Some causes of difficulty experienced by Chinese learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) in attaining communicative competence in the target language include lack of appropriate teacher strategies; teachers' limited English language proficiency; neglect of education in the target culture; lack of communicative activities; students' instrumental, not integrative, learning motivation; poorly designed textbook; limited English input outside the classroom; and exposure primarily to written English within the classroom. Proposed solutions include use of a five-stage teaching method (review, presentation, drill, practice, consolidation) that corresponds to the stages of information processing, a learner- oriented environment and skill-oriented teaching method, increased practice in listening and speaking skills, teaching of reading and writing skills as a means of communicating ideas, increased cultural awareness, stimulation of student motivation through classroom and extracurricular activities that are both authentic and of interest to the students, creation of a low-anxiety learning environment, training teachers to adapt instructional materials for communicative practice, natural and realistic classroom language practice, and increased use of English in the classroom. Contains seven references. (MSE)