In his analysis of student essays, Clyne has identified several categories with regard to cultural discourse and scientific writing styles. He argues that different conventions exist in different cultures when it comes to the composition of written discourse. When comparing English and German essay writing, he found several areas of cultural difference, namely:

•    linearity versus digressivity,
•    focus on form versus content,
•    textual symmetry,
•    abstractness versus concreteness of content,
•    content structure,
•    continuity in argumentation,
•    integration of data,
•    use of advance organisers and
•    writer responsibility versus reader responsibility.

According to Clyne, these conventions need to be observed when composing teaching materials and developing learning software.