English Department Students’ Ability in Writing News Item Text at STKIP YDB Lubuk Alung

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the ability of English Department students in writing news item texts, particularly in terms of generic structures—namely the newsworthy event, background events, and language features—at STKIP YDB Lubuk Alung. The population of this research comprised all English Department students, with the sample selected through a total sampling technique. Data were collected using a writing test. The findings indicate that the students’ writing ability in terms of generic structure was categorized as good, with an average score of 79.90%. In contrast, their ability in applying language features was classified as very good, with an average score of 81.40%. The overall mean score of students’ writing ability in producing news item texts was 80.63%, which falls into the very good category. Further analysis shows that 7 students achieved scores ranging from 81–100 (very good), while 8 students obtained scores between 66–80 (good). In conclusion, the students demonstrated stronger performance in the use of language features compared to their mastery of generic structures in writing news item texts.