Future of English
Our concept of English proficiency is evolving, shaped by a globalised workplace, the rise of English medium instruction, and technology’s capacity to connect the world. Effective communication has therefore become a priority for English learners. However, many assessment practices and policies haven’t kept pace with these changes. Given the different uses of English, it’s clear that English language assessment will need to evolve to reflect modern norms; to consider the impact of technology and the increasingly globalised and multilingual nature of English learners and users.
The Future of English explores the current state of assessments, how they’re changing, and whether they can meet the needs of educators and learners globally.
AfL (often referred to as ‘formative assessment’) plays a supportive role in English language classrooms, keeping the focus on progress rather than grades or certificates. Depending on the learners’ age and level, educators may use a variety of assessment activities. The information gained from these activities can be used in two ways:
AfL, which can be seen as a form of developmental assessment, should be treated like a core and seamless part of education, and not treated as a separate activity.
Implementing AfL can be challenging when teachers lack the necessary experience, training, or resources. In particular, providing feedback requires a specific set of skills to motivate learners. Teachers need an in-depth understanding of AfL and its role in the learning process, as well as experience in applying these principles in the classroom. Multilingual and English-medium environments face an additional challenge in implementing AfL.
English language assessment most often takes the form of summative tests, used to judge or rank learners, and referred to as assessment of learning. Some types of summative assessment common in this language learning context are as follows:
A placement test aims to determine a learner’s proficiency level to correctly place them in a course or programme. For example, private language schools usually ask new students to sit a test to gauge their Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level before enrolling them in a specific class. Some universities also use placement tests when a recognised certificate is not required. One challenge is checking the accuracy of the placement test. It’s possible to observe how learners perform over time in their classes to see if they were correctly placed, but motivation and learning styles may affect the results.
Progress tests assign learners a score based on what skills or knowledge they’ve obtained from a course or programme. However, there are concerns about the relevancy of these assessments, if not done right. Many educators rely on pre-existing materials, meaning that the format or content may not be suitable for a specific group of learners. Using external test solutions might help to keep them updated to learner needs.
Achievement tests are required by different types of organisations like universities, immigration authorities, governments, or certain employers, to verify English language ability. These certificates are used for high stakes decisions such as admission to university programs taught in English, visa applications, or employment at companies using English as their working language.
There are two types of admission tests for universities: locally developed assessments for university or college and nationally or externally developed assessments for English-medium higher education courses. IELTS and TOEFL are the most widely recognised global English language assessments.
Employment assessments determine whether candidates have the necessary language skills to perform a job or work well as part of a team. English often serves as the lingua franca in work environments, making proficiency more essential than ever. Employers are sceptical that standardised tests can meet their needs, and may use their own in-house assessment to adapt the test to the local context. Despite this, there are several work related tests developed with the aim to address this.
Some tests tend to focus on grammar and vocabulary, and receptive (reading and listening) skills. This can have an impact on educational systems as many teachers find themselves “teaching to the test”, i.e. only teaching the skills that are evaluated in the final tests, instead of helping learners develop holistic language skills which enable successful communication in English. This results in learners who can pass the required assessment, but don’t have the necessary language skills to attend a course or perform a job. This is why it is so important for organisations and institutions to invest in selecting the right language tests for their needs. For example, Aptis and IELTS are language proficiency tests that robustly assess test takers’ productive language and communication skills.
Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) is the knowledge base needed to understand important concepts in language assessment, and create language assessment procedures. As assessment becomes more central in teaching and learning, LAL is increasingly important for everyone involved in the testing process, from the policymakers deciding on test format, to teachers who are preparing learners for the test, to test takers and their parents, who need to understand and interpret their scores.
Roundtable discussions centred around the need to adapt assessments to meet modern learner needs and reflect recent trends. One major area of concern was the demand for more practical English, particularly speaking and writing skills. Educators often overlook or omit them as they’re more challenging for teachers to test and require extensive resources.
Assessments may increasingly be tailored to specific contexts, especially given the emergence of many local variations of English and the need for industry-based language. Some countries are already introducing local tests, most notably the CEFR-J in Japan.
Experts believe technology has a large role to play in the evolution of English language assessments. Artificial intelligence (AI) can intelligently automate processes for speaking and writing tests, alleviating the burden on educators. However, care must be taken when implementing new technologies as there are ongoing concerns about validity, access and inclusion.
As our ideas about language evolve, our focus is shifting from teaching English as an academic subject to fostering strong communication skills. Equally, education systems are recognising how modern society requires people to communicate effectively in different contexts. English assessment must adapt accordingly.
While these changes pose many challenges to educators, they bring us the opportunity to review our assessment practices. In other words, we can look at what we teach and test in different contexts to ensure assessment helps learners to achieve a useful and meaningful level of English language proficiency and access more opportunities.
Assessment
Our concept of English proficiency is evolving, shaped by a globalised workplace, the rise of English medium instruction, and technology’s capacity to connect the world. Effective communicat...
