🛠️ Tools Tables

AI and digital tools referenced across all 21 chapters - mapped to stuck points, writing stages, and CEFR levels

How to read these tables: Each table maps a tool or group of tools to the specific writing stuck point it addresses, the stage of the writing process where it is most effective, the minimum CEFR level appropriate for student use, and whether a free tier is available. For full setup guides, visit the Tool Guides page.

Engagement

Content knowledge

Language

Structure

Revision

Table 4.1 - The Essential Free Toolkit

Core tools for the AI-integrated EFL writing classroom · Ch 4

Free

Tool	Primary Function	Stuck Point	Writing Stage	CEFR Min.	Free Tier
Google Docs	Collaborative drafting, commenting, Suggesting mode peer review	Revision Structure	All stages	A2	✅ Full
Gemini	AI writing assistant - brainstorming, vocabulary, CLEAR prompts, Ask Don't Tell feedback	Content Language	Stages 1, 2, 5	B1	✅ Full
Padlet	Collaborative brainstorming, gallery walk, reducing blank-page anxiety	Engagement Content	Stage 1 (pre-writing)	A2	✅ Limited (3 boards)
Grammarly	Grammar and spelling checking, vocabulary enhancement suggestions	Language	Stage 4–5 (editing)	B1	✅ Basic
Google Slides	Drag-and-drop clause ordering, visual sorting activities, class presentations	Structure	Stage 2 (planning)	A2	✅ Full
Perplexity	AI-powered research with inline source citations; content verification	Content	Stage 1 (research)	B1	✅ Limited

Table 5.1 - AI Writing Assistants Compared

Key assistants for EFL writing instruction · Ch 5

Free & Paid

Tool	Best Use in EFL Writing	CLEAR Compatible	L2 Restriction Support	Privacy Notes	Free Tier
Gemini	CLEAR prompts, vocabulary generation, Ask Don't Tell feedback, classroom integration with Google Workspace	✅ Full	✅ Responds well to B1/B2 level restrictions	Check Google Workspace for Education settings; use anonymisation codes for submitted work	✅ Yes
ChatGPT	Essay planning, paragraph modelling, feedback generation; Custom GPTs for specialised tasks	✅ Full	✅ Consistent with explicit CEFR-level restrictions	Do not submit student-identified writing; use three-digit codes per Saudi PDPL	✅ Limited (GPT-3.5)
Claude	Extended writing feedback, nuanced rubric application, metalinguistic explanation	✅ Full	✅ Strong adherence to level and restriction prompts	No persistent memory by default; suitable for anonymised essay submission	✅ Limited
Copilot	Microsoft 365 integration; Bing-sourced research tasks; available in institutional Microsoft accounts	✅ Partial	⚠️ Variable; test restrictions before student use	Institutional accounts offer enterprise data protection	✅ Via Microsoft accounts

Table 5.2 - The CLEAR Framework Components

Prompt-engineering framework for EFL students · Ch 5

Component	What to Include	Why It Matters for L2 Learners	Example
C - Context	Who you are, your level, your class, your task	Allows AI to calibrate register and complexity appropriately	"I am a B1 EFL student writing an opinion essay for my university writing class."
L - Level / Length / Limits	CEFR level, word count, specific constraints	Prevents AI from defaulting to C1/C2 native-speaker output	"Write at B1 vocabulary level. Maximum 150 words. Use only present simple and present perfect tenses."
E - Example	A sample sentence, your thesis, or a model of what you want	Anchors AI output to the student's own voice and level	"My thesis is: Social media has more negative than positive effects on students."
A - Action	The specific task: generate, improve, explain, ask questions	Defines what the AI should produce - prevents vague, comprehensive output	"Give me one supporting paragraph with a topic sentence and two pieces of evidence."
R - Role / Restriction	The AI's persona; what it must NOT do	The most critical component for L2: prevents AI from replacing student thinking	"Act as a writing coach. Do not write the paragraph for me. Ask me two questions about my evidence instead."

