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Trends in discourse analysis have brought to language teaching an interest in communication through effective discourse, moving beyond the traditional focus on the sentence. We analyse this trend in communicative competence in writing, and establish some criteria for the development of written discourse competence in pedagogical tasks. We then review several ELT coursebooks, analyzing their provision of writing activities which fit the criteria. Text types, degrees of formality and informality, and linking words are present; however, there remains room for improvement in terms of raising L2 writers’ awareness of audience, interaction and context, and of micro-level concerns of text structuring.