Assessing integrated skills for advanced English learners: why, what and how?

Colin Finnerty Oxford Univerity Press

Summary

One of the earliest recorded instances of language assessment dates back over 3,000 years. After defeating the Ephraimites in battle, the Gileadite tribe rounded up any stragglers and in order to identify whether they were friend or foe, the Gileadites would put them to a simple test: to say the word ‘Shibboleth’. The Ephraimites had no ‘sh’ sound in their language, were unable to pronounce the word, and failed the test. The consequences - in what could reasonably be called a high stakes test - were fatal. Language assessment has come a long way since those early days and at the cutting edge of English language assessment today are tests of mediation through integrated skills. But what is mediation, how is it tested, and how do we prepare our students? In this session we'll address each of these questions.

Biodata

Colin Finnerty (MSc.) is Head of Assessment Research in the ELT division of Oxford University Press. Colin holds an MSc in TESOL and was instrumental in the design and validation of the Oxford Test of English suite, including the Oxford Test of English Advanced, a computer-adaptive B2-C1 proficiency test with a focus on academic and professional skills. Previously Colin has worked for Cambridge Assessment on IELTS and for the British Council, running professional development courses for teachers. Colin has presented at international conferences including LTF, ALTE and IATEFL and his research interests include corpus linguistics and Natural Language Processing and machine learning.

Presentation Details

Type of presentation: Talk
The presentation is for: General audience
The presentation focuses on: Various
The session is: A balanced mixture of theory and practice
Category: Language Assessment, including Evaluation and Testing
Presentation is commercial: No
Speaking on behalf of a publisher, examination board, or commercial organisation? Yes, Oxford University Press

Scheduled for

Date: Saturday, 2024-09-21, 16:10 - 17:10
Place: AUD 1L NE