This volume contains ten research studies which informed the revised IELTS Speaking and Writing Modules, 2001 and 2005.

This volume reports research that informs the development of reading and listening assessment in IELTS. This volume brings together a set of eight IELTS-related research studies - four on reading and four on listening - conducted between 2005 and 2010. Findings from these studies provide valuable evidence on the validity, reliability, impact and practicality of the IELTS test; they are also instrumental in highlighting aspects needing attention, and thus directly inform the continuing evolution of the IELTS reading and listening tests. The volume reviews and comments on the specific contribution of each study to the ongoing process of IELTS reading and listening test design and development.

"This Student's Book with answers contains separate sections focussing on Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking ; 8 official practice tests from Cambridge English ; DVD-ROM with MP3 files and speaking test videos."--Publisher.

This volume examines the nature of second language listening proficiency and how it can be assessed. The book highlights the need for test developers to provide a clear explication of the ability constructs which underpin the tests they offer in the public domain. This is increasingly necessary if claims about the validity of test score interpretation and use are to be supported both logically and with empirical evidence. It operationalises a comprehensive test validation framework which adopts a socio-cognitive perspective. The framework embraces six core components, examining and then analysing Cambridge ESOL listening tasks from the following perspectives: Test Taker; Cognitive Validity; Context Validity; Scoring Validity; Criterion-related Validity; and Consequential Validity.

This volume includes selected papers from the 28th Language Testing Research Colloquium, held at the University of Melbourne (Australia) in July 2006. The papers selected for this volume share a common theme - that of 'performance'. Not only do they focus on performance assessments of second or foreign language speaking and writing, but they also focus on the performance of the participants - the candidate (or candidates) and the raters - and the construction of that performance through the tasks and the assessment criteria.