A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Award of the degree "Licence en Pédagogie Appliquée, Agrégé de l'Enseignement en Anglais"

RÉSUME,

This study is about factors causing poor performance in English writing skill in First Year Language Sections in Burundi Basic Schools. It dealt with ways in which the writing skill is taught and learnt in Post-Basic Schools. Its main purpose was to give a contribution to the improvement of the writing skill and to invite teachers as well as learners to be aware of th importance of the writing skill as a communicative skill and also how it can be taught like other skills. More precisely, its purpose was to identify strategies which may be helpful to overcome the problems that learners and teachers are facing in the teaching and learning of the writing skill. Data were collected using classroom observation, and learners' and teachers' questionnaires. The study was carried out on 103 respondents, that is, 98 learners of First Year Language sections selected in Post-Basic Schools of Gatara Commune and the 5 teachers who taught in those selectes schools. Findings revealed that the time allotted to tje teaching and learning of the writing skill was not sufficient and the performance of the writing skill was not given enough practical time. Rather, teachers preferred to deal with other skills instead of the writing skill. Concerning the teaching methods, data from the teachers' questionnaire indicated copying down notes and doing compositions were the ones favored. The remedy proposed by teachers and learners was to develop the writing skill like other skills by doing many practical exercises. This study concluded by giving recommendations to teachers, learners, school administrators and the future researcher so they may all heed the development of the writing skill at the post-basic level.