The article deals with a case study and focuses on a detailed analysis of main deficiencies in writing of an individual and his ways of improving writing. The individual is a Czech officer who needed to achieve a prescribed level of English and his main problem consisted in writing. Based on a thorough analysis of several writings, consultations were held online to clarify the main pitfalls and to suggest possible ways to address them. The process of writing followed by systematic feedback and analysis finally resulted in individual’s success in the prescribed examination. The main mistakes from the individual’s, facilitator’s and tester’s perspective are presented on the background of broader generalization based on observations of similar populations. To better understand the whole issue, some data concerning the comparison of success rates in all four skills at three levels of proficiency is presented. The findings of the case study are confronted by selected specialist literature dealing with both the skills difficulty and the areas which are most frequently problematic to learners. Nevertheless, as the process of acquiring writing skills is very individual, all particular studies in this field can only serve as a piece of a multifaceted puzzle.

Keywords: Stanag 6001, writing, productive skills, exams, feedback.