Therefore, essay tests should be used sparingly and should not be the only kind of writing students do in other subject areas. If we expect students to write more effectively, then we must provide the instruction which is necessary. Each discipline has its own particular requirements, formats, and expectations. An explication of a poem is not the same as a laboratory report in science. A business letter and a memo are also different.
Literary reviews are distinct from reports of historical research.
No English department can possibly teach students all of the myriad forms of writing. Few English instructors are truly comfortable writing in these specialized forms themselves. This is one major reason that writing must be taught across the curriculum. If we want students to become literate, then we must acknowledge that there are different kinds of writing associated with various disciplines. True literacy means being able to cope with these differences, both as readers and as writers.