Allimna
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Allimna Vol. 05 No. 01 2026

The Effect of AI-Powered Automated Writing Assessment on EFL Students’ Writing Performance

Irfan Maulana Marhudi (Pascasarjana Universitas Islam Negeri Syekh Wasil Kediri)
Sri Wahyuni (Universitas Islam Negeri Syekh Wasil Kediri)



Article Info

Publish Date
11 May 2026

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Grammarly as an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Automated Writing Assessment (AWA) tool in improving EFL students' writing performance. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 61 ninth-grade students at MTs Al Islah, divided into an experimental group (n=32) receiving Grammarly-assisted feedback and a control group (n=29) receiving traditional teacher feedback. Data were collected through pre-tests and post-tests using an argumentative essay task and analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests in SPSS 25. The results showed significant improvement in both groups; however, the experimental group achieved a notably higher mean score (85.50) than the control group (75.00). Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the two groups (Sig. 2-tailed = 0.000), suggesting that AI-powered feedback serves as a more potent catalyst for writing improvement than conventional methods. The findings suggest that Grammarly reduces students' cognitive load by providing instant linguistic corrections, allowing them to focus more on content and organization. This study recommends integrating AI tools as a formative assessment in EFL pedagogy to foster self-regulated learning in the digital era.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

allimna

Publisher

Subject

Religion Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences Other

Description

The aim of this journal is to publish articles of teacher and prospective teacher in the field of Islamic education and learning development in school education. The scope of this journal includes learning and teaching, learning strategies, instructional media development, curriculum development, ...