Abstract
This study analyzed the syntactic complexity and sentence variety in academic essays of BS Nursing students enrolled in the Purposive Communication course at Our Lady of Fatima University Antipolo Campus using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The findings revealed distinct patterns across performance levels: the Above Average group effectively utilized complex and compound-complex sentences to articulate clear, cohesive, and rhetorically effective arguments, demonstrating strong syntactic flexibility and depth. The Average group predominantly used compound sentences, resulting in logical but less sophisticated essays with moderate coherence. In contrast, the Below Average group relied heavily on simple sentences, producing fragmented arguments with limited clarity and cohesion. The themes explored— clarity and argumentation, coherence and cohesion, and rhetorical effectiveness—highlighted the strong correlation between syntactic complexity and the overall quality of writing. Essays with varied sentence structures exhibited stronger argumentation, better flow, and enhanced rhetorical impact. The study recommends targeted instructional strategies, such as sentence structure workshops and focused writing exercises, to address these gaps and improve students' ability to produce cohesive and well-developed academic essays.
