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The primary objective of the present research was to test the hypothesis that despite being trained in academic writing for one semester, there remain gaps in Saudi undergraduate English Major students' academic writing, especially pertaining to research essays. The secondary objective was to know how these students perceived academic writing. A mixed-methods empirical research using triangulation approach for results validation was conducted to identify gaps, if any, in students' knowledge in academic writing and to ascertain their perception of research essay writing, involving twenty undergraduate English Major students as research participants. Test and interview were used as data collection instruments, and the obtained data were analysed statistically. The results show that Saudi university English Major students regard academic writing tough, and acknowledge that for them it is the weakest area of competence in English. They have only a basic idea of how to find suitable sources for their research topics, to review relevant literature to contextualize their study, and to prepare notes and references for the study. The study is very significant since it highlights a major area of university students' weakness in studies and offers constructive suggestions.

FCM is a new approach to lesson delivery in most of the developing world, and neither the (higher education) system, nor the teachers and learners are prepared and well-equipped to handle the demands of the approach. The present study was conducted to document the challenges before teachers implementing FCM in EFL/ESL classrooms. The study was conducted as an end-of-term survey using questionnaires and interview techniques for data collection. The questionnaire was comprised of statements on methods, materials, mode of delivery, and feedback to learners, while the semi-unstructured interviews were meant to gather a narrative account of teachers’ experiences in implementing FCM approach to language teaching. 50 university teachers from Saudi Arabia were surveyed for the study. The obtained results present a picture of difficulties before ESL teachers in implementing FCM. The majority of the participants (mean=49.8) opine that they face one or the other challenge when they use FCM approach in ESL classrooms. Roughly one third (mean=31.6) of the participants expressed that they do not face any challenges in implementing FCM. In the semi-structured interview sessions, the teachers expressed their dissatisfaction with the approach, and said they are generally ill-equipped to deliver lessons and address feedback issues effectively.

Listening and speaking are active language skills and need special attention in English language pedagogy, especially in ESL/EFL contexts. English in India is taught as a second language in almost all the states, and the secondary education boards stipulate the teaching of all the four language skills as the objective of teaching English, yet the teaching and assessment system is only read-write intensive, and the active language skills, i.e., listening and speaking, are neglected in teaching as well as in assessment. The present paper is the result of a survey of the language teaching objectives, learning outcomes and assessment policies of two secondary education boards in India to investigate whether there exists any divergence between the stated objectives regarding teaching English language skills, and the testing pattern followed. The findings of the study suggest that there exists a divergence between the objectives stated by state level secondary education boards and their assessment patterns set for the English language. The study recommends that there should be a uniform standard of teaching and assessment of English in secondary schools in India, and there should be more research studies on the potential negative impact of the neglect of teaching and assessment of active language skills.