The oral interview (OI) is a testing procedure that measures a wide range of speaking abilities in a foreign language. Although somewhat different versions are used in different testing situations, the OI always consists of a structured, face-to-face conversation on a variety of topics between a student and one or two testers. The resulting speech…

Differences between the academic (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and government (Foreign Service Institute) versions of the oral proficiency interview test are examined, and data from two studies of interrater reliability are presented and discussed. (MSE)

The Communicative Use of English as a Foreign Language (CUEFL) examination applies to language testing the principles of the communicative approach to language teaching. The issues and problems of composing the reading part of the CUEFL are discussed. (Author/VWL)

This article examines the effects of test format and task type on candidate output in direct and semidirect versions of the oral interaction subtest of the Australian Assessment of Communicative English Skills. Results are discussed in relation to the degree of interactiveness and other factors that appear to influence lexical density and to the…

Research on two approaches to assessment of second-language performance--second-language acquisition and language testing--is examined and compared with regard to systematic effects on language tests. Findings incidental to a test development project are then presented. It is concluded that a full account of performance testing requires a paradigm…

The Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) is a semi-direct performance-based speaking test that emulates the face-to-face Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) as closely as practical, using a tape recording and printed test booklet. The prototypical SOPI contains simple personal background questions typical of an initial encounter (warm-up) and…

Discusses the difference between communicative competence and linguistic performance. Describes the development, administration, and results of a three-part discrete point test based on rather specific definitions of communicative competence. (EKN)

Focusing on the relationship between performance on reading tests and dictionary use, this study confirms a previous finding that dictionary availability does not significantly affect test scores; it does, however, lengthen test completion time. The authors discuss experimental conditions, test item types, usability of particular dictionary types,…

Examined the development of the word knowledge of two groups of advanced learners of French as a second language by means of a slightly revised version of a particular test format. Studied the type of distractor most suited to the participants, distinguished the role of three types of associations, and linked qualitative aspects of word knowledge…

This volume contains a set of experimental English language vocabulary tests designed to be used with learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). The tests are graded into 6 levels of difficulty and there are 20 tests at each level. Teachers can use the tests to provide a rough lexical profile of individual students, or to monitor the progress…

The purpose of this test is to evaluate a non-native speaking student's speaking knowledge of the basic structures of English, using the most frequently used words in the English Language. The test does not attempt to determine vocabulary level or student's ability to learn vocabulary effectively, rather the test focuses exclusively on aural/oral…

Reviews a writing abilities competency test based on samples of essay writing. A copy of the test is appended. (NKA)

Outlines an oral interview format and scoring system for use with foreign language students during their first and second semesters of language study. (EKN)

Multiple choice items formatted as a question with one of four distractors giving the correct answer are a clearer and more valid way of testing the reading comprehension of foreign learners of English than is the common format in which the testee must complete a sentence stem by choosing one of four distractors. (Author/CB)

Evaluates the characteristics of Yes/No tests as a measure for receptive vocabulary size in a second language (L2). The evaluation was conducted both on theoretical grounds as well as on the basis of a large corpus of data collected with French learners of Dutch. Focuses on the internal qualities of the format in comparison with other more…