The development of an in-house placement test to improve understanding of future cohorts' English language needs

Presenters: Nigel Dixon, Eoin Jordan, & Ling Xia (Language Centre)

Key words: In-house placement test, English language needs, English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

The Language Centre (LC) currently uses a commercial test, the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT), to place year 1 entry students into English language ability streams. However, while the OOPT provides a broad indication of English language ability, it is not tailored to the needs of an academic environment, or to the Chinese context. In response to these shortcomings, a project was established to develop an in-house test with content tailored to LC English for Academic Purposes (EAP) provision at XJTLU. This project aims to facilitate better understanding of future cohorts’ English language abilities at point of entry.

To develop the test, candidate sections targeting different language skills were trialed with students already taking EAP modules. After statistical analysis of results, specifications and test items were prepared for a full pilot test, which was administered early in the first semester to 344 students who had also taken the OOPT. The students’ results in the two placement tests were compared with their results in Y1S1EAP module assessments. Module results showed stronger correlations with the in-house placement test than the OOPT, suggesting that the in-house test may be a more accurate predictor of students’ performance in EAP modules.

*This is a Teaching Development Fund project