Issues regarding German vs English writing and writing-teaching

What is the purpose of writing a text?

 in Germany, the purpose of writing a text is often:

o to demonstrate knowledge-mastery of material so that a professional will
be satisfied / impressed with the writer's intelligence and knowledge
o to list all relevant "content" to demonstrate knowledge-mastery (content is
more important than organization)
o the point of writing is to show the writer's knowledge, intelligence, insight,
etc through content and complex argument / discussion
o a question is given and the writer lists out both sides of the argument until
the end, when the writer makes a conclusive argument for one side being
correct (call to action)
 To argue a question, in which "some believe A to be true, some
believe B to be true and here we will discuss the advantages /
disadvantages of these points of view... in conclusion, it is clear that
A (or B) is the correct course of action.."
 In US / UK, the purpose of writing a text is often:
o to show knowledge by summarizing information in a "neutral" way that a
"normal" (non-professional) reader can understand
o to write information into a well-organized and linear structure to show
knowledge-mastery (organization is as important or more important than
content)
o the point of writing is to educate and convince the reader and why the
information is important and effort by the reader should be undertaken to
act on the information
o to argue a point, a call-to-action in which the counter-argument is always
presented as flawed, inferior, etc (call to action occurs at the beginning of
the text... except in certain academic scientific papers, especially in the
Abstract)
 To argue a question, in which "It is important for everyone to know
that we should be doing A in order to... although B appears to have
advantages, it is clear that A is superior because... in conclusion, it
should now be clear that what was written at the beginning is clearly
true.."

What issues and problems confront the English-writing teacher in Germany?

 English is a descendent of German and there are many similarities between the two
languages
 perhaps 50% or more of English is the same as or very similar to German
 The English-teaching system in Germany tends to emphasize the similarities
between German and English
  History: since WWII Germans have considered Americans to be their "cousins", a
close family member who is perhaps a bit different, but in the end, mostly the same
(see "Germany is like the US, only it takes 10 years for Germany to be the same...")
 History / mythology: this relationship between Germany and the US -- see "American
Dream", "Indian Summer", "Happy End", etc -- is, however, something that the
Germans have developed into a mythology of the USA and the relationship of
Germany to the US (including the relationship of English-language to German-
language) -- also, it is also something that the Americans do not believe in...
 teaching English, especially at the University level...
o needs to be as much (or more) about culture as about the factual aspects of
"languge" (e.g. grammar, syntax, etc)
o the teaching content must be clear and convincing, so that students believe
and understand American and German culture and thinking are not the
same: if students do not understand (and more importantly believe) they
are different, then they will not understand (and will not learn from) the
exercises and goals given in the course by the teacher
o the teaching content must define English-language culture, e.g. topic
sentences, reader-oriented writing, etc
o the teacher must create exercises and projects that demonstrate and train
students in the cultural-theoretical-strategic differences regarding English-
language writing (e.g. culturally what is "logical and clear" in English-writing
as understood by a native-speaker writer)
 the English teacher at the Uni level needs to understand:
o what in the German-language German-writing constitutes "logical and
clear"
o what German English-teachers teach as "logical and clear" in English-writing
(grammar-focused? use of stock phrases for summaries, etc?
o how German English-teachers understand the "purpose" of writing in English
(e.g. reader-oriented or writer-oriented, content vs organization, statement
of goals, the argument of a question, etc)

Which brings me to the point (finally!)... it is interesting and important to know what
German English-language teachers are teaching their students in Gymnasium. But it is even
more important, at least for those teaching English writing to German students at the
university level, to know how German English-language teachers see their job and their
objectives. For German English-language teachers what are the most important things that
their students should learn about English and English writing? How does a German EL
teacher define good writing?

What is the heirarchy between all the elements of English, e.g. grammar, syntax and usage?
Or more specifically, what is the importance of...

 correct grammar (verb tenses, punctuation, use of pronouns, relative pronouns and
relative clauses, etc)
 general sentence structure and syntax (organization of information)
 the balance between content and organization
 the structure and design for a good argument ("persuasive writing")
 linear vs digressive paragraph and text structures
 the emphasis on topic paragraphs and topic sentences -- how important are they,
how are they defined (here some exercises used in Gymnasium would be useful and
interesting)