Table 6.1 - Vocabulary Tools for EFL Writing

Two-step AI-corpus verification workflow · Ch 6

Tool	Type	Best For	Workflow Step	Key Feature	Free
Gemini / ChatGPT	AI assistant	Generating vocabulary options, synonyms, collocations at specified CEFR level	Step 1 - Generate	Can generate with B1/B2 CEFR level restriction; produces context-specific suggestions	✅
SKELL	Corpus tool	Collocation verification; seeing how a word is actually used in native English	Step 2 - Verify	Shows frequency-ranked collocations and authentic example sentences from a large corpus	✅
Ludwig	Corpus tool	Phrase-level verification; checking whether a specific phrase sounds natural	Step 2 - Verify	Searches journalistic and academic corpora; shows alternative phrasings	✅ Limited
COCA	Academic corpus	Genre-specific verification - checking whether a word is more common in academic vs. informal writing	Step 2 - Advanced	400M+ word Corpus of Contemporary American English; genre filter (academic, news, fiction)	✅ Limited
Grammarly	Writing assistant	In-draft vocabulary enhancement suggestions; clarity and conciseness flags	Stage 4–5 (in-draft)	Integrates with Google Docs; provides vocabulary alternatives in context	✅ Basic

Table 2.1 - The Lean Tech Map

Mapping tools to stuck points and writing stages · Ch 2

Stuck Point	When It Occurs	Recommended Tools	What the Tool Does	What AI Must NOT Do
Engagement	Before writing begins; student reluctance, blank page	Padlet, Gemini (brainstorming), topic choice menus	Lowers anxiety; generates topic options; scaffolds first thinking in either language	Generate the essay topic or thesis for the student
Content Knowledge	Stage 1–2; student knows what to say in L1 but not in English	Perplexity, Gemini (content exploration), Google Scholar	Provides topic information at appropriate level; surfaces vocabulary for known concepts	Write the argument or provide evidence the student accepts without verification
Language	Stages 2–3; vocabulary gaps, collocation errors, sentence errors	Gemini (CLEAR prompts), SKELL, Ludwig, Grammarly	Generates vocabulary options; verifies collocations; identifies sentence errors	Correct sentences for the student without asking the student to think first (see Ask Don't Tell)
Structure	Stages 2–3; difficulty organising paragraphs or whole essay	Google Slides (clause ordering), essay outliners, Gemini (outline feedback)	Scaffolds paragraph structure; provides templates; gives feedback on organisation	Write the outline or paragraph plan in the student's place
Revision	Stages 4–5; student unsure how to improve their draft	Multi-Agent Feedback System (Ch 21), Gemini (targeted revision prompts), peer review via Google Docs	Identifies specific weaknesses by dimension; produces prioritised revision targets	Rewrite the draft; AI-free Stage 4 is non-negotiable

Table 7.1 - Tools for Sentence and Paragraph Work

Targeted use for syntax and cohesion development · Ch 7–8

Tool	Activity Type	Target Error / Skill	AI-free Stage 4?	Notes
Google Slides	Clause drag-and-drop ordering	Complex sentences; concessive, causal, conditional clause order	✅ - original sentences written after	Teacher pre-builds slides with scrambled clause boxes; students drag to reconstruct
Gemini - Ask Don't Tell	AI-mediated error feedback	Any sentence-level error; hypothesis-testing about English grammar	✅ - student writes revised sentence independently	Student instructs AI: "Ask me two questions about this sentence rather than correcting it."
Google Docs - Colour Coding	Paragraph structure diagnosis	Topic sentence identification; trench coat problem; paragraph unity	✅ - diagnosis and revision entirely student-driven	Highlight tool: blue = topic sentence, green = support, gold = conclusion/link
Grammarly	Surface error flagging	Spelling, grammar, punctuation; vocabulary suggestions	⚠️ Use with caution - student must evaluate each suggestion, not accept all	Teach students to assess whether each Grammarly suggestion improves their intended meaning
Padlet	Collaborative sentence gallery	Peer review of sentence variety; sharing strong topic sentences	✅	Students post their best sentence from the lesson; class votes on clearest topic sentence

