Test review: College English Test (CET) in China

Abstract

different and much more academically oriented than at the three lower levels.In summary, the GEPT appears to be a solid, traditional test battery with a focus on high practicality at the three lower levels, whereas the two upper levels resemble more recent generations of academically and communicatively oriented tests. The test is widely available throughout Taiwan (at least at the lower levels) and less costly for test takers than other options like TOEFL or IELTS. Construct validation research, investigations of social and educational impact, and empirical anchoring of can-do statements appear to be the most pressing items for GEPT research.

Measuring Self-Identity Change Related to English Language Learning and Bilingual Education among Chinese-Speaking College Students: An Exploratory Study

“…As was introduced earlier, English majors in our study were required to take English culture-related courses such as cross-cultural communication and American/British literature, which are also core courses for English majors in other higher institutions in Taiwan (Cheng, 2012). Another prevalent practice, as was evident in the local university in Taiwan, is the recruitment of native English speakers (Wu and Ke, 2009;Wang and Lin, 2013) or graduates from English-speaking countries -who have received or understood American culture and viewpoints in language education‖ (Liu, 2005) to teach these English majors, which brings them into a new community with target language and culture. From learners' perspective, these English majors chose English as their main area of study, most likely due to their strong English learning motivation, which impacted their identity-change (Xu and Gao, 2014) especially as they continue to familiarize themselves with the target language and culture, and develop into a new disposition and attitudes while maintaining identity of origin.…”

Understanding English speaking difficulties: an investigation of two Chinese populations

“…The programme is also characterised by using a set of unified textbooks such as New Horizon College English, or New College English. At the end of the programme, students are supposed to take the unified College English Test (CET), which consists of three tests: Band 4 (CET-4), Band 6 (CET-6) and the CET Á Spoken English Test (CET-SET; Zheng and Cheng 2008). Both CET-4 and CET-6 1 have similar components: reading, listening, vocabulary, grammar and writing.…”

Investigating Teachers’ Perceptions of Fluency

“…In China the situation is different but arguably even more problematic (Cheng, 2008). Thirteen million take the college English test annually (Zheng & Cheng, 2008). Some become discouraged after trying repeatedly to pass various tests, investing large amounts of money, and failing without knowing why (Yu, 2014).…”