Feedback plays a pivotal role in second language writing classrooms. Despite a wealth of research and guidance on effective feedback practice, providing feedback on student writing has been acknowledged as a taxing task. Challenges include students’ limited engagement with feedback, as well as teacher frustration and burnout. In this article, drawing on existing research and personal experiences, and using the why, who, what, and how questions as an organizing framework, we examine the underlying reasons that elucidate common feedback failures in conventional writing classrooms. Subsequently, 10 effective principles are derived, also aligned with the wh-question framework of feedback. Building upon the insights gleaned from the examination of feedback failures and principles, this article provides pedagogical implications for writing teacher education and suggests areas for further research.
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