This study investigates the conceptualisation and execution of macro-textual features of academic writing of students in an EAP course. An assumption is that students have difficulties in producing academic writing. The study investigates participant's conceptualisation of academic writing and compares it to what they do in constructing their own academic texts. It finds that there is a difference between what they say and what they do. Their focus is generally on micro-textual level, i.e. on the level of words, phrases and sentences, which masks difficulties on macro-textual level, i.e. on the discursive level of linguistic units larger than the sentence. Furthermore, the hypothesis that differences between English L2 students and English academic norms are culturally determined, is found to be much less valid than is mostly suggested in the literature that deals with rhetorical structure of English L2 writing.