Research on English for Specific Purpose (ESP) has been attracting a great deal of attention in English Language education over the past many decades. It's now widely recognized that most university students, especially in EFL learning context, have limited competence with regard to academic English and later to meet their professional issues related to their language skills. For the same ESP plays essential role and related to the same there is question. Do ESP textbooks really exist? This is central question Johns (1990) addresses. Even today there is no availability for the same. One of the core dilemmas he presents is that “ESP teachers find themselves in a situation where they are expected to produce a course that exactly matches the needs of a group of learners. Further expected to do so with no, or very limited, preparation time.” Materials for ESP reflect the specific language needs that are being addressed and have much in common with 'general' ESL/EFL materials, but there are important distinctions as well. Like the field of ESL/EFL in general, ESP has evolved considerably over 50 years, and the impact of this evolution can be seen in the area of materials development. The paper may conclude with insightful logical suggestions for the best practices in identifying and preparing ESP materials.
Materials development, English for Specific Purpose (ESP), authenticity, specificity
