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This study aims to investigate the deficiencies of undergraduate students’ writing skill and the role of formative assessment in the improvement of their academic writing. Plus, this study aims to analyze the impact of written feedback by teachers to improve the writing skill. Sample of the study involves 200 undergraduate students (Grade-14) including 100 females and 100 males studying at public and private colleges in a district in the central Punjab (Pakistan). The data for this study were collected through a questionnaire. It explored the students’ responses, and the impact of written feedback on the development of writing skill. Techniques, adopted in formative assessment, were also viewed. The main outcome of this study was that the different strategies had the positive impact on academic writing. Different technique such as assignment writing and proper feedback, teacher’s guidance and classroom activities are helpful in developing writing. Address for correspondence: E-mail: [email protected] INTRODUCTION “Writing is basic tool of civilization. Without it, the world as we know it could not exist” (Fromkin et al. 2002: 508). Writing is an essential element of expression. It has key importance in record processing of the everyday aspects of life. But learning how to write well is the key aspect of the whole process (Full Education 2017). It has even greater importance for the students. For, they have to produce assignments, essays, letters, stories, answers in examinations etc. Gewertz (2011) is of the opinion that clear, coherent and logical writing helps the expansion of students’ access to higher education, provides them with the skill for success at workplace and increases the possibility of active participation as the citizens of a literate society. According to David (2009), a good writing skill is essential for academic and professional success. Similarly, Bangor (2013) says that students’ learning achievements depends on the foundation of writing. Persky et al. (2003) are of the view that the students, who are deficient in writing skill, fail to fulfill classroom needs. Thus, realizing the importance of writing skill at college level, it can be said that writing is a need for the other needs. Writing skill in English is even more important in this age because English has become the most widely used language in the world. It is popularly known as a global language or lingua franca with more than 350 million L1 and 430 L2 speakers around the world (Wil 2015) and is being recognized and used not only in offices but also being used as the medium of instruction in schools, colleges and universities (Parr 2014) and even such countries as Netherlands and Sweden, which are not using English as an official language, are using it as a medium of instruction in their educational institutions (Naved 2015). As mentioned earlier, writing skill has much significance in education but unfortunately the development of this skill is badly neglected in the world (Ariana 2010; Harder 2006; Kellogg and Whiteford 2009; Lewin 2003) in general and particularly in Pakistan (Fareedet al. 2016; Haider 2012). Pakistani students, even after learning English right from the start of their academic careers, commit all types of errors in their writing at school level (Jabeen et al. 2015), at college level (Mehmood et al. 2017) and at university level (Ahmad et al. 2018). There can be various ways that can help the improvement of academic writing of the students but the way suggested by Toria (2007) seems more befitting, that is, an integrated system of 2 MUHAMMAD ILYAS MAHMOOD, MUBASHRA MOBEEN AND MUHAMMAD AHMAD HASHMI Int J Edu Sci, 28(1-3): 1-6 (2020) assessment plays a vital role in the improvement of the writing skill. In this regard, formative assessment has a special role. It helps students improve their faults in learning in the light of teachers’ feedback (Ferris and Roberts 2001; Khan 2000; Jan and Ways 2009). According to Koller (2005) and William (2010), formative assessment facilitates in better teaching and learning process by invigorating intrinsic motivation, self-esteem and academic self-concepts. Similarly, Gewertz (2011) says that formative assessment can improve students’ writing skill with the help of regular feedback and encouragement from the teacher. Constructive formative feedback during the writing process, says Bouzidi (2012) helps the students develop their written production. Reising (2010) regards writing as a learned behavior which, according to him, can be developed. Reising adds further that when the teachers try to improve students’ writing skill, their effort results in the gains of both, that is, the students and the teachers. Liu (2013) says that the application of formative assessment benefits in the advancement of the students’