ABSTRACT
This afterword comments on the pernicious effects of high-stakes testing of L2 English writing throughout the world. In exam-driven cultures, tests of written English that emphasize formal accuracy are increasingly used for politicized gatekeeping and competitive purposes. As such, they determine students’ entrance into and exit from educational institutions rather than being used primarily to improve teaching and learning of L2 writing. In the absence of top-down curricular reforms, teachers of L2 writing in English can try to engage students in deeper and more creative aspects of L2 writing behind the closed doors of their classrooms.
