This study examines recurring writing challenges among undergraduate law students through the lens of Genre Theory. Grounded in the work of Swales (1990) and Bhatia (1993), Genre Theory conceptualises academic writing as a socially recognised and purposeful communicative practice shaped by specific rhetorical structures, conventions, and disciplinary norms. The present analysis applies this framework to a corpus of 30 essay-type assessment submissions from second-year Bachelor of Laws students, who were required to discuss the importance of understanding communication context in workplace settings as part of Communication Skills III.
From a genre perspective, the essay constitutes a structured academic form requiring a sequence of rhetorical moves, including the establishment of a conceptual framework, development of a coherent argument, integration of supporting evidence, and articulation of a reasoned conclusion. However, analysis of the submissions reveals that many students demonstrated limited awareness of these genre conventions. Rather than constructing analytical arguments, a significant proportion relied on descriptive listing of content, reflecting what Swales identifies as “genre naivety,” where writers lack the schematic knowledge necessary to reproduce expected communicative structures. These structural limitations were further reinforced by linguistic challenges. Bhatia’s concept of lexico-grammatical features as defining elements of genre highlights issues such as informal register, inconsistent syntax, and imprecise vocabulary evident across the essays. Students used everyday communicative norms rather than those associated with academic or legal discourse, suggesting incomplete genre acquisition. Moreover, weaknesses in citation and referencing practices indicate limited engagement with intertextual conventions, a key feature of Swales’ notion of discourse community. Overall, these findings suggest that students’ difficulties extend beyond surface-level errors and reflect a deeper unfamiliarity with academic genre expectations. The study therefore underscores the need for explicit genre-based instruction, including model text analysis, rhetorical move awareness, and scaffolded writing, to support students in developing effective academic and legal communication skills.
