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James Clifford (1988) in his seminal book The Predicament of Culture analyses deceptive accounts of other cultures presented from one’s own perspective. Drawing on this analysis I would like to reflect on examinations and certification looking at quantitative evaluation seen from the qualitative standpoint as well as at qualitative assessment viewed from the quantitative stance.
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The paper argues that recent research has alerted us to the changing nature of the use of language in communication in contemporary societies. In relation to the assessment of academic writing, particularly with reference to English, it is suggested that there is a need to broaden the concept of construct. I will draw on studies in English as a Lingua Franca and informal logic of argument to support my argument.
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Task-based language assessment has developed simultaneously with taskbased language teaching (TBLT). Tasks provide significant advantages as they enable assessment focused on examinees’ abilities to use the language. This article reviews task-based language assessment in the context of the recent changes to the CEFR and a paradigm shift in language learning.
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The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages has had a significant impact on the learning and teaching of modern languages in Europe, but, above all, it has revolutionised the way language skills are assessed and has contributed to the development of language knowledge certification systems. However, it has often been the subject of criticism and controversy. Certain deficiencies, which seem to be a natural consequence of the document’s comprehensiveness and the assumed goals, have also been noticed by its authors. In 2018, The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Companion volume with new descriptors was published. The document aims not only to improve imperfections, but above all to adapt the description of language education to the current context of language use. The authors of the publication have, among other things, set up language proficiency descriptors for areas not specified in the 2001 version of the CEFR. This is how the Pre-A1 level description was developed. It refers to the level of competence at which the learner has not yet acquired a generative capacity, but relies upon a repertoire of words and formulaic expressions. The paper’s aim is a holistic presentation of this level: the process of the creation of descriptors, as well as the description of language activities and strategies of a novice language user.
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Our study investigated the difference in achievement between two groups of high school students – those who took shorter tests more frequently, and those who took longer tests less frequently. Both tests types tested listening, reading and writing skills. The results showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups, and the participants’ preferences as to the length and frequency of tests indicated a difference of only just above five percentage points in favour of shorter and more frequent tests. Teachers should thus examine their students’ attitudes and motivation, adapt their revision lessons and teaching material accordingly, and construct the most appropriate instrument for testing their students’ achievement.
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This article reports on the quantitative results of the study which was carried out in June and September 2018 by The University of Warsaw Council for the Certification of Language Proficiency. The study reviewed the current procedures applied in the assessment of the writing subtest, which is part of the University of Warsaw’s certification exam in English at the B2 level. The aim of the study was also to explore possible improvements to the scoring process, with the focus on its reliability and practicality.
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The aim of this paper is to reflect on the method of assessing the B2 English writing subtest in the context of English certification exams administered by the University of Warsaw Council for the Certification of Language Proficiency. The paper starts with a brief discussion of two types of assessment: holistic and analytical. Next, the results of a qualitative study conducted among the raters of the English language certification exams are presented. The aim of the study – of a pro-quality nature – was to determine which of the two types of assessment (analytical vs holistic) results in a more reliable and accurate assessment of candidates’ language skills.
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The paired format of a speaking test appears to offer a more interactionally symmetric alternative to traditionally used Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPIs) (e.g., Lazaraton, 1992, 1996; van Lier, 1989). This article focuses on two paired tasks, a simulated discussion and a problem-solving task, which have been developed to enhance the construct of the speaking test which is currently used at the Jagiellonian Language Centre at the Jagiellonian University.
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The paper is a description and analysis of some language features in the tasks used in certification exams of Polish. The problem with these features is connected with the two-level language rule in Polish, the variety of language forms and the type of language style.
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The present paper aims at presenting Italian language proficiency certificates offered by Italian universities and other institutions. A particular focus was put on such certification features which better address the university students’ needs.
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The condition for obtaining a C1 and C2 language proficiency certificate is communicative competence approaching the level of the native speaker. When developing Russian language certification tests, one should take into account its typological, grammatical and historical-cultural features. These include the synthetic nature of expressing typical meanings, the inflective way of expressing grammatical meanings and weakly expressed regional and dialectal differences. One should also consider the modification of the listening comprehension tests at level C1.
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This paper discusses difficulties associated with developing Hebrew certification exams and preparing students to pass the exam in accordance with the CEFR standards. These difficulties are mainly related to the discrepancy between the main assumptions of the Hebrew language teaching methodology in Israel and the requirements for foreign language courses and certification exams at the University of Warsaw.
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A certificate in a foreign language is an important asset in the modern labour market: it certifies communication skills in a foreign language, although it does not guarantee the reliability of certified competences in specific professional situations. Certification of communication skills in the field of languages for specific purposes should include both assessment of language and professional skills, and thus certify the so-called learners’ dual competence. This paper aims to diagnose and discuss the real problems encountered in practice in the assessment of dual competences of learners of specialized languages.
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This paper discusses the specificity of the certification of specialized language varieties. The subject of the analysis and reflection is the certification of proficiency in military language according to the STANAG 6001 standards. The paper reviews detailed requirements for the individual linguistic skills, as well as the nature and the design of the exam along with the examples of the tasks for each proficiency level. Th e discussion is supplemented with teaching implications relevant specifically for the STANAG 6001 exams.
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Teachers and researchers of foreign languages have been concerned about integrating CEFR descriptors into teaching and assessment practices for some time now. Due to its reference nature, the CEFR is open for interpretation and its use therefore requires initial training. The chapter presents the theoretical background to such training and sample activities used to help Ukrainian pre-service FL teachers to operationalize the CEFR.
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Examination malpractice is claimed to be a problem in Polish schools and universities. What is the actual scale of academic dishonesty among Polish higher education students and what seems to be its causes? What kind of actions do Polish students consider dishonest and which of them are not assigned to this category? The article describes a survey on academic integrity conducted at Polish higher education institutions and presents conclusions relevant to certification purposes.
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Every language bearer is a rotten culture, so the lingual expression in communication is an expression of national culture. Language serves culture, but it does not determine it. For translators, representing the stereotype of a nation for another culture is an extremely difficult task. The author focuses on the problems that arise during the translation of cultural specific elements (CIS) from English into Romanian or Russian. The aim of this study is to describe the different areas of cultural knowledge that contribute to the competence of the translator.
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This approach discusses the contextual functions of substantive occasionalisms in the short story "The Invention of Curry Seasoned Sausage" by Uwe Timm. The paper explores the meaning of the term occasionalism and demonstrates the relationship between word formation patterns used in creating occasionalisms.
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In the following article we will try to determine some of the linguistic changes produced in the Spanish language due to the decisive introduction of the lexicon related to the terminology of COVID-19. These linguistic processes of a morphological and semantic type are part of the processes of change of the lexicon, formation of neologisms
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We have selected some revealing quotes for the evolution and involution of the aesthetics of the ugly (as Evil), always associated with the barbarian, the savage, the primitive. The selection took into account the paradigmatic moments of history and the radical changes that took place. The preoccupation of the Baroque, as a refinement of man (Christian), was the pedagogical distinction between animalitas and humanitas, between biological and cultural, the search for unity between the physical and metaphysical aspect of man, between the civilization of the word (writing) and the primitivism of orality (voice). The Baroque foreshadowed the emergence of a new model of reference to universal values and national specificity, as Freedom, even if still opposed to libertinism and anarchy, and in Enlightenment and Modernity
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