This essay draws from the experience of observing writing practices in English lessons from 2010-2019, to suggest that the influence of education policy during this phase prioritises preparation for examination questions above the imperatives of learner creativity or volition. Through discussion of ways in which the 'high stakes' examination culture drives schools and teachers to focus on explicit preparation for tests and the meeting of examination criteria, the writer explores this skew of learning counter to necessary processes of concept formation and abstract, imaginative, thinking during adolescence. The writer argues for a radical re-think of the paradigm of 'assessment' of learners' writing, predicated on respectful, finessed, teacher attention to what and how learners express their ideas for particular purpose and audience.