To meet the needs of adult language learners in modern communicative contexts, pluralistic approaches to language education such as Pluricultural Language Education (PLE) are emerging. These approaches aim to recognise and build on individuals' full linguistic and cultural repertoires and trajectories throughout the language learning process. Based on the CEFR's perspectives on pluriculturalism, autonomous learning and the action-oriented approach to language use, this volume's interpretation of PLE involves enhancing language learners' knowledge and awareness of diversity and individual perspective in communicative situations, and developing mediation and autonomous learning skills.This volume mobilises teachers, managers, curriculum and materials developers, and other stakeholders to incorporate CEFR-informed pluriculturalism into language education practice in a flexible, stepwise and contextualised manner.

This volume brings together a collection of chapters outlining the principles and processes of action research and providing case studies of practitioner action research completed by teachers in the ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) sector in Australia. The Action Research in ELICOS programme in which the teachers participated was an innovative collaboration between English Australia, the professional body for ELICOS, and Cambridge English Language Assessment commencing in 2010 and continuing to the present. An introductory chapter describes the initiation of the programme and the professional model adopted to support and facilitate the teachers' research, while a concluding chapter considers the impact of the programme on the teachers and on the ELICOS sector more generally. Case studies by the teachers present the action research processes they undertook to research receptive and productive skills and assessment of these skills in their classrooms.

This edited volume deals with some of the salient issues to be considered when using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). There has been little critical and constructive assessment of CEFR-informed pedagogical practices in Japan and beyond. Instead, policy issues have been dominant. The volume focuses on the implementation of the CEFR in language education institutions, and stresses that the CEFR and its 'Can Do' statements must be adapted and changed to suit the specific context they serve. This work is complementary to English Profile Studies volume 4 (North 2014), which provides examples of the implementation of the CEFR, with a focus on misconceptions of the CEFR and how these could be addressed, by offering in-depth case studies. For a full description of processes it is necessary to unfold the complexity of language policy and then gain focus by concentrating mainly on the institutional levels.

This volume takes a framework for validating tests that was developed in language testing, and applies it to an admissions test used for biomedical courses. The framework is used to consider validity in the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT). Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of validity and also presents research that has been conducted with the test. By addressing all of the validity aspects identified as important by language testers, this volume presents a comprehensive evaluation of BMAT's validity. The processes of evaluation used in the book also promote a cross-disciplinary approach to assessment research, by demonstrating how effectively language testing frameworks can be used in different educational contexts. The authors of the chapters include Cambridge Assessment staff and medical education experts, from a wide range of subject backgrounds. Psychologists, clinicians, linguists and assessment experts have all contributed to the volume, making it an example of multidisciplinary collaboration.

This volume outlines the general principles of Learning Oriented Assessment (LOA), placing it in the context of European language learning policy. The authors pose three key questions central to LOA: 'What is learning?' , 'What is to be learned?' and 'What is to be assessed?'. It focuses on the use of evidence, and how it can be collected and used to feed back into learning, overviews large-scale assessment as practised by Cambridge English and learning-oriented classroom assessment practices, and concludes with a look at implementing LOA in practice. With fresh insights into the role of assessment in supporting learning, this volume will be of considerable interest to assessment practitioners, teachers and academics, educational policy-makers and examination board personnel.

This volume provides a theoretical and practical discussion of mixed methods research and its application in language assessment. The authors present a discussion of the role of mixed methods design in language assessment, offering practical illustrations of different mixed method designs and decisions to be made in presenting mixed methods research. The volume also includes case studies from language assessment on the practical application of mixed methods.

This volume introduces a new concept, 'criterial features', for the learning, teaching and testing of English as a second language. The work is based on research conducted within the English Profile Programme at Cambridge University, using the Cambridge Learner Corpus. The authors address the extent to which learners know the grammar, lexicon and usage conventions of English at each level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). These levels are currently illustrated in functional terms with 'Can Do' statements. Greater specificity and precision can be achieved by using the tagged and parsed corpus, which enables researchers to identify criterial features of the CEFR levels, i.e. properties that are characteristic and indicative of L2 proficiency at each level. In practical terms, once criterial features have been identified, the grammatical and lexical properties of English can be presented to learners more efficiently and in ways that are appropriate to their levels.

