TESTING ENGLISH IN LOCAL CONTEXTS

The paper presents a variety of approaches to language testing in a number of countries, focusing on changes in language education. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (2001) started educational reforms in testing target languages, mostly in large-scale assessment. The traditional approach to testing structural aspects of languages has changed as a new framework is aimed at communicative language competence. Based on a long-term study, the author of the article will discuss problematic issues concerning the changes in testing, focusing on the impact of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its model of language use on local school-leaving examinations in English. The article underlines the importance of being familiar with CEFR descriptors and illustrative samples in order to implement the CEFR effectively in local contexts. The study reveals the extent to which the CEFR has generated changes in language testing and how the framework has been exploited to improve the effectiveness of testing target languages.