Writing a master’s thesis in English was a turning point for many EFL MA students in Iran. It not only challenged their academic abilities it also transformed how they saw themselves as teachers and researchers. These students undertook this demanding project in their second language, often with little formal instruction in academic writing, which made the task even more difficult. In this research, we followed seven MA students in ELT programs at universities in Golestan and Khorasan Razavi. The researcher observed how they composed the initial chapters of their theses from 2022 to 2025, analyzing 290 clauses and 70 clause complexes from Chapter 1. Using a qualitative method grounded in academic literacies and Systemic Functional Linguistics, we examined how these students presented their topics, justified the significance of their research, and situated their work within the broader academic context. The results were evident: they depended on declarative sentences, complex clause structures, evaluative expressions, and hedging. These features helped them argue for the value of their research and highlight gaps in existing literature. Frequently, they drew heavily on literature reviews and guidance from supervisors to support their claims. This study highlights the need for more targeted, language-based support for students, supervisors, academic writing instructors, and curriculum developers.