diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/builder/FaultTolerantStepBuilder.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/builder/FaultTolerantStepBuilder.java
index a27876e3e..2576d9738 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/builder/FaultTolerantStepBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/builder/FaultTolerantStepBuilder.java
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ public class FaultTolerantStepBuilder<I, O> extends SimpleStepBuilder<I, O> {
 	@Override
 	protected Tasklet createTasklet() {
 		Assert.state(getReader() != null, "ItemReader must be provided");
-		Assert.state(getProcessor() != null || getWriter() != null, "ItemWriter or ItemProcessor must be provided");
+		Assert.state(getWriter() != null, "ItemWriter must be provided");
 		addSpecialExceptions();
 		registerSkipListeners();
 		ChunkProvider<I> chunkProvider = createChunkProvider();
@@ -773,6 +773,6 @@ public class FaultTolerantStepBuilder<I, O> extends SimpleStepBuilder<I, O> {
 			}
 			return chunkListener.equals(obj);
 		}
-		
+
 	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/builder/SimpleStepBuilder.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/builder/SimpleStepBuilder.java
index 3f1b637a4..62b932f57 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/builder/SimpleStepBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/builder/SimpleStepBuilder.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2006-2014 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2006-2017 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ public class SimpleStepBuilder<I, O> extends AbstractTaskletStepBuilder<SimpleSt
 	@Override
 	protected Tasklet createTasklet() {
 		Assert.state(reader != null, "ItemReader must be provided");
-		Assert.state(processor != null || writer != null, "ItemWriter or ItemProcessor must be provided");
+		Assert.state(writer != null, "ItemWriter must be provided");
 		RepeatOperations repeatOperations = createChunkOperations();
 		SimpleChunkProvider<I> chunkProvider = new SimpleChunkProvider<I>(reader, repeatOperations);
 		SimpleChunkProcessor<I, O> chunkProcessor = new SimpleChunkProcessor<I, O>(processor, writer);
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/FaultTolerantStepFactoryBeanTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/FaultTolerantStepFactoryBeanTests.java
index 509e389d5..01a456e4a 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/FaultTolerantStepFactoryBeanTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/FaultTolerantStepFactoryBeanTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2008-2014 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2008-2017 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -371,30 +371,6 @@ public class FaultTolerantStepFactoryBeanTests {
 				.getName()));
 	}
 
-	@Test
-	public void testNullWriter() throws Exception {
-
-		factory.setItemWriter(null);
-		Step step = factory.getObject();
-
-		step.execute(stepExecution);
-
-		assertEquals(0, stepExecution.getSkipCount());
-		assertEquals(0, stepExecution.getReadSkipCount());
-		assertEquals(5, stepExecution.getReadCount());
-		// Write count is incremented even if nothing happens
-		assertEquals(5, stepExecution.getWriteCount());
-		assertEquals(0, stepExecution.getFilterCount());
-		assertEquals(0, stepExecution.getRollbackCount());
-
-		// writer skips "4"
-		assertTrue(reader.getRead().contains("4"));
-
-		assertEquals(BatchStatus.COMPLETED, stepExecution.getStatus());
-		assertStepExecutionsAreEqual(stepExecution, repository.getLastStepExecution(jobExecution.getJobInstance(), step
-				.getName()));
-	}
-
 	/**
 	 * Check items causing errors are skipped as expected.
 	 */
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SimpleStepFactoryBeanTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SimpleStepFactoryBeanTests.java
index b272df36f..46e241771 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SimpleStepFactoryBeanTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SimpleStepFactoryBeanTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2006-2013 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2006-2017 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import org.junit.Before;
+import org.junit.Ignore;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.BatchStatus;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.ChunkListener;
@@ -475,32 +476,6 @@ public class SimpleStepFactoryBeanTests {
 
 	}
 
-	@Test
-	public void testNullWriter() throws Exception {
-
-		SimpleStepFactoryBean<String, String> factory = getStepFactory(new String[] { "foo", "bar", "spam" });
-		factory.setItemWriter(null);
-		factory.setItemProcessor(new ItemProcessor<String, String>() {
-			@Override
-			public String process(String item) throws Exception {
-				written.add(item);
-				return null;
-			}
-		});
-
-		Step step = factory.getObject();
-
-		job.setSteps(Collections.singletonList(step));
-
-		JobExecution jobExecution = repository.createJobExecution(job.getName(), new JobParameters());
-
-		job.execute(jobExecution);
-
-		assertEquals(BatchStatus.COMPLETED, jobExecution.getStatus());
-		assertEquals("[foo, bar, spam]", written.toString());
-
-	}
-
 	private SimpleStepFactoryBean<String, String> getStepFactory(String... args) throws Exception {
 		SimpleStepFactoryBean<String, String> factory = new SimpleStepFactoryBean<String, String>();