In the communicative approach, English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners use scripted and unscripted language. In practice, scripted language is typically over-utilized at the expense of unscripted language. This study explores the characteristics of scripted and unscripted language in 11 beginner-level EFL students in a Japanese junior high school. When students written work was compared with their textbook, their messages were shown to be scripted and/or unscripted vis-a-vis the textbook. This study discusses how textbooks in Japan make use of pre-communicative activities but omit communicative ones. A communicative activity that has been shown to enable students to produce unscripted writing is provided. The implication is that teachers may use the findings to plan lessons that encourage learners to use unscripted language to develop communicative competence. If unscripted language is better understood and if characteristics of beginner second language writing are better understood, then this concept can be effectively used to evaluate and modify communicative language teaching materials and activities. Six practical appendices are included that provide sample handouts and detailed activity plans. (Contains 29 references.) (KFT)