A Review of the IELTS Test: Focus on Validity, Reliability, and Washback

Hashemi, Ali; Daneshfar, Samran

doi:10.21093/ijeltal.v3i1.123

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The listening and reading comprehension tests were actual IELTS tests administered in accordance with Cambridge ESOL examination's guidelines. Although the statistics were indeed lower than the average Cronbach' Alpha of 0.88 recorded from the performance of more than 90,000 IELTS examinees by The University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate (UCLES) (2007, cited in Hashemi & Daneshfar, 2018), the reliability coefficients were within an acceptable range (0.7 or above) (Alavi et al, 2018;Pallant, 2010;Phakiti, 2016). Moreover, researchers in the field reported even lower reliability coefficients of 0.6 (Staehr, 2009) and 0.7 (Feng, 2016) for standardized international tests provided by Cambridge ESOL examination.…”

Section: Descriptive and Reliability Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 79%

Exploring the relationships between various dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and L2 listening and reading comprehension

2021

Lang Test Asia

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The article presents an empirical study that investigates the single- and cross-modality relationships between different dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and language skills, as well as the importance of academic vocabulary knowledge in academic listening and reading comprehension. An Updated Vocabulary Levels Test (UVLT), a Vietnamese version of the Listening Vocabulary Levels Test (LVLT), an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) listening test and an academic IELTS reading test were administered to 234 tertiary level Vietnamese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Research findings showed that (1) orthographic and aural vocabulary knowledge were strongly correlated (r = .88) and of equal significance to L2 listening and reading comprehension, (2) receptive vocabulary knowledge was a very powerful and reliable predictor of learners’ receptive language proficiency, (3) knowledge of academic vocabulary strongly correlated with academic listening (r = .65) and reading (r = .60) comprehension and the mastery of the Academic Word List (AWL) could suggest a band score 6.0 in both the IELTS listening and academic reading tests.

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Section: Descriptive and Reliability Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 79%

Exploring the relationships between various dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and L2 listening and reading comprehension

2021

Lang Test Asia

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“…Additionally, the researchers directed the present study to seek a wider range of possible contributing factors, including affective factors and language contact. Furthermore, the notion that the degree of attrition should be tested within 24 months after learners leave schools was based on the CEFR framework that the level of language users would reliably change after this duration (Hashemi & Daneshfar, 2018). Therefore, considering the different environments of a second language and foreign language and the fact that EFL learners are removed from the primary setting of English use after graduating schools, this study focuses on exploring the degree of attrition from the contributing factors, complemented by the calculation of the predictive power of different LMEs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

English Language Attrition Levels and Language Maintenance Efforts among Indonesian Non-English Department Students

Uswatun Khasanah,

Widiati,

Tresnadewi

et al. 2024

REGISTER J.

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In the EFL context, the primary linguistic environment for learners is a formal classroom in which they receive input, feedback, and opportunities to practice with teachers and other learners. However, as learners graduate from schools, they might no longer have access to such an environment and thus be deprived of the main intake to support acquisition and retention, which makes them susceptible to language attrition. This study aims to explore the levels of attrition experienced by 165 multilingual non-English department students 30 months after graduating from their secondary schools, the possible factors associated with attrition, and the predictive power of some language maintenance efforts (LMEs) on English attrition. The participants took standardized English tests, that is, Test 1 and Test 2 administered within a 24-month interval and responded to a questionnaire about LMEs. A paired t-test was used to establish a link between attrition level and the identified factors. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictive power of LMEs for attrition. The results show that learners with different proficiency levels experience different levels of attrition. Factors like attitude and motivation showed different degrees of correlation with attrition. A negative correlation was found in the three dimensions of LMEs: entertainment, literacy activity, and academic activity. Contrary to popular literature on first- and second-language attrition, the dimension of social interaction has a very low predictive power for foreign-language attrition.

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“…Since 1989, IELTS has been an appropriate language requirement for entry to professional courses and further/higher education in the UK, Australia and New Zealand (Charge & Taylor, 1997), especially IELTS Academic (Hashemi & Daneshfar, 2018). For example, in the UK, it is the most widely recognised test of English for academic purposes (Green, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both versions are scored in the same way. The applicants take the first three parts of the test during one session (first listening, then reading, and finally writing) with no breaks in between (Hashemi & Daneshfar, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpacking the challenges and accommodation strategies of Omani English-Major students on IELTS academic reading tests

Ali

Washahi

Alhassan

2020

Dil Ve Dilbilimi Çalışmaları Dergisi

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IELTS is used as a screening gatekeeper and plays a crucial role in Omani students to meet job requirements. This paper reports on Omani English-major undergraduate students' reflections on their experience of the reading section of Academic IELTS. The main aim of the study was to elucidate their difficulties and coping strategies to inform EFL/ESL teachers and IELTS examiners and researchers. An IELTS mock reading test, under exam conditions, was administered to 45 Omani students majoring in English, and the participants were asked to write a reflective essay in response to the following prompts: "What were the difficulties that you encountered in your IELTS Academic Reading test, and how did you handle those challenges?" Their answers touched upon their experience and challenges with the test (e.g. difficulties pertaining to cognition, content area knowledge, and the lack of familiarity with the test reading genres) as well as their strategies to address the challenges. The data were coded and analysed thematically and inductively. The findings showed that students reported a range of cognitive and metacognitive challenges and numerous coping strategies. This paper unravels some of the pedagogical implications and ideas that surfaced through the analysis of the students' responses.

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A Review of the IELTS Test: Focus on Validity, Reliability, and Washback

Cited by 14 publications

References 4 publications

Exploring the relationships between various dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and L2 listening and reading comprehension

Exploring the relationships between various dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and L2 listening and reading comprehension

English Language Attrition Levels and Language Maintenance Efforts among Indonesian Non-English Department Students

Unpacking the challenges and accommodation strategies of Omani English-Major students on IELTS academic reading tests

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