In this descriptive study! an attempt is made to see (1)rnthe ways the writing abilities are taught in the first yearrnclasses that are currently using the new Freshman Englishrnmaterials; (2) the effectiveness of the writing tasks in thernnew materials in reshaping the students' perceptions aboutrntheir writing abilities.rnThe sample of the study is composed of 198 subjects: 184rnstudents and 14 instructors. 134 students and 14 instructorsrnanswered multiple choice and open-ended questions in thernquestionnaires prepared for them. The other 50 students whornwere followed for three weeks were given two generalrnproficiency tests: pre and post test. They were observed inrnclass along with their instructors and twelve of them wererninterviewed.rnThe responses of the 134 students on their perceptions ofrnwriting in high schools and university were calculated usingrnthe t-test at a significance level of 0.05. The findings showrnthat students' perceptions about writing abilities changedrnsignificantly in university.rnSimilarly! the effectiveness of the writing tasks inrnimproving the students' abilities in writing were assessed. 5rnThe results indicated that the students showed significantrnimprovements in their writing abilities. However, thesernstudents did not show prominent changes in specific writingrnskills like planning and reviewing.rnBy the use of questionnaires and classroom observations,rnthe methods employed by teachers in the teaching of writingrnwere also studied. According to this study, writing abilitiesrnwere not taught as a process as shown in the new materials.rnRather, the methods could be described as gradualrnapproximations to teaching writing as a process.rnBased on these findings, it is recommended that therninstructors need to be given orientations as to how to teachrnwriting as a process. It is also recommended that morernmotivating writing tasks ought to be included to supplementrnthe writing tasks in the new materials.rnFinally, further research is suggested in instructors'rnfeedback and classroom interaction behaviours during thernwriting lessons, and the use of revision in improving thernfirst year students' writing abilities.