With developing understanding of writing in a second language, new ways of assessing writing abilities are needed. Since no book-length treatment of this topic has appeared since Shaw and Weir (2007) and Weigle (2002), this volume offers a much needed comprehensive overview of the field that takes account of recent development and future directions.

Assessing Second Language Writing includes discussion of emerging issues and their implications for practice including debates concerning the construct(s) of writing abilities, social and ethical questions surrounding writing assessment, synergies and tensions between the teaching, learning and assessment of writing, opportunities and challenges associated with new technology, practical challenges in implementing assessments of writing and meeting the challenges: the institutional practice of writing assessment. The book will progress from theoretical discussion, based in the literature, which introduces the field. It will then present the options for practitioners when designing assessments for a range of purposes. The closing section will provide a case study on how the issues raised in earlier chapters affect one organization and how each is addressed in practice.

Series: British Council Monographs on Modern Language Testing