This volume describes differing approaches to understanding academic reading ability that have emerged in recent decades and goes on to develop an empirically-grounded framework for validating tests of this skill. The framework is then applied to the IELTS Academic Reading module to investigate a number of different validity perspectives that reflect the socio-cognitive nature of any assessment event. The authors demonstrate how a systematic understanding and application of the framework and its components can help test developers to operationalise their tests so as to fulfill the validity requirements for an academic reading test.

This volume contains a selection of research papers that were presented at the 15th Annual Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC) on the themes of performance testing, and on aspects of communication in relation to cognition and assessment. This edited collection includes contributions reporting research into the testing of speaking and writing, especially in relation to raters, tasks and assessment criteria, contributions exploring the application of various statistical methods in langauge test validation and contributions addressing the issues relating to langauge testing in specific contexts with particular candidate groups. This volume will be of relevance to language testing specialists concerned with the design, development, delivery and validation of performance tests, as well as to academic researchers and graduate students interested in the complex relationship between cognition and assessment.

This book provides the theoretical bases and empirical evidence for establishing an integrated reading-into-writing construct for English Profile at upper levels of proficiency. The study investigates both the contextual features of a range of real life academic writing tasks and reading-into-writing test tasks, and the cognitive processes required to complete the integrated task type successfully. Since its publication, the CEFR has become influential in building a shared understanding of performance levels for foreign language learners but mainly for individual macro skills. A considerable gap remains in the understanding of the integrated reading-into-writing skills, which are so important to the kinds of academic and professional written language use involved at the higher levels of the CEFR.

This volume brings together 11 TIRF-related research papers on the development and application of English language teaching and learning strategies on English language assessment. The papers are all written by recipients of The International Research Foundation for English language teaching (TIRF) Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDGs). TIRF is a nonprofit organisation whose mission is to generate new knowledge about English language teaching and learning, applying research findings to practical language problems by working collaboratively with teachers, researchers, authors, publishers, philanthropic foundations, government agencies, and major companies such as Cambridge English Language Assessment. The aim of the publication is to support TIRF's mission to: (1) to implement a research and development programme that will generate new knowledge and inform and improve the quality of English language teaching and learning; (2) to promote the application of research on practical language problems; (3) to collect, organise, and disseminate information and research on the teaching and learning of English; and (4) to influence the formation and implementation of appropriate language education policies, recognising the importance of local/transnational languages and cultures worldwide, and of English as an international language.

Written by a selection of his friends and collaborators, this multi-authored volume is intended as a tribute to the academic achievements of Professor Cyril J Weir. Each contribution will refer to a particular aspect of Cyril's legacy to the field of language testing and assessment, both nationally and internationally, in order to discuss and reflect upon some of the specific lessons we have learned from him for our profession.

This book introduces the theoretical and empirical bases for the definition of language learning level in functional 'Can Do' terms for the English Profile Programme, setting out the ambitions of the Programme and presenting emerging findings. The English Profile Programme is an elaboration of the performance level descriptions of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) that is concerned specifically with the English language. The CEFR has become influential in building a shared understanding of performance levels for foreign language learners. However, there is a considerable gap between the broad descriptions of levels provided, which covers a range of languages and learning contexts, and the level of detail required for applications such as syllabus or test design, which this volume addresses. With its combination of theoretical insights and practical advice, this is a useful work for academics, policy-makers, curriculum designers, textbook writers, postgraduate students and examination board staff.

Topics are often used as a key speech elicitation method in performance-based assessments of spoken language and yet, the validity and fairness issues surrounding topics are surprisingly under-researched. Are different topics 'equivalent' or 'parallel'? Can some topics bias against or favour individuals or groups of individuals? Does background knowledge of topics have an impact on performance? Might the content of test taker speech affect their scores - and perhaps more importantly, should it? This monograph draws on original data as well as insights from empirical and theoretical research to address these questions. Grounded in the real-world assessment context of IELTS, this volume explores issues related to topic validity against the backdrop of one of the world's most high stakes language tests.

The volume reflects on how learners' L2 development between the ages of 6 and 16 can be coherently described and their L2 assessment defined in terms of socio-cognitive validity. There is particular focus on the theoretical foundations, language competence model, development and validation framework, and evaluation and review processes to provide evidence for the validity of the Cambridge English family of assessments for children and teenagers.Academics, assessment professionals and postgraduate researchers of L2 development in children and teenagers will find great value in the volume's theoretical insight, while policy-makers and teachers will gain rigorous practical advice for the young language learner's classroom and assessment.