Abstract
Over the last decade ELF has become a reality in European universities, but this is not reflected in the major international language tests designed for access to higher education and for university students. In this paper I describe an experiment in “co-certification,” a test of English set at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), jointly developed by Trinity College London and the University of Ca’ Foscari Venice, in which an international version of the test was adapted locally to include locally relevant components and enhance validity and task authenticity. One feature of the co-certification was the introduction of an independent listening task which took the form of understanding an extract from a lecture given in English by a non-native speaker. Possible problems we had anticipated ranged from the kind of discourse features they should include, and whether or not there was a fairness issue related to accent recognition. In fact, the overall results showed no significant difference from the previous version of the exam, while the listening part had a higher pass rate than the overall oral test which involved interaction with a native speaker. As far as we know, the co-certification is the first example of an internationally recognized board engaging systematically with characteristic features of ELF communication, notably non-native phonology and intonation patterns, in a test of listening. The findings so far suggest that, for the test takers at least, this can be unproblematic and uncontroversial.
Abstract
Nell’arco dell’ultimo decennio inglese lingua franca è diventata una realtà per il mondo accademico europeo, ma questo fatto non si rispecchia nelle più importanti certificazioni internazionali (quali IELTS e TOEFL) che sono utilizzate in Europa per dare accesso all’istruzione universitaria. In questo articolo descriverò un progetto di ‘co-certificazione’, un test di inglese livello C1 del Quadro europeo, sviluppato in un contesto locale in collaborazione tra Trinity College London e l’Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia per incorporare elementi ‘locali’, allo scopo di aumentare validità e autenticità (task authenticity) del test. Una delle caratteristiche peculiari del test è la presenza di una prova di ascolto indipendente come parte dell’esame orale, che consiste nell’estratto da una conferenza tenuta (in inglese) da un non native speaker. Le problematiche che sono state prese in considerazione nella costruzione del test comprendevano, tra le altre, aspetti del discorso e la possibilità di test bias collegati al (non) riconoscimento dell’accento. In realtà, i risultati sono stati simili a quelli di precedenti versioni (non ELF) dell’esame, con un tasso di successo più alto per il test di ascolto paragonato con il resto dell’esame orale che includeva l’interazione con il native speaker. La co-certificazione ci risulta essere tutt’ora l’unico progetto di un ente certificatore internazionale che si impegna in modo sistematico con un aspetto di inglese lingua franca (fonologia di parlanti non nativi) in un test d’ascolto. I risultati finora sembrano indicare che questo impegno, almeno per i candidati, non crei particolari difficoltà.
About the author
David Newbold is a researcher in English language and linguistics at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. He has a background in language teaching and materials development and a longstanding interest in testing. In recent years his research has focused on aspects of English as a lingua franca, ranging from attitudes towards English, the use of English by non-native writers, and, especially, the need to develop frameworks for the assessment of communicative interaction in ELF.
Appendix
Test Taker Feedback Sheet
Please answer these questions about the recorded listening task in the ISE 3 exam.
You should circle the answers you select.
| 1 | Did you find the content of the recorded listening text difficult? | yes / no | |
| If so, can you say why? | |||
| ……………………………………………………………..……………………… | |||
| 2 | Do you think the speaker spoke clearly? | yes / no | |
| 3 | I think the speaker spoke | ||
| too quickly /too slowly /at about the right speed | |||
| 4 | Did the speaker’s accent interfere with your understanding? | yes / no | |
| 5 | Did the speaker sound like a native speaker of English? | yes / no /don’t know | |
| 6 | Are you familiar with the speaker’s accent? | yes / no | |
| 7 | In comparison with the accent of the examiner the speaker of the recorded listening text was: | ||
| easier /more difficult /neither easier nor more difficult to understand | |||
| Can you say why? | |||
| …………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………… | |||
| If you have any other comment about this listening task, please write here: | |||
| ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… | |||
| ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… | |||
| ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… | |||
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