What is the most effective strategy for developing students' essay writing skills in the future?

Focusing on spending more time during pre-writing and drafting is indeed a highly effective strategy for developing students' essay writing skills. Pre-writing activities encourage students to brainstorm, organize their thoughts, and develop clear and coherent ideas before they begin drafting. This stage is critical, as it allows students to clarify their understanding of the topic and structure their arguments effectively.

In the drafting phase, students can concentrate on expressing their ideas fluently, while the time spent honing their drafts leads to clearer and more focused essays. By emphasizing these stages, students are likely to produce stronger essays with well-developed ideas and solid structure, which are essential components of effective writing.

While the other strategies may contribute to skill development in various ways, none address the foundational need to cultivate idea generation and organization as comprehensively as devoting more time to pre-writing and drafting does. This emphasis on preparation influences the overall quality of the writing process and end product significantly.