diff --git a/buildscripts/smoke.py b/buildscripts/smoke.py
index 841382d8bac..30ac3aa4004 100755
--- a/buildscripts/smoke.py
+++ b/buildscripts/smoke.py
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ def runTest(test, result):
             path = argv[1]
     elif ext == ".js":
         argv = [shell_executable, "--port", mongod_port, '--authenticationMechanism', authMechanism]
-        if use_write_commands:
+        if use_write_commands or "aggregation" in path:
             argv += ["--writeMode", "commands"]
         else:
             argv += ["--writeMode", shell_write_mode]
diff --git a/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server4638.js b/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server4638.js
index 20aa6168a4d..bb75aba99b2 100644
--- a/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server4638.js
+++ b/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server4638.js
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@ t.drop();
 
 t.insert( { _id : 0 , x : 0 , undef: undefined } );
 
-db.getLastError();
-
 // Make sure having an undefined doesn't break pipelines not using the field
 res = t.aggregate( { $project : { x : 1 } } ).toArray();
 assert.eq(res[0].x, 0);
diff --git a/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server6118.js b/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server6118.js
index 8a9811179fc..56e23af8e5a 100644
--- a/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server6118.js
+++ b/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server6118.js
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ N = 100;
 for( i = 0; i < N; ++i ) {
     d.data.insert( { _id:i } )
 }
-d.getLastError();
 
 // Split the data into 3 chunks.
 s.adminCommand( { split:"test.data", middle:{ _id:33 } } );
diff --git a/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server6179.js b/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server6179.js
index 7bc553da693..f5cf6259c4f 100644
--- a/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server6179.js
+++ b/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server6179.js
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ d = s.getDB( "test" );
 for( i = 0; i < 100; ++i ) {
     d.data.insert( { _id:i, i:i%10 } )
 }
-d.getLastError();
 
 // Split the data into 3 chunks.
 s.adminCommand( { split:"test.data", middle:{ _id:33 } } );
diff --git a/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server7781.js b/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server7781.js
index 6ca413e3a21..e22ae786803 100644
--- a/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server7781.js
+++ b/jstests/aggregation/bugs/server7781.js
@@ -66,10 +66,12 @@ function test(db, sharded, indexType) {
 
     // insert points
     var numPts = 10*1000;
+    var bulk = db[coll].initializeUnorderedBulkOp();
     for (var i=0; i < numPts; i++) {
-        db[coll].insert({rand:Math.random(), loc: pointMaker.mkPt()});
+        bulk.insert({ rand: Math.random(), loc: pointMaker.mkPt() });
     }
-    db.getLastError();
+    assert.writeOK(bulk.execute());
+
     assert.eq(db[coll].count(), numPts);
 
     db[coll].ensureIndex({loc: indexType});
diff --git a/jstests/aggregation/mongos_slaveok.js b/jstests/aggregation/mongos_slaveok.js
index eddebdf1938..52790b6f11d 100644
--- a/jstests/aggregation/mongos_slaveok.js
+++ b/jstests/aggregation/mongos_slaveok.js
@@ -13,8 +13,7 @@ if (doSharded) {
     testDB.adminCommand({ shardCollection: 'test.user', key: { x: 1 }});
 }
 
-testDB.user.insert({ x: 10 });
-testDB.runCommand({ getLastError: 1, w: NODES });
+testDB.user.insert({ x: 10 }, { writeConcern: { w: NODES }});
 testDB.setSlaveOk(true);
 
 var secNode = st.rs0.getSecondary();
diff --git a/jstests/aggregation/testSlave.js b/jstests/aggregation/testSlave.js
index 04c390abc1b..36ce353e784 100644
--- a/jstests/aggregation/testSlave.js
+++ b/jstests/aggregation/testSlave.js
@@ -7,10 +7,10 @@ replTest.awaitReplication();
 var mast = nodes[0].getDB('test');
 var slav = nodes[1].getDB('test');
 
-mast.agg.insert({});
-mast.agg.insert({});
-mast.agg.insert({});
-mast.getLastError(2);
+var options = { writeConcern: { w: 2 }};
+mast.agg.insert({}, options);
+mast.agg.insert({}, options);
+mast.agg.insert({}, options);
 
 var res = slav.agg.aggregate({$group: {_id: null, count: {$sum: 1}}});
 assert.eq(res.toArray(), [{_id:null, count: 3}]);
diff --git a/jstests/aggregation/testshard1.js b/jstests/aggregation/testshard1.js
index 5e422a94458..a87d07f9590 100644
--- a/jstests/aggregation/testshard1.js
+++ b/jstests/aggregation/testshard1.js
@@ -74,14 +74,13 @@ var strings = [
 ];
 
 var nItems = 200000;
+var bulk = db.ts1.initializeUnorderedBulkOp();
 for(i = 1; i <= nItems; ++i) {
-    db.ts1.save(
+    bulk.insert(
         {counter: ++count, number: strings[i % 20], random: Math.random(),
          filler: "0123456789012345678901234567890123456789"});
 }
-
-// wait for all writebacks to be applied
-assert.eq(db.getLastError(), null);
+assert.writeOK(bulk.execute());
 
 // Turn on exception tracing in mongod to figure out exactly where the SCEs are coming from
 // TEMPORARY - REMOVE ONCE SERVER-9622 IS RESOLVED
@@ -145,8 +144,8 @@ for(i = 0 ; i < strings.length; ++i) {
 // a match takes place in the shards; just returning the results from mongos
 var a4 = aggregateNoOrder(db.ts1, [
     { $match: {$or:[{counter:55}, {counter:1111},
-                    {counter: 2222}, {counter: 33333},
-                    {counter: 99999}, {counter: 55555}]}
+                    {counter: 2222}, {counter: 3333},
+                    {counter: 9999}, {counter: 5555}]}
     }
 ]);