What should an English language test include if it is to help students succeed?

Testing and security are often a hot topic, and it was no exception at this year’s UKENIC. Our talk ‘What language skills should a university entrance test cover to enable student success?’, given by Dr Tony Clark, Head of IELTS Research and Justin Rodford, Senior Recognition Manager, aimed to help navigate the landscape and give tips on what to look out for in a good test.

The Covid 19 pandemic led to some universities widening the range of English language tests they use to evaluate students’ language proficiency for course entry. For some this was a necessary compromise, but it is now becoming clear that student success is at risk if a language test doesn’t rigorously assess the English skills required for academic study. So perhaps now is the time to revisit the question: what should an English language test include if it is to help students succeed?

A well-designed test can help students hit the ground running, preparing them for communication on campus with appropriate tasks and authentic situations, giving them greater confidence that they can cope with the demands of their course. It can also give an admissions team greater confidence that the test result accurately reflects the student’s language ability and readiness for academic life.

Insufficient language ability can have a potentially negative impact, both on student wellbeing and motivation, as well as for universities for retention and recruitment, so the quality of a test really matters.

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So, what to look for in a good test?

There are a few key questions to ask when looking to accept an English language test, and answering these can help assess which test is right for you:

• Is it valid – is it an authentic test of real-life English?
• Is it reliable – does it behave consistently and fairly?
• Does it have impact – does it positively affect teaching and learning?
• Is it practical – does the exam or test demonstrate an applicant’s ability?

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Find out more about our English language tests for higher education here.