One effective method for conveying one’s thoughts and ideas is through writing. As Leki and Carson (1994) emphasize: \"ability to write well is necessary both to achieve academic success and to demonstrate that achievement\" (p. 83). While writing in one’s native language is a daunting task, it is simple to see why most students find writing in a foreign language to be devastating. With the growing number of Iranian students studying overseas, it is necessary to see what these students’ and their teachers perceive to be the most difficult areas in English writing. 6 areas of difficulty (Jordan, 1997) were used in the present study. 70 Iranian along with 60 Malaysian higher intermediate EFL Students; and 20 Iranian and 10 Malaysian EFL teachers were asked to number the areas from most problematic to least problematic. To further probe participants\' perception, an interview was held with 14 participants. A mismatch was found in the perception of the Iranian participants which shows what the students perceive to be areas of difficulty in English writing are not areas teachers emphasize in classes. The findings revealed there are inconsistencies between the learners\' needs, and what the teachers believe to be areas of difficulty in these students’ English writings.

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