IELTS Research Reports

Glenys MerrifieldSome of the perceived advantages of IELTS are:■■■■■■■■■■A very short waiting time to sit the test, broad accessibility and frequent test dates.Productive skills assessed through authentic writing tasks and a real-life person-to-personinterview, which is a strong advantage of the test for professional associationsSecurity and integrity of the testResearch to underpin the quality assurance processesBrief turnaround between sitting the test and accessing the outcomes.3.2 Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL, iB TOEFL)/Test of SpokenEnglish (TSE)The Test of English as a Foreign Language is owned and operated by Educational Testing Service,which is based in the USA. The test has been in place as a paper-based test for many years andincludes Listening, Structure, Reading and Writing modules. A speaking assessment was not includedin the original paper-based test, and had to be taken as a separate (largely optional) process (the Test ofSpoken English) at a limited number of access centres.There are now revised TOEFL versions which give candidates a choice between the paper-basedversion (plus a Test of Spoken English (TSE)), a computer-based version and an internet-basedversion, which makes it more accessible on a global basis.The internet-based TOEFL (iB TOEFL) was introduced in 2005 in response to concerns about theaccessibility of the paper-based TOEFL and TSE, and was extended to include a speaking component.The format was revised to include an integrated tasks model, with all skills tested in one sitting.Originally better-known and more popular in the USA and Canada, the TOEFL is now offered andrecognised in 130 countries by over 6,000 institutions and organisations, according to the ETS TOEFLpaper, Comparing TOEFL iBT and IELTS (Rev: March 2009).The integrated tasks include a Reading-Listening-Writing task, and the productive skills of Writingand Speaking are conducted on a computer interface, encrypted for security and scored by betweenthree and six human raters. Scores are generally available two weeks after the test.As with IELTS and other language assessment instruments, the iB TOEFL is designed to assesslanguage proficiency within academic contexts. Since its introduction in 2005, ETS has sponsoredresearch into such focus areas as validity and reliability of scores, comparison between humaninteractive scoring and E-rater scoring of components of the test, validity of the iB TOEFL foracademic entry and the use of E-rater for assessing written texts. The use of iB TOEFL scores forentry to professions does not at this stage appear to have been a focus for research.Since the introduction of the iB TOEFL, use of the assessment system has grown, and in 2009 averification service for receiving institutions to gain direct online certification of candidate outcomeswas launched. This is a service which IELTS has had in place for some time and is highly valued byusers concerned about the security and reliability of certification.Despite recent growth in candidature numbers for the various forms of the TOEFL, its popularity forlanguage assessment is traditionally strongest in the Americas and parts of Asia. The TOEFL in itsvarious forms is accepted by all Canadian professional associations involved in this study, one UKbody and two Irish associations.30 www.ielts.org