Assessing speaking in the revised FCE

Saville, Nick; Hargreaves, Peter

doi:10.1093/elt/53.1.42

Cited by 30 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…There is interest in the facets of oral interviews that might contribute to features of discourse in that setting because features of discourse in interview tasks have been shown to ultimately affect test outcomes . In contrast, peer interaction in pair or group tasks was only introduced as an optional part of oral proficiency testing in the revised Cambridge First Certificate of English (FCE) relatively recently, in the late 1980s (Saville and Hargreaves 1999), making it a relatively new and fertile area for research.…”

Section: Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Interaction in Paired Oral Proficiency Assessment in Spanish

Ducasse¹

2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was in the 1980s that UCLES gave candidates the option of taking a paired oral, and in December 1996 that task became compulsory (Saville & Hargreaves, 1999), as part of a revised test format of the Cambridge First Certificate of English (FCE) and…”

Section: The Origin Of Tests In Pairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction in Paired Oral Proficiency Assessment in Spanish

Ducasse¹

2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is also widely accepted that proficient users of English, regardless of their L1 background, might be used as raters provided that they meet the necessary criteria (Taylor, 2005) and there are number of studies which have explored the impact of language background on rater behavior (Chalhoub-Deville & Wigglesworth, 1995;Hamp-Lyons & Davies, 2005;Hill, 1996;Lazaraton, 2005). Tests using paired or group oral tasks have long been practiced and discussed in the field (e.g., Bonk, 2003;Egyud & Glover, 2001;Foot, 1999;Fulcher, 1996;Iwashita, 1996;O'Sullivan, 2002;Saville & Hargreaves, 1999), although the practice of assigning scores for groups rather than individual performance is usually limited to classroom contexts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing English as a Lingua Franca

Elder¹,

Davies²

2006

APL

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This chapter proposes two alternative models for assessing English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Tests based on the first model resemble existing approaches to assessing English as a foreign language offered by such tests as TOEFL, and IELTS. This model assumes that interlocutors use varieties of English based on Standard English. What distinguishes tests of this model from existing international tests of English is that it explicitly allows test accommodations. Such accommodations modify the test delivery system in order to make it accessible and fair for ELF users without changing the construct. Tests based on the second model assume that ELF may be regarded not as a use of Standard English but as a code in its own right. Similarities to varieties of World Englishes such as Singapore English, Indian English are noted. In tests based on the second model, strategic competence takes precedence over linguistic accuracy. Although both models are somewhat problematic in practice, neither, it is argued, entails any radical reconceptualization of language testing beyond what has already been envisaged and/or enacted in the field. Nevertheless, future tests of ELF may have both symbolic and practical importance, giving greater authority and legitimacy to expanding and outer circle English voices on the one hand and giving flesh to definitions of effective intercultural communication on the other. The chapter concludes by cautioning against moving too quickly to assess ELF before it has been properly described. Assessing English as a Lingua FrancaThe term English as a lingua franca (ELF) may be understood in (at least) four ways:• ELF 1. The use of English in an interaction where at least some of the participants are non-native speakers (NNS) of English • ELF 2. The use of English in an interaction where all the participants are NNSs and do not share the same first language • ELF 3. The use of English in an interaction where all the participants are NNSs and all share the same (or similar) first language ASSESSING ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA 283• ELF 4. A (new) code used for interaction among NNSs, not standard English but based on standard English (SE)

show abstract

“…Hughes (1989, 104) insists on this important feature and points out at least one potentially serious drawback of the traditional one-to-one interview format: the power Plough and Bogart (2008), test takers found these behaviors to be meaningful in terms of their comfort level during the test. And this way of thinking was already taking shape in the 90s as can be stated in the articles of Foot (1999) and Saville and Hargreaves (1999). But this new approach was again the source of differing points of view and so we can see, for example, that Saville and Hargreaves (Op.cit.…”

Section: Paired Testing Versus the One-to-one Formatmentioning

confidence: 98%

Selección de un test para la evaluación de la expresión oral en lengua extranjera en la prueba de acceso a la universidad

Cabrera

2014

Didáctica (Madr.)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Language assessments are valuable tools to provide information such as whether individual students are ready to move on to another unit of instruction, in this case the university. In the research outlined in this article, our main aim was to develop a suitable speaking exam. We began by studying and designing three different types of tests, combining different formats and resources: one-to-one interview based on a photo, one-to-one interview based on a comic strip and a dialogue in pairs. After piloting two examples for each type of test, we chose the most suitable using the level of difficulty and discrimination power of each item. Then we implemented the three types of test to a statistical significant sample (603 subjects) of the population of students in their final year of secondary education in the Canary Islands. Finally we used the Testfact 4.0 program to analyze the reliability and level of difficulty of each test, as well as the level of difficulty and discrimination power of each item. This study allowed us to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the different types of tasks used.

show abstract

Assessing speaking in the revised FCE

Cited by 30 publications

References 0 publications

Interaction in Paired Oral Proficiency Assessment in Spanish

Interaction in Paired Oral Proficiency Assessment in Spanish

Assessing English as a Lingua Franca

Selección de un test para la evaluación de la expresión oral en lengua extranjera en la prueba de acceso a la universidad

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About