This thesis reports on a case study concerning Chinese students needs for
English writing instruction at Beijing Jiaotong University. Through survey and
interviews, the study investigates the English writing instruction the subjects had
received, their needs for English writing and expectation of English writing instruction.
Moreover, the research examines the current situations in the writing instruction at the
university analyzing the gaps between the students need and the instructors real
practice. The results of the study indicate that the students need to learn some practical
writing such as emails, CVs or statement of purposes and so on. They wish to improve
sentence-level skills such as finding appropriate English expressions and developing
ideas and wish the instructors focus on these in class accordingly. Besides, the students
expect the instructors focus on word choice, content and organization instead of grammar
issues. By comparing the students survey and interviews with the instructors interviews,
it is suggested that the gap between the students needs and the real practice is not very