Academic Writing Difficulty of Chinese Students: The Cultural Issue Behind Chinese and British Academic Writing Styles

Abstract

In the contemporary society, an increasing number of Chinese students pursue higher education in overseas countries. Through the observation of certain Chinese students in the UK, the author found that English academic writing style brought huge obstacles to these learners. Under such background, this study was conducted in order to help these students better adapt to English academic atmosphere. The author reviewed previous studies and noticed that learners’ cultural background influenced their writing mode. By the comparison of national cultures and writing styles, it is found that the main differences of Chinese and British academic writing styles exist in students’ comprehension of academic argument, the way of utilizing others’ achievements, and the structure of academic writing styles.