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Ho, N. N. K., & Vo, P. T. N. (2025). The impact of ChatGPT on English writing skills of 11th-graders in a Vietnamese high school. Dong Thap University Journal of Science, 14(06S), 124-138. https://doi.org/10.52714/dthu.14.06S.2025.1681
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The impact of ChatGPT on English writing skills of 11th-graders in a Vietnamese high school
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Abstract
This research explores how the use of ChatGPT, an AI-powered language model, affects the English writing skills of 11th-grade students from a high school in An Giang Province, Vietnam. A mixed-methods approach was used to track students’ writing proficiency before and after using ChatGPT to give corrective feedback in writing classes, focusing on four key components: task fulfillment, organisation, vocabulary, and grammar. A total of 70 EFL students took part in the study, divided into two groups: the experimental receiving written corrective feedback through ChatGPT, and the control group given conventional teacher feedback during the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year. A pretest, posttest and four periodic tests were evaluated using adapted IELTS and VSTEP criteria on a 10-point scale. Quantitative findings indicated a statistically meaningful improvement in the experimental group. The interview findings demonstrated a generally positive view of ChatGPT, emphasising its usefulness in offering individualised support, immediate feedback, and increased students’ engagement in writing activities. These results suggest that ChatGPT can be an effective tool for improving English writing skills, providing a foundation for further research on AI-assisted language teaching and learning.
Keywords
AI-assisted feedback, AI in education, ChatGPT, EFL students, English writing skills.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
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Ohio University. (2023). ChatGPT and teaching and learning. https://www.ohio.edu/center-teaching-learning/resources/chatgpt.
OpenAI. (2022). ChatGPT: Optimizing language models for dialogue. OpenAI. https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/.
Parker JL, Becker K, Carroca C. (2023). ChatGPT for automated writing evaluation in scholarly writing instruction. Journal of Nursing Education, 62(12):721-727. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20231006-02
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Su, Y., Lin, Y., & Lai, C. (2023). Collaborating with ChatGPT in argumentative writing classrooms. Assessing Writing, 57, 100752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100752.
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Ton, N. M. N. (2021). A proposed revised version of the scoring rubrics of VSTEP 3-5 level. DTU Journal of Science and Technology, 02(45), 117–125. Retrieved from https://files02.duytan.edu.vn/svruploads/dtu-duytan/upload/file/Bai-17.-Ton-Nu-My-Nhat-17.pdf.
Truong, H. (2023). Leveraging ChatGPT Capabilities in Vietnamese High School Mathematics Education. https://vixra.org/abs/2309.0103.
Vo, P. T. N. (2025). TESOL graduates’ views on the impacts and ethical aspects of ChatGPT in academic writing. Dong Thap University Journal of Science, 14(3), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.52714/dthu.14.3.2025.1506.
Yan, D. (2023). Impact of ChatGPT on learners in a L2 writing practicum: an exploratory investigation. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11742-4.
Yoon, S.-Y., Miszoglad, E., & Pierce, L. R. (2023, October 10). Evaluation of ChatGPT feedback on ELL writers' coherence and cohesion [Preprint]. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2310.06505
Barrot, J. S. (2023). Using automated written corrective feedback in the writing classrooms: Effects on L2 writing accuracy. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 36, 584–607. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1936071.
Basic, Z., Banovac, A., Kruzic, I., & Jerkovic, I. (2023). ChatGPT-3.5 as writing assistance in students’ essays. Humanities and social sciences communications, 10(1), 1-5.
British Council & IELTS. (2023, May). Writing band descriptors [PDF]. IELTS. https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/ielts_writing_band_descriptors.pdf Take IELTS.
Cao, T. H. Y., Cao, H. Y., Cao, M. L., & Truong, H. (2023). Potential of ChatGPT in teaching and learning mathematics in Vietnamese high schools [Preprint]. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4506879.
Cao, H., Huynh, C. B., & Cao, L. (2023, July 12). Integrating ChatGPT into online education system in Vietnam: Opportunities and challenges [Preprint]. OSF.
Chang, T.-S., Li, Y., Huang, H.-W., & Whitfield, B. (2021). Exploring EFL students’ writing performance and their acceptance of AI based automated writing feedback. Proceedings of the 31–35. https://doi.org/10.1145/3459043.3459065.
Ciampa, K., & Wolfe, Z. M. (2023). From isolation to collaboration: Creating an intentional community of practice within the doctoral dissertation proposal writing process. Teaching in Higher Education, 28(4), 487–503.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th Ed.). Pearson.
Dao, X. Q., Le, N. B., Phan, X. D., & Ngo, B. B. (2023). An evaluation of ChatGPT’s proficiency in English Language Testing of The Vietnamese National High School Graduation Examination. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4473369 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4473369
Dai, W., Lin, J., Jin, F., Li, T., Tsai, Y., Gasevic, D., & Chen, G. (2023). Can large language models provide feedback to students? A case study on ChatGPT. https://doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/hcgzj.
