Approximately 800,000 people a year take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) at more than 1,200 test centers in 175 countries and areas around the world. Obviously, the TOEFL has a direct and very important effect on the lives of a large number of people--not the least of whom are students of English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) hoping to enter universities and colleges in North America. Beginning in the 1986-87 testing year, the Test of Written English (TWE) was added to the TOEFL on an experimental basis in direct response to the criticism that the TOEFL measures writing proficiency only indirectly. Even after a decade of experience with the TWE, however, many students and teachers are unfamiliar with various dimensions of the test. This paper focuses on those aspects of the TWE most relevant to teachers of ESL/EFL students preparing for the TOEFL. Test development, format and scoring, validation, and some of the significant criticisms made by researchers and teachers since its implementation in 1986 are reviewed and discussed.

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