This study explored how instructors teaching in the same EFL program rated content in compositions. Twenty-one writing samples written on three different topics were rated by five teacher-raters. The transcribed comments made by the teacher-raters showed that 1) their rating behaviors varied to a great extent as to the ways of commenting on and viewing the content of the compositions, 2) when a composition failed to address the topic given, it negatively affected the assessment of the quality of writing, and 3) the teacher-raters made fewer comments on the content of the formal essays than on the content of e-mails. A couple of suggestions are presented with respect to the necessity of establishing written guides for rating criteria for students" essays and of rater training.

This paper presents the rationale behind a newly-developed and implemented college freshman program designed to improve writing skills and the outcomes after one year running. In line with the current teaching trend of colleges in Korea, this program has several features such as placing the freshmen into different levels based on their writing skills, running class focusing on writing skills and giving a S/U grade. Comparisons between a pre-writing test and two post-writing tests show that this program has contributed to increasing the students’ writing skills. The students’ responses to the questionnaire of the program also endorse the test results. A couple of pedagogical implications concerning EFL writing education are suggested.