© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
The changing landscape of English: implications for language assessment
Lynda Taylor has a long background in ELT—including experience of teaching, teacher training, materials writing, and testing/assessment. She holds an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge in the field of applied linguistics and language testing and has extensive experience of the theoretical and practical issues associated with language test development and management in UK and international contexts. She has worked with UCLES for many years on both a freelance and full-time basis and is currently Assistant Director of the Research and Validation Group which coordinates the research/validation agenda for all Cambridge ESOL tests
Email: taylor.l{at}ucles.org.uk
This article offers a response to the comments and claims made in Jennifer Jenkins' article, ‘The spread of English as an International Language: a testing time for testers’. It examines some assumptions underpinning her views and responds to claims about current policy and practice in English language testing. It goes on to explain the key factors which frame the way in which examination boards deal with varieties of English in their tests and discusses the contribution that the language testing community can make to increase our understanding of language variation.