Krista is a Senior Lecturer in TEFL at the University of Cumbria, Lancaster. She has been involved in designing, coordinating and teaching on a wide variety of courses for students and for pre-service and in-service teachers. She is currently involved in an ongoing project within the Faculty of Education exploring the use of essay feedback to develop trainee teachers' language awareness and academic writing skills. This is 2The use of tutor feedback on draft essays: exploring the potential to develop students' academic writing and subject knowledge Providing feedback on drafts of student essays is an accepted means of enacting a social-constructivist approach to assessment, aligning with current views on the value of formative feedback and assessment for learning (AFL). However, the use of this process as a means of improving not only content but also students' academic writing skills has not been widely studied despite a widespread perception that there is scope for intervention. This article explores the developmental potential of a drafting/tutor feedback/redrafting process, with a particular focus on writing skills, on a first-year undergraduate module at a British University. Impact on learning is evaluated via essay data and students' perceptions. The findings of this study suggest that feedback is acted on and that students regard timely, detailed and awareness-raising comments with regard to both content and writing skills as highly developmental. Also noteworthy, however, are the students' perceptions that redrafting is cognitively challenging and time-consuming. There is also evidence suggesting that a high quantity of feedback may have a detrimental impact on less-academically confident students.Questions are raised regarding the use of tutor reformulation and the sustainability of AFL. Finally, some key indicators for improved future practice are presented.