Linking tests of English for academic purposes to the CEFR: the score user’s perspective
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Abstract
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is widely used in setting language proficiency requirements, including for international students seeking access to university courses taught in English. When different language examinations have been related to the CEFR, the process is claimed to help score users, such as university admissions staff, to compare and evaluate these examinations as tools for selecting qualified applicants. This study analyses the linking claims made for four internationally recognised tests of English widely used in university admissions. It uses the Council of Europe’s (2009) suggested stages of specification, standard setting, and empirical validation to frame an evaluation of the extent to which, in this context, the CEFR has fulfilled its potential to “facilitate comparisons between different systems of qualifications.” Findings show that testing agencies make little use of CEFR categories to explain test content; represent the relationships between their tests and the framework in different terms; and arrive at conflicting conclusions about the correspondences between test scores and CEFR levels. This raises questions about the capacity of the CEFR to communicate competing views of a test construct within a coherent overarching structure.Citation
Green A (2017) 'Linking tests of English for academic purposes to the CEFR: the score user’s perspective', Language Assessment Quarterly 15 (1) 59-74Publisher
Taylor and FrancisJournal
Language Assessment QuarterlyAdditional Links
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15434303.2017.1350685Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1543-4303EISSN
1543-4311ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/15434303.2017.1350685
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