This qualitative study investigated 14 Chinese international graduate students' lived experiences with group work and the effects of group work on their English communicative competence. The interview results showed that these participants' attitudes towards group work went through changes from initial inadaptation or dislike to later adaptation or acceptance, and the time for their adjustment ranged from half a year to one year. The results also revealed that group work greatly improved their English communicative competence in terms of grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence. Suggestions for educational researchers, international students, and Chinese EFL instructors were provided.