Abstract
Recent applications of quality assurance (QA) standards have required academic programmes in Saudi universities to base teaching on a variety of learning outcomes along with relevant teaching and assessment methods that are subject to regular reviews both internally and externally. In line with these educational developments, the present study attempted to find out if the repeated check-ups of what to assess in the students' writing have helped to standardize the assessment criteria for EFL writing courses at Majma'ah University (MU). A questionnaire and follow-up interviews were used to collect data to answer four research questions pertaining to the use of marking rubrics and whether or not their use is affected by three variables: Instructional experience of the faculty, academic levels at which writing courses are offered and the type of writing being assessed. The study findings indicated that participants used the ten marking rubrics included in the questionnaire. They also showed no statistically significant differences in the use of marking rubrics based on the study variables.