International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE) Vol. 14, No. 1, February 2025, pp. 720~730 ISSN: 2252-8822, DOI: 10.11591/ijere.v14i1.29906  720 Journal homepage: http://ijere.iaescore.com A needs analysis on challenges in English expository writing among English as a second language learners Noorfatin Zakaria, Nur Ainil Sulaiman Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: Received Jan 10, 2024 Revised Jul 18, 2024 Accepted Aug 24, 2024 Effective communication in English, particularly in writing, is becoming increasingly important globally. Despite being exposed to all four language skills, English as a second language (ESL) learners regularly perceive writing to be the most difficult element. This stance is held by both the English education system and ESL students in Malaysia, highlighting the importance of writing as an important language skill that is difficult to acquire. With expository writing is seen to be the least researched genre, this research seeks to fill this gap by examining the challenges ESL learners face in writing expository essays to provide potential classroom solution to improve their writing skill in this genre. A questionnaire was administered to 68 Form Four ESL learners as part of this study to gather essential data. The collected data underwent analysis using descriptive statistics with the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS Ver. 27). The results were then presented in frequencies, percentages and the overall mean score. The findings revealed that respondents are still struggling with content development and organization as well as the writing process. Therefore, adding more interactive and student-centered learning approaches to ESL writing lessons could help students’ writing skills. Keywords: ESL learners Expository essay Needs analysis Writing challenges Writing skill This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. Corresponding Author: Nur Ainil Sulaiman Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Lingkungan Ilmu, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Email: nurainil@ukm.edu.my 1. INTRODUCTION In today’s globalized society, the ability to communicate effectively in English—especially in writing—has become more crucial. The emphasis on writing skills is an indicator of excellent communication and is necessary for the sharing of knowledge [1]. In particular, exposition is critical in assisting English as a second language (ESL) learners to understand complex topics and keep up with current events, as it is served as a bridge to overall learning and language achievement [2]. This, in turn, leads to greater professional success, which reflects learners’ excellent communication and cognitive processes that foster critical and reflective thinking, both of which are vital in their career development and personal growth [3], [4]. This awareness derives from employers, who now acknowledge the value of English language and communication skills, including both written and spoken abilities, in the workplace [5]. Furthermore, because writing promotes the development of critical thinking in ESL learners, it enables learners to clarify their ideas logically [6]. ESL students frequently identify writing as the most difficult task even if they have been exposed to four language skills in school [7], as the process is perceived as frightening, especially for those who lack confidence in their ability to utilize English [8]. The English education system and ESL students in Malaysia both view writing as a critical language skill that is challenging to develop, especially when writing expository articles [1], [9]. Among the elements