Iranian EFL students’ perceptions of criteria for assessing students’ written performance

Abstract

In the history of language teaching and learning, writing in general and the assessment of writing in particular have always been the topic of controversy. Listening to the voice of students with regard to the process of writing and its assessment is of crucial importance. Doing so, the present study intended to explore Iranian EFL students’ perceptions of criteria for assessing students’ written performance. To this aim, a convenient sample of students (N = 30) from different classes and institutes in Darab, Iran, was recruited to participate in the study. All of the participants were interviewed to determine their perceptions of criteria for writing assessment. Results indicated that based on students’ perceptions, grammar and spelling are the important factors in the assessment of a piece of writing, respectively. They also mentioned that the ability to write can be assessed through composition writing and their teachers should utilise their own perceptions rather than utilising a standard rubric. Keywords: Assessing writing, criteria, perceptions, students