AN ANALYSIS OF THE ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS` ABILITY IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH AT SMK N 10 PADANG

Abstrak

ABSTRACT

  This research is aimed to describe the eleventh grade students’ ability in writing descriptive paragraph at SMK N 10 Padang. It used descriptive design which involved 20 students as sample selected through convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using writing test and analyzed using inter-rater scoring to find out the test reliability index (0.94). The result of data analysis also showed that in general 16 students (80%) had high ability while 4 students (20%) had low ability. Specifically, students’ ability dealing with content was high (75%), organizing ideas was high (75%), using appropriate grammar was high (85%), using appropriate vocabulary was high (70%), and using the correct mechanics was high (65%). Based on the findings, it can be concluded that students’ ability to write descriptive paragraph was high; however, continuous practice is recommended to maintain and improve their writing skills.

Keywords: ability, writing, descriptive paragraph,