Abstarct: Writing is a complex and essential skill for EFL learners, who often struggle to produce coherent and effective texts despite possessing sufficient grammatical and lexical knowledge. This study investigates the Thematic Progression in the essays of eighteen undergraduate Iranian EFL learners, using Theme–Rheme structures within Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar frxamework and Thematic Progression (TP) models developed by Daneš. Additionally, post-Daneš research identifies two further Thematic Progression Patterns—Gapped TP and Shift TP—which are also explored in the present data alongside Daneš original classification. The research addresses three questions: the distribution of Theme types, the prevalent TP patterns, and learners’ ability to organize ideas cohesively. Participants were asked to write five-paragraph essays on a familiar topic, which were then analyzed using qualitative discourse analysis. Findings revealed a dominance of Topical Themes, limited use of Textual Themes, and rare occurrence of Interpersonal Themes. Constant TP was the most frequently employed progression pattern (32.6%), followed by Linear (21.2%), Gapped (19.7%), Shift (19.2%), and Derived TP (7.2%). While learners could produce cohesive texts, their writing often relied on repetitive structures and lacked flexibility, with advanced strategies such as Derived TP being underutilized. These results highlight the need for explicit instruction in Thematic organization, including diverse Theme types and TP patterns, to enhance cohesion and depth in EFL writing. The study provides pedagogical insights for teachers to integrate Thematic awareness, genre variation, and content-baxsed instruction into writing curricula, thereby fostering learners’ ability to produce coherent and reader-focused texts.