AVENSIA MEGAWATI EBONG Pengarang DEWI I N BILI BORA Dosen Pembimbing 2 Alexander Home Kabelen Penguji 2 Dewi I N Bili Bora Penguji 1 Hilda M. Nalley Ketua Penguji

This research aimed to find out the level of students' ability and difficulties encountered by students in writing recount text. The research method used in this study was quantitative and qualitative (mixed method). There were 15 students of eleventh-grade students of SMAK Sint. Carolus Kupang was chosen as the subject of this research. Test and interview were used as the techniques of data collection. The quantitative data obtained from the result of the test were analyzed by using the scoring rubrics for writing recount text by Heaton to know the level of students’ ability in writing recount text. The level of ability was determined by using the level of proficiency by Harris. The result of the interview was used to get the qualitative data to know the students’ difficulties in writing recount text. The results showed that: (1) The level of students’ ability in writing recount text was at the average level category, with a mean score of 74,6. (2) Difficulties that were encountered by the students in writing recount text were difficulty in finding ideas, difficulty in grammatical placement, difficulty in arranging the sentences in paragraphs, difficulty in using the past tense, lack of vocabulary and difficulty to compile words in sentences to be a paragraph. In conclusion, recount text is a kind of text that can improve students ability in writing. Key words: Ability, Writing, Recount Text.