This report presents the results of a preliminary exploration and comparison of test-taker and examiner behaviour across two different delivery modes for an IELTS Speaking test: the standard face-to-face test administration, and test administration using Internetbased video-conferencing technology. The study sought to compare performance features across these two delivery modes with regard to two key areas : an analysis of test-takersâ scores and linguistic output on the two modes and their perceptions of the two modes an analysis of examinersâ test management and rating behaviours across the two modes, including their perceptions of the two conditions for delivering the speaking test. Data were collected from 32 test-takers who took two standardised IELTS Speaking tests under face-to-face and internet-based video-conferencing conditions. Four trained examiners also participated in this study. The convergent parallel mixed methods research design included an analysis of interviews with test-takers, as well as their linguistic output (especially types of language functions) and rating scores awarded under the two conditions. Examiners provided written comments justifying the scores they awarded, completed a questionnaire and participated in verbal report sessions to elaborate on their test administration and rating behaviour. Three researchers also observed all test sessions and took field notes. While the two modes generated similar test score outcomes, there were some differences in functional output and examiner interviewing and rating behaviours. This report concludes with a list of recommendations for further research, including examiner and test-taker training and resolution of technical issues, before any decisions about deploying (or not) a video-conferencing mode of the IELTS Speaking test delivery are made. [Abstract].

The present study investigated 190 first-year Japanese undergraduatesâ performance on the IELTS test and the factors that influenced this performance. Participants took two IELTS tests and completed a survey about their language learning history during pre-tertiary and tertiary education and about their preparation for the IELTS test. Nineteen students also participated in follow-up interviews. Test results showed that the participants excelled at reading, followed by listening, while they were relatively much weaker in writing and speaking. Mean overall and speaking scores significantly increased, with greater gain occurring at lower proficiency levels. Regression tree analyses were performed on the score data with 70 variables selected from the survey data as covariates. Key explanatory factors for the first and second test scores and for the subset of participants whose score increased included experience of living and/or studying abroad, motivation to study writing, amount of writing practice, and the type of test preparation (i.e. spoken fluency, test techniques). Survey and interview data revealed that pre-tertiary education in Japan is highly focused on university entrance exam preparation, leading to a bias towards studying reading and, to a lesser extent, listening and writing, while speaking in English is virtually non-existent in the curriculum. These findings demonstrate a strong washback effect from current university entrance exams and help to explain the imbalance of skills identified using the IELTS test. Regarding test-takersâ preparation for IELTS, they reported practicing speaking and writing, being motivated to study these skills and, as a result, perceived the greatest improvement in these skills. It is likely that this increase in practice of productive skills led to the actual increase in speaking test performance observed over the period. Recommendations for using IELTS in the Japanese tertiary context are presented in light of the observed benefits, particularly regarding the potential for positive washback on productive skills. [Abstract].

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

This study compared IELTS examinersâ scores when they assessed test-takersâ spoken performance under live and two non-live rating conditions using audio and video recordings. It also explored examinersâ perceptions towards test-takersâ performance in the two non-live rating modes. This was a mixed-methods study that involved both existing and newly collected datasets. A total of six trained IELTS examiners assessed 36 test-takersâ performance under the live, audio and video rating conditions. Their scores in the three modes of rating were calibrated using the multifaceted Rasch model analysis. In all modes of rating, the examiners were asked to make notes on why they awarded the scores that they did on each analytical category. The comments were quantitatively analysed in terms of the volume of positive and negative features of test-takersâ performance that examiners reported noticing when awarding scores under the three rating conditions. Using selected test-takersâ audio and video recordings, examinersâ verbal reports were also collected to gain insights into their perceptions towards test-takersâ performance under the two non-live conditions. The results showed that audio ratings were significantly lower than live and video ratings for all rating categories. Examiners noticed more negative performance features of test takers under the two non-live rating conditions than the live rating condition. The verbal report data demonstrated how having visual information in the video-rating mode helped examiners to understand test-takersâ utterances, to see what was happening beyond what the test-takers were saying and to understand with more confidence the source of test-takersâ hesitation, pauses and awkwardness in their performance. The results of this study have, therefore, offered a better understanding of the three modes of rating, and a recommendation was made regarding enhanced double-marking methods that could be introduced to the IELTS Speaking Test. [Abstract].

This timely collection explores the role of digital technology in language education and assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic. It recognises the unique pressures which the COVID-19 pandemic placed on assessment in language education, and examines the forced shift in assessment strategies to go online, the existing shortfalls, as well as unique affordances of technology-assisted L2 assessment. By showcasing international examples of successful digital and computer-assisted proficiency and skills testing, the volume addresses theoretical and practical concerns relating to test validity, reliability, ethics, and student experience in a range of testing contexts. Particular attention is given to identifying lessons and implications for future research and practice, and the challenges of implementing unplanned computer-assisted language assessment during a crisis. Insightfully unpacking the ‘lessons learned’ from COVID and its impact on the acceleration of the shift towards online course and assessment delivery, it offers important guidelines for navigating assessment in different instructional settings in times of crisis. It will appeal to scholars, researchers, educators, and faculty with interests in educational measurement, digital education and technology, and language assessment and testing.

This Handbook, with 45 chapters written by the world’s leading scholars in second language acquisition (SLA) and language testing, dives into the important interface between SLA and language testing: shared ground where researchers seek to measure second language performance to better understand how people learn their second languages. The Handbook also reviews how to best measure and evaluate the second language (L2) learners’ personal characteristics, backgrounds, and learning contexts to better understand their L2 learning trajectories. Taking a transdisciplinary approach to research, the book builds upon recent theorizing and measurement principles from the fields of applied linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, psycholinguistics, psychometrics, educational measurement, and social psychology. The Handbook is divided into six key sections: (1) Assessment concepts for SLA researchers, (2) Building instruments for SLA research, (3) Measuring individual differences, (4) Measuring language development, (5) Testing specific populations, and (6) Measurement principles for SLA researchers.