Escalante, J., Pack, A., & Barrett, A. (2023). AI-generated feedback on writing: insights into efficacy and ENL student preference. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(1), 57.
Etaat, F. (2024). The effect of AI-based applications on EFL writing skill development: An inquiry into integration of AI into language learning. [Master’s thesis, The Arctic University of Norway]. https://hdl.handle.net/10037/33935.
Fitria, T. N. (2023). Artificial intelligence (AI) technology in OpenAI ChatGPT application: A review of ChatGPT in writing English essay. ELT Forum: Journal of English Language Teaching, 12(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.15294/elt.v12i1.64069.
Guo, K., Wang, J., & Chu, S. K. W. (2022). Using chatbots to scaffold EFL students’ argumentative writing. Assessing Writing, 54, 100666.
Hampton, S., & Resnick, L. B. (2009). Reading and writing with understanding: Comprehension in fourth and fifth grades. Washington, DC: University of Pittsburgh and The National Center on Education and the Economy.
Hussin, S., Abdullah, M. Y., Ismail, N., & Yoke, S. K. (2015). The effects of CMC applications on ESL writing anxiety among postgraduate students. English Language Teaching, 8(9), 167–172. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n9p167.
Hyland, K. (2019). Second language writing (2nd Ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Kohnke, L., Moorhouse, B. L., & Zou, D. (2023). ChatGPT for language learning and teaching. RELC Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368822311628.
Li, J., Zong, H., Wu, E., Wu, R., Peng, Z., Zhao, J., Yang, L., Xie, H., & Shen, B. (2024). Exploring the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance the writing of English academic papers by non native English speaking medical students: The educational application of ChatGPT. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 736.
Lingard, L. (2023). Writing with ChatGPT: An illustration of its capacity, limitations & implications for academic writers. Perspectives on Medical Education, 12(1), 261–270.
Mizumoto, A., & Eguchi, M. (2023). Exploring the potential of using an AI language model for automated essay scoring. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 2(2), 100050.
Nguyen, H. N., Nguyen, D., Tran, L. P. T., & Tran, T. H. N. (2024). Exploring English vocabulary learning of Vietnamese secondary school students with VoiceGPT assistance. AsiaCALL Online Journal, 15(1), 55–70.
Nguyen, M. A. (2024). Leveraging ChatGPT for enhancing English writing skills and critical thinking in university freshmen. Journal of Knowledge Learning and Science Technology, 3(2), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.60087/jklst.vol3.n2.p62
Ohio University. (2023). ChatGPT and teaching and learning. https://www.ohio.edu/center-teaching-learning/resources/chatgpt.
OpenAI. (2022). ChatGPT: Optimizing language models for dialogue. OpenAI. https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/.
Parker JL, Becker K, Carroca C. (2023). ChatGPT for automated writing evaluation in scholarly writing instruction. Journal of Nursing Education, 62(12):721-727. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20231006-02
Quynh, N. T. N. (2019). Vietnamese standardized test of English proficiency: A panorama. In V. Aryadoust & L. Yu (Eds.), English language proficiency testing in Asia (pp. 71–100). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315144665-5.
Rudolph, J., Tan, S., & Tan, S. (2023). ChatGPT: Bullshit spewer or the end of traditional assessments in higher education? Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 6(1), 342–363. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.9.
Stokel-Walker, C. (2022). AI bot ChatGPT writes smart essays - Should professors worry? Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04397-7.
Su, Y., Lin, Y., & Lai, C. (2023). Collaborating with ChatGPT in argumentative writing classrooms. Assessing Writing, 57, 100752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100752.
Tay, H. Y. (2024). AI feedback: Moving beyond the hype to integrating it into a coherent feedback pedagogy. Routledge Open Research, 3, 26.
Tipayavaravan, N., Sirichokcharoenkun, Y., & Cao, L. (2023). ChatGPT: A new tool for English language teaching and learning at Vietnamese high schools [Preprint]. EdArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/m7k4y.
Ton, N. M. N. (2021). A proposed revised version of the scoring rubrics of VSTEP 3-5 level. DTU Journal of Science and Technology, 02(45), 117–125. Retrieved from https://files02.duytan.edu.vn/svruploads/dtu-duytan/upload/file/Bai-17.-Ton-Nu-My-Nhat-17.pdf.
Truong, H. (2023). Leveraging ChatGPT Capabilities in Vietnamese High School Mathematics Education. https://vixra.org/abs/2309.0103.
Vo, P. T. N. (2025). TESOL graduates’ views on the impacts and ethical aspects of ChatGPT in academic writing. Dong Thap University Journal of Science, 14(3), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.52714/dthu.14.3.2025.1506.
Yan, D. (2023). Impact of ChatGPT on learners in a L2 writing practicum: an exploratory investigation. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11742-4.
Yoon, S.-Y., Miszoglad, E., & Pierce, L. R. (2023, October 10). Evaluation of ChatGPT feedback on ELL writers' coherence and cohesion [Preprint]. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2310.06505
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