Schrijfvaardigheid in de Aansluiting Vwo-wo

The general writing competence of students entering university in the Netherlands is seen as barely sufficient. Writing programmes in secondary education in the Netherlands are seen as deficient in many respects. Also, since teachers at secondary schools have so far been free to set their own writing standards, students in the first year of university courses generally display a wide range of proficiency in writing. The present situation is, therefore, far from satisfactory.This article presents the findings of interviews held at the University' of Groningen during September and October 1997 on this subject, comparing these with relevant data from research papers and conference reports. It concludes with suggesting a solution to these problems of transition between secondary and academic education: a faculty-wide, systematic academic writing programme.