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Abstract
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The present study set out to find out how Iranian EFL writing raters
as a particular non-native speaker (NNS) group in an expanding
context perceive the construct of writing as they rate the essays. For
this aim, a body of 15 experienced raters were asked to verbalize
their thoughts while rating the essays. Upon a rigorous content
analysis of the raters’ protocols, it was found that the majority of the
raters prioritized mechanical and grammatical aspects of the texts
when assessing the texts. In fact, the raters equated writing with
a small and superficial set of criteria. The findings revealed that,
despite the pluralization of language needs and contexts in the
Iranian EFL context, language testing practice is still norm-
dependent. The study also warns that such a limited conception
of writing construct should be given a second thought in a time
when local non-native criterion are encouraged.
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