Automated writing feedback with grammarly: An experimental study among medical students at a university in Vietnam

Abstract

Academic writing in English is essential for medical students as it enables access to global resources and scholarly publication (Hyland & Hyland, 2019). Yet many Vietnamese learners encounter persistent difficulties with grammar, vocabulary, and textual coherence, which restrict their academic performance. In response, Automated Writing Corrective Feedback (AWCF) systems such as Grammarly have emerged, offering immediate, technology-supported assistance. While widely adopted, their pedagogical contribution in medical education remains underexplored (Ghufron, 2019; Dizon & Gayed, 2021). This experimental study investigates Grammarly’s role in supporting academic writing among medical students at Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Sixty second-year students were randomly allocated to an experimental group using Grammarly Premium or a control group receiving teacher feedback. Writing assignments before and after the intervention were assessed by certified IELTS examiners, and semi-structured interviews with five instructors were thematically analyzed. Findings showed that both groups improved, Statistical analysis using paired-samples t-tests revealed significant improvements within both groups., but teacher feedback produced significantly greater gains. Teachers valued Grammarly for efficiency and learner autonomy, yet noted risks of over-reliance and limited capacity to address higher-order writing issues. The study concludes that Grammarly should supplement, not replace, teacher feedback in medical English writing instruction.