Liz Hamp-Lyons began her career as a teacher of English for Academic Purposes, before researching the writing test component of ELTS (the precursor to the IELTS) for her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Much of her PhD was published, with other chapters, in Assessing Second Language Writing in Academic Contexts (1991). She worked at the Universities of Michigan and Colorado before becoming Chair Professor and Department Head at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. For many years she edited the journal Assessing Writing (Elsevier), and founded the Journal of English for Academic Purposes in 2002. She has consulted on large scale as well as more local writing assessments.

• Part I: Investigating Present Practice.- Introduction.- Rating scale impact on the CET-4 Writing: Amixed-methods study; S. Zou.- The writing performance of Chinese test takers in PTE-Academic; Y. Chen.- To whom do I write? Chinese EFL test-takers’ conceptualization and construction of their audience in the Aptis writing test; Y. Chen and X. Guan.- Strategy use and performance on writing for the GEPT; N. Li.- Validating a curriculum-based rating scale for a university-based writing assessment: The RUC-TWPE experience; L. Lium, L. Tian and G. Jia.- Construct validation of an integrated listening-to-write task in a high-stakes English proficiency test: A multi-dimensional analysis of register variation; Y. Hao and J. J. Fan.- Part II: New Directions.- Introduction.- Theory-based approach to academic writing assessment: A conceptual framework for assessment design and development; C. G. Zhao.- A new agenda in writing assessment: Combining argumentative writing pedagogy with critical thinking cultivation; X. Tang and F. Liu.- Source material use across different types of integrated writing tasks by Chinese college EFL learners: A comparative study; Y. Zhou.- Factors impacting upon writing teachers’ feedback choices; J. Yang.- Error patterns of Secondary 3 students in Hong Kong; I. Lee.-  Assessment training in the use of portfolios: Voices from writing teachers; R. Lam.- The validation of a business English writing proficiency scale for Chinese EFL learners; L. Wang.- Applying the writing sub-scales of the China’s Standards of English Language Ability to writing assessments in China; M. Pan.- Conclusion.

Liz Hamp-Lyons began her career as a teacher of English for Academic Purposes, before researching the writing test component of ELTS (the precursor to the IELTS) for her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Much of her PhD was published, with other chapters, in Assessing Second Language Writing in Academic Contexts (1991). She worked at the Universities of Michigan and Colorado before becoming Chair Professor and Department Head at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. For many years she edited the journal Assessing Writing (Elsevier), and founded the Journal of English for Academic Purposes in 2002. She has consulted on large scale as well as more local writing assessments.

• Part I: Investigating Present Practice.- Introduction.- Rating scale impact on the CET-4 Writing: Amixed-methods study; S. Zou.- The writing performance of Chinese test takers in PTE-Academic; Y. Chen.- To whom do I write? Chinese EFL test-takers’ conceptualization and construction of their audience in the Aptis writing test; Y. Chen and X. Guan.- Strategy use and performance on writing for the GEPT; N. Li.- Validating a curriculum-based rating scale for a university-based writing assessment: The RUC-TWPE experience; L. Lium, L. Tian and G. Jia.- Construct validation of an integrated listening-to-write task in a high-stakes English proficiency test: A multi-dimensional analysis of register variation; Y. Hao and J. J. Fan.- Part II: New Directions.- Introduction.- Theory-based approach to academic writing assessment: A conceptual framework for assessment design and development; C. G. Zhao.- A new agenda in writing assessment: Combining argumentative writing pedagogy with critical thinking cultivation; X. Tang and F. Liu.- Source material use across different types of integrated writing tasks by Chinese college EFL learners: A comparative study; Y. Zhou.- Factors impacting upon writing teachers’ feedback choices; J. Yang.- Error patterns of Secondary 3 students in Hong Kong; I. Lee.-  Assessment training in the use of portfolios: Voices from writing teachers; R. Lam.- The validation of a business English writing proficiency scale for Chinese EFL learners; L. Wang.- Applying the writing sub-scales of the China’s Standards of English Language Ability to writing assessments in China; M. Pan.- Conclusion.

Liz Hamp-Lyons began her career as a teacher of English for Academic Purposes, before researching the writing test component of ELTS (the precursor to the IELTS) for her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Much of her PhD was published, with other chapters, in Assessing Second Language Writing in Academic Contexts (1991). She worked at the Universities of Michigan and Colorado before becoming Chair Professor and Department Head at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. For many years she edited the journal Assessing Writing (Elsevier), and founded the Journal of English for Academic Purposes in 2002. She has consulted on large scale as well as more local writing assessments.

• Part I: Investigating Present Practice.- Introduction.- Rating scale impact on the CET-4 Writing: Amixed-methods study; S. Zou.- The writing performance of Chinese test takers in PTE-Academic; Y. Chen.- To whom do I write? Chinese EFL test-takers’ conceptualization and construction of their audience in the Aptis writing test; Y. Chen and X. Guan.- Strategy use and performance on writing for the GEPT; N. Li.- Validating a curriculum-based rating scale for a university-based writing assessment: The RUC-TWPE experience; L. Lium, L. Tian and G. Jia.- Construct validation of an integrated listening-to-write task in a high-stakes English proficiency test: A multi-dimensional analysis of register variation; Y. Hao and J. J. Fan.- Part II: New Directions.- Introduction.- Theory-based approach to academic writing assessment: A conceptual framework for assessment design and development; C. G. Zhao.- A new agenda in writing assessment: Combining argumentative writing pedagogy with critical thinking cultivation; X. Tang and F. Liu.- Source material use across different types of integrated writing tasks by Chinese college EFL learners: A comparative study; Y. Zhou.- Factors impacting upon writing teachers’ feedback choices; J. Yang.- Error patterns of Secondary 3 students in Hong Kong; I. Lee.-  Assessment training in the use of portfolios: Voices from writing teachers; R. Lam.- The validation of a business English writing proficiency scale for Chinese EFL learners; L. Wang.- Applying the writing sub-scales of the China’s Standards of English Language Ability to writing assessments in China; M. Pan.- Conclusion.