This paper analyses the current situation of English as a foreign language (EFL) writing in basic education in mainland China with a focus on the English curriculum standards, instruction and assessment. The National English Curriculum Standards launched by China's Ministry of Education ratified a general framework for EFL writing instruction and assessment in schools while the municipal curriculum guides, such as the one of Shanghai, include more specific writing performance descriptors. Comparisons of EFL curricula with other countries and regions suggest diverse examples and updated resources be added to China's current curriculum standards to improve feasibility and modernity. Moreover, there are discrepancies between the Curriculum Standards and the implementation in the classroom. Sociocultural factors, such as teachers' beliefs, instructional materials and the exam culture, have led to the tension between new pedagogies advocated in the Curriculum Standards and conventional instructional practices. This study further explores the writing section in the large-scale high-stake exams, that is, "Zhongkao" and "Gaokao," which have long exerted strong influence on teachers' instruction and assessment practices. Regularising professional training in writing instruction and improving teachers' assessment literacy are thus suggested. Local practitioners' attempts to integrate the process approach into traditional teaching methods and scholars' efforts to develop the writing scales for assessment are discussed to offer policy and pedagogical implications for other education contexts that are faced with similar challenges.