Implementing context-rich simulations in the EST writing classroom

We discuss a simulation that was used in a university English writing class. Simulations (of the type used in this project) have a natural context and provide students with "real-world" problems to address. We suggest here that this helps students to identify problems and solutions, making them easier to write about. Descriptive data and a post-project questionnaire revealed that under simulated conditions, students were able to write about problems and solutions using their second language (English).