Assessing Grammatical Competence through Error Analysis in Pakistani Undergraduate ESL Learners’ Writing: A Prescriptive Contextual Perspective

Abstract

Grammatical competence is a critical aspect of second language proficiency, particularly in
academic settings, and in Pakistan, there is a strong emphasis on prescriptive grammar that
prioritizes adherence to standardized rules. This study examined the distribution and
development of grammatical errors in the creative writing of Pakistani undergraduate ESL
learners, drawing on a sample of 140 students from the BS English program at the National
University of Modern Languages, Faisalabad. Using stratified sampling across early, middle,
and final program stages, a manual error analysis was conducted with a predefined coding
scheme that grouped errors into four thematic categories: punctuation and connectives,
syntactic and grammatical structures, lexical and orthographic aspects, and discourse
organization. Results show marked improvement across the program in punctuation,
subject–verb agreement, and lexical accuracy, while errors in tense consistency, prepositional
use, and sentence fragmentation persisted into later years. Findings indicate that grammarfocused
courses contribute to measurable gains but that L1 interference and contextualized
usage gaps require supplementary instructional strategies. The study offers implications for
curriculum design and targeted instruction to address persistent error types in universitylevel
ESL writing.