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‘Remark or retake’? A study of candidate performance in IELTS and perceptions towards test failure

Language Testing in Asia, 2019-10, Vol.9 (1), p.1-20, Article 17 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

The Author(s). 2019 ;Language Testing in Asia is a copyright of Springer, (2019). All Rights Reserved. © 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License. ;ISSN: 2229-0443 ;EISSN: 2229-0443 ;DOI: 10.1186/s40468-019-0093-8

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  • Title:
    ‘Remark or retake’? A study of candidate performance in IELTS and perceptions towards test failure
  • Author: Pearson, William S.
  • Subjects: Accuracy ; Assessment ; Candidates ; Correlation ; Cutting Scores ; Education ; English (Second Language) ; English as a second language ; English as an international language ; Evaluators ; Failure ; Feedback ; IELTS ; Immigration ; Language Education ; Language testing ; Language Tests ; Linguistics ; Scores ; Second Language Learning ; Second language tests ; Second language writing ; Social Networks ; Speech Communication ; Test Results ; Testing and Evaluation ; Thematic analysis ; Writing Evaluation
  • Is Part Of: Language Testing in Asia, 2019-10, Vol.9 (1), p.1-20, Article 17
  • Description: It is becoming increasingly important for individuals for whom English is a second language to demonstrate their linguistic credentials for academic, work and employment purposes. One option is to undertake International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which involves attempting to meet the linguistic entrance criteria set by a gatekeeping institution in the skills of listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Yet limited information is available in the public domain concerning the success of test-takers in meeting cut-off criteria set by the 10,000 or so organisations that utilise IELTS. The present study analyses the relationship between the test results and stated band score objectives of a cohort of 600 IELTS candidates, who shared their results on a social networking platform. It was uncovered that more test-takers failed to meet their band score goals ( n  = 281) than achieved them ( n  = 245), with many requiring high level linguistic goals to maximise their prospects in immigration systems. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the seldom-heard perspectives of the test-takers who missed their targets, and thereby ‘failed’ the IELTS test. Far more candidates held perspectives that constituted a rejection of their overall or sub-test score in comparison with those who were accepting of their results. Candidates’ incredulity was notably acute concerning the accuracy of Speaking and Writing assessment, likely fuelled by a mistrust in single examiner marking and a lack of detailed test performance feedback to explain what went wrong.
  • Publisher: Cham: Springer International Publishing
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 2229-0443
    EISSN: 2229-0443
    DOI: 10.1186/s40468-019-0093-8
  • Source: Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)
    Springer Nature OA/Free Journals
    ProQuest Central
    DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
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