Writing is a meaning-making process in which a writer deploys lexico-grammar as an interpersonal resource to manage an interplay between self-representation and social dimensions for a credible and persuasive argument. As the first part of an ongoing study, this article proposes a WordPress-based Academic Writing (WAW) instructional model that serves as a guiding conceptual framework for developing online meaning-driven lessons (thereafter WAW lessons) to advance undergraduate students' academic writing skills. The WAW instructional model aims to implement a semantically-focused approach, web-based technology as a content management tool, and constructivism as a theoretical underpinning. Guided by three instructional systems design (ISD) models: ADDIE, KEMP, and SREO, it consists of six necessary phases: Analyze, Design, Develop, Assess, Implement, and Evaluate. The prototype model was evaluated for its applicability by three experts and the WAW lessons were trialed with the target students. The findings showed that the WAW instructional model was evaluated as 'very appropriate' and that the WAW lessons were efficient. These findings suggest that the WAW instructional model can be implemented as a viable conceptual framework for the present study.