, when we write, we usually have a communicative purpose in mind and that we generally have something to write about (i.e. a topic). In other words, the writer himself specifies both purpose and topic. Such is rarely the case in the ELT classroom, and a major problem for the teacher lies in providing cues for student writing practice. What do I mean by a cue? Quite simply, a cue is a guide or example or stimulus which the student follows in order to produce a given type of writing. Various ways of doing this have been devised over the years, and I shall begin by reviewing two conventional types of writing exercises and pointing out their limitations as cueing devices. Then I shall take an example of what appears to be a good cueing procedure which, none the less, can give rise to unexpected problems. Finally, I shall outline some questions which we need to keep in mind when designing writing exercises and planning cueing devices for our students.
