Customized language assessment for specific academic degree programmes: a Sino-British English-medium university case study

While general English proficiency tests have many uses, they are not appropriate in some contexts despite their widespread appeal. This article will describe one such context, that of an English-medium university in China, and will outline the customised approach to assessment that has been taken on credit-bearing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) modules in response to needs at this institution. With examples drawn from an EAP module for Architecture, Civic Design and Civil Engineering students, the paper will focus on particular areas where module assessment design has deviated from that of mainstream English proficiency tests. These areas include the thematic coverage of assessment content, the integration of language skills within tests, the incorporation of academic skills into assessments, and the design of grading descriptors in order to ensure that students who pass EAP modules have met module learning outcomes. This paper should be of interest to a wide range of parties including practitioners, curriculum and assessment designers, and institutional policy-makers. While the study was conducted in mainland China, the findings should be relevant to practitioners preparing students for English-medium instruction elsewhere in Asia as well.