ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces how writing instructors in a Chinese university negotiated with national assessment mandates, including a syllabus for university English teaching and an English proficiency test for English majors. Through document analyses and interviews, we identify pedagogical practices through which the instructors guided students’ English writing development beyond the assessment mandates. They developed a semester-long thesis writing mentorship and integrated a creative writing approach to composition instruction. By illustrating how a local program has tailored its curriculum to foster students’ creativity and agency, we suggest that EFL writing instructors actively negotiate with the local assessment culture.
