Using a guided writing task as a tool to scaffold learners’ writing and nurture learner autonomy CHRISTA SNYMAN CURTIN ENGLISH, CURTIN UNIVERSITY, PERTH Introduction The importance of teaching writing to English as a Second Language (ESL) learners on a pathway to a mainstream university degree cannot be underestimated. Most of these learners come into an English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) centre with low confidence in their writing abilities but with a clear understanding of the importance of being able to communicate well in this productive skill. I felt frustrated by the slow pace with which learners in my class showed improvement in their writing and even more so, I felt that learners lack the ability to plan and edit their work and to integrate language skills.