The marking scales used by Cambridge Assessment English writing examiners are freely available to teachers in the series of Handbooks for Teachers.  However, many teachers are surprised to discover this essential tool and need some encouragement in order to start using the scales when marking writing of students who are preparing for the Cambridge Assessment English qualifications.   In this workshop we will explore the scales and descriptors, looking at examples of students’ work and also at classroom activities which can help students to improve in specific areas.