This paper provides a critical reflection on the academic writing ability of English second-language students in a South African university. Acquiring proficiency in academic writing is one of the essential skills that students at the tertiary level are expected to acquire. One challenge that has emerged after the outbreak of COVID-19 is that universities in restructuring their curricula have not given adequate time to interact with beginning students to provide writing instructions to help them meet the standard expected; this challenge motivated this study. A qualitative research method was used and data was collected from a selection of first-year students, registered in the first semester, for a compulsory writing course. Participants were given a narrative essay and all scripts were marked and rated by two experienced lecturers, using a rubric. The findings indicated that students encounter numerous challenges in writing coherent academic essays, as they have low proficiency in English which is the medium of instruction.