This study focuses on ESL teachers’ strategies that foster higher-order thinking skills when teaching writing to weak ESL learners in selected secondary schools in Malaysia. The ESL teachers’ strategies that encourage higher-order thinking skills when teaching writing to weak ESL learners were recorded and examined to unsure that ESL learners are able to understand and master higher order thinking skills that can improve their writing. Qualitative descriptive research methodology was employed in this study. The samples were collected through the snowball sampling technique, and ten ESL teachers were selected from ten different secondary schools in Malaysia.  The main data collection method was classroom observation while thematic analysis was used for data analysis.  Each teacher was observed twice. Classroom observation forms and video recordings were used as the main sources in data collection. The results show that the ESL teachers’ selected strategies encourage higher-order thinking skills when teaching writing, particularly for strategies that include the general procedures in implementing higher-order thinking skills for teaching writing and the major considerations at each stage of its implementation. The ESL teachers were able to educate the students on the general concepts of higher-order thinking skills, which subsequently helped the students to connect the concepts for writing. These strategies were able to help students to infer through real-life situations, by using graphic organizers and problem-solving skills.
These findings can be used to guide decisions on higher-order thinking skills training for ESL teachers, educators and curriculum developers on various thinking skills strategies that can be implemented when teaching writing