Abstract
Limited time and resources mean that comprehensive assessment of the four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking is not always possible. One example of this is when placement or diagnostic tests need to be conducted before the start of language courses. In this situation, selective assessments, such as the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT), are sometimes employed. This study examined the extent to which the OOPT’s selective assessment could predict students’ performance on language courses that tested all four skills. Data was collected over two years from cohorts of approximately 2200 first year undergraduate students at an English-medium university in China. Correlations between these students’ pre-entry OOPT scores and performance on first year English for Academic Purposes (EAP) modules were analysed. Medium-strength, significant correlations were observed, indicating that selective assessment does have some value as a predictor of performance on all four skills.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Thai TESOL proceedings 2019 |
Subtitle of host publication | changes and chances in ELT professionals |
Place of Publication | Online |
Publisher | Thailand TESOL Organization |
Pages | 64-76 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Publication status | Published - 2019 |
Keywords
- Language testing
- Assessment
- ELT
- English language
- TESOL
- Language proficiency
- Selective assessment
- Performance prediction
- EAP