Abstract
People write for various reasons - to express themselves and communicate their ideas, instruct, give delight, and gain pleasure or personal gratification. Whatever the reason for writing is, one thing stands out: writing should be clear, precise, fluent, and organized and adheres to writing conventions. This descriptive research design evaluated the 234 Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC) first-year students’ writing skills. It specifically addressed the following issues: Students' level of competence in writing includes the following components: a. content, b. organization, c. mechanics? Secondly, it aims at identifying the difference in the competence rating of students in writing according to the course in the following components: a. content, b. organization c. mechanics? Lastly, the study also focused on identifying the common writing convention errors committed by MPSPC students in writing. Based on the data gathered, the study concluded that MPSPC students had a fair competency level in writing essays. Specifically, they had good performance in mechanics but were fair in organization and content. The students' content, organization, and skill levels vary significantly. Most of the writing convention errors committed by the students were in grammar and diction. The incorrect use of punctuation marks was the least made error. Thus, it is highly recommended that different strategies be implemented to improve their general writing competency and to practice the grammar and diction of students at MPSPC.
