Writing, essentially a social act, is concerned with cognition and is allied to context. Most writing takes the form of dialogue and it is out of dialogic processes that language acquisition takes place. Writers and readers convene in the cognitive and social space that is at the heart of a discourse community. The social aspects of writing are diminished when there is a restriction on the social space where readers and writers come together. This is exemplified by the state of affairs in certain classrooms where writing, reading and responding are undertaken in a solitary manner. The use of computers to teach writing can enliven social exchange by engendering new social structures. In particular, collaboration between writers is prompted by the use of word processors. When the teaching of writing takes place in a computer lab, teachers often structure activities in a qualitatively different manner. In turn this has an influence on student writing. This paper reports on our experience of teaching an in-sessional course in Academic Writing to L2 students at the University of Luton. (Contains 10 figures.)