Advisor: Ebisa Bekele (PhD) The main purpose of this study was to assess students’ paragraph writing challenges. The study was carried out in Gedo Secondary School with special reference to grade 9 students. Descriptive case study research design was employed to address the problem. To conduct the study, there were six grade 9 English language teachers and all are used purposively along with 241 students who were selected through simple random sampling technique. In order to achieve the objectives, the study employed three data gathering tools: document analysis, questionnaires and classroom observation. Document analysis was employed to identify features of students’ paragraph writing problems. Questionnaires were used to find out students’ paragraph writing problems and identify factors that affect the quality of paragraph written by students. Furthermore, classroom observation was employed to identify what English language teachers were doing when they teach paragraph writing. All data collected using different tools were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The study identified the major paragraph writing problems students encounter. These are problem of vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. In addition, factors that were affecting students’ paragraph writing were divided in to students’ related factors like lack of knowledge of strategic use, and lack of regular practice. Teachers’ related factors such as ways of giving feedback and shortage of strategic use. Finally, on the basis of the findings, recommendations were made. From those, some of them are: 1.The students should practice writing a lot in the classroom and outside the classroom. 2. The students should develop the vocabulary skill for generating ideas in order to use consistent words and complete sentences to reduce their anxiety. 3. The teachers should try their best to train students to practice paragraph writing more in the classroom by providing enough time. 4. In teaching paragraph writing and giving feedback, the teachers should pay attention to features of good paragraph writing.