Table Part III - AI Tools by Essay Type

Recommended tool use for each of the ten essay types · Ch 9–18

Essay Type	Chapter	Key Tool(s)	Stuck Point Addressed	Critical AI Restriction
Narrative	9	Gemini (vocabulary bank), Majd Story Audit template	Content Structure	AI must not generate any part of the story itself - the narrative is entirely human
Descriptive	10	Gemini (sensory word bank), SKELL (collocation check)	Language	Restrict AI output to vocabulary only; no spatial organisation generated by AI
Expository	11	Perplexity (sourced research), Gemini (And-Then replacement)	Content Language	AI provides language; student provides verified content - never accept AI-generated facts without source check
Argumentative	12	Perplexity (evidence), Gemini (Khalid Counterargument Cards)	Content Structure	Student must construct the argument; AI may only help identify the counterargument to research
Cause and Effect	13	Gemini (causal connector practice), Google Slides (event ordering)	Language Structure	AI must not generate the causal analysis; use AI only to practise connector vocabulary
Compare & Contrast	14	Gemini (comparison paragraph template), Google Slides (criterion sorting)	Structure Language	AI provides the comparison sentence template only; student generates all content for both subjects
Definition	15 *	Gemini (Three-Layer prompt), SKELL (genre-specific usage)	Structure	AI may check structure only; the three layers must be written entirely by the student
Problem-Solution	16	Gemini (solution generation for feasibility ranking), Perplexity (solution research)	Content Engagement	Use AI to generate solutions students then evaluate; never accept AI's feasibility judgment
Opinion	17	Gemini (Reason Ladder), arguability test prompt	Structure Content	The opinion must be genuinely the student's own; AI may only check that the thesis is arguable
Classification	18 *	Padlet (Sort-Label activity), Gemini (Three-Test System check)	Structure	Classification principle must be identified by the student; AI may check exhaustive/exclusive/consistent only

* Chapters 15 and 18 are hosted on the companion website. Full chapter content available at writealpha.com

Table 19–21 - Assessment and Feedback Tools

AI-integrated assessment design · Ch 19, 20, 21

Tool / System	Function	Chapter	Teacher vs. Student Use	Privacy Requirement
AI Collaboration Log	Structured student record of AI use at each writing stage; transparency and metacognition tool	19, 21	Student - completed alongside every draft	No personal data submitted to external AI; log remains within the institution
Multi-Agent Essay Feedback System	Five-agent Google Apps Script pipeline (Grammar, Vocabulary, Structure, Organisation, Synthesiser) producing dimensional feedback on submitted drafts	21	Teacher deploys; students submit via anonymised three-digit code	Three-digit submission codes replace student names; compliant with Saudi PDPL
Google Apps Script	Automation layer connecting Google Forms (submission), Gemini API (five agents), and Google Sheets (grade recording)	21	Teacher - setup and maintenance; students see only the output	All data stored in teacher-controlled Google Drive; no third-party access
Process Portfolio (Google Drive)	Folder structure collecting handwritten Draft 1 scan, revision plan, Draft 2, AI Collaboration Log, and reflection	19	Student collects; teacher reviews and confirms grade	Student-controlled Drive folder shared with teacher only; no AI tools access the full portfolio
Gemini (Four-Horizon PD Tool)	CLEAR-prompted tool evaluation for teacher professional development; planning AI integration at four time horizons (this week, this term, this year, longer term)	20	Teacher - professional reflection tool, not student-facing	No student data involved; teacher uses their own account

Teaching English Writing to Generation Alpha EFL Learners · Dr. Saad Torki · writealpha.com · For full tool setup guides see the Tool Guides page.