test-design
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- PaperDOAJ — Language assessment1 Jul 2026
The Design of Language Testing and Evaluation Materials for the English Department
Irra Wahidiyati, Windhariyati Dyah K, Ghaida Thifal
A needs analysis of English department students and lecturers at UIN Purwokerto revealed gaps in language testing and evaluation materials. The study designed a 9-chapter textbook covering assessment principles, test construction, and rubric development for listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. The integrated resource aims to enhance Language Assessment Literacy among pre-service teachers.
Original abstract
Background - The students of Tadris Bahasa Inggris need explicit material about assessments and tests. They need the material to develop listening and speaking skills. Next, the TBI students must master the creation of writing and reading test items. In addition to creating writing and reading test items. Urgency of Research – The needs analysis shows that students’ needs regarding the Language Testing and Evaluation subjects in the English Department of UIN Prof. K. H. Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto. They need information on how to create assessment rubrics for them. The learning materials used are compiled to meet the students' needs. Research Objectives – This study conducts a needs analysis of students' needs regarding the Language Testing and Evaluation subject and designs new material for it. Research Method - A mixed method was used to answer the research questions. The researcher analyzed the institution's problems and assessed whether students' needs aligned with the syllabus or lesson plan. The information sources were 100 students and 2 lecturers. Research Findings – The draft of the material consists of 7 chapters. Chapter 1 discusses assessment concepts and issues. Chapter 2 discusses the principles of language assessment. Chapter 3 discusses the design of classroom language tests and standardized testing. Chapter 5 discussed the assessment of listening, including intensive, responsive, selective, and extensive listening. Chapter 6 discusses assessing speaking, including imitative, intensive, responsive, interactive, and extensive speaking. Chapter 7 discusses the assessment of reading, including perceptive, selective, interactive, and extensive reading. Chapter 8 discusses assessing writing, including imitative, intensive, responsive, and extensive. Chapter 9 discusses the assessment of grammar and vocabulary. The last chapter discusses the grading and evaluation process. Research Conclusion & Novelty - The materials integrate assessment theory, test construction, and rubric development for all language skills into a single contextualized resource designed to promote Language Assessment Literacy.
- PaperLanguage Testing20 Apr 2026
A Systematic Review of Test Component Ordering with Implications for Language Assessment
Ben Naismith, Ramsey L. Cardwell
A systematic review of 88 studies (1933-2023) on test component ordering found that easy-to-hard ordering may improve performance, but effects are mediated by test-taker characteristics like anxiety and proficiency. Section ordering by language skills lacks empirical support.
Original abstract
How to optimize ordering the parts of a language test (e.g., items, tasks, and sections) is often overlooked or assumed to be self-evident. However, ordering choices are an essential component of test design as they may impact test takers’ objective performance, perceived performance, or affective states. In this paper, we report on a systematic review of test component ordering research, focusing on 88 studies from 1933 to 2023. We provide a narrative synthesis, describing typical outcome variables (e.g., test-taker performance), independent variables (e.g., order of difficulty), and mediating variables (e.g., language proficiency). Key findings, mostly from higher educational contexts, indicate that easy-to-hard ordering may lead to better performance, though these effects are mediated by various test-taker characteristics, especially anxiety and proficiency. While section ordering by language skills is common practice in language testing, there is scant empirical support for this approach, or for organizing tests by content or format. We discuss the implications of these findings for language test developers and suggest avenues for future research, particularly the need for more studies on ordering effects in language assessment contexts.
- PaperETS Research Report Series4 Apr 2026
TOEIC® Link™ Assessments Technical Manual
Jaime Cid, Jonathan Schmidgall, Elizabeth Park
This technical manual from ETS describes the design, development, and validation of the TOEIC Link assessments for listening, reading, speaking, and writing. It outlines the constructs, tasks, and methodologies used to ensure reliability and validity, with updates planned as the test evolves. The manual serves as a guide for test users and stakeholders.
Original abstract
This technical manual provides a comprehensive overview of the TOEIC® Link™ assessments, offering detailed insights into their purpose, design, and intended users. The manual begins with an introduction that outlines the assessment objectives and target audience. Subsequent sections delve into the specific constructs and tasks of the four TOEIC Link assessments: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. The remaining sections examine the design and development processes for both the listening and reading, as well as the speaking and writing assessments, highlighting methodologies used to ensure validity and reliability. Together, these sections present a thorough guide for test users and stakeholders seeking to understand the TOEIC Link assessments and their application in measuring English language proficiency. Designed as a living document, this manual will be updated as the test’s design, administration, scoring, and evidence of measurement quality (including reliability, validity, and fairness) evolve, along with its intended uses. Suggested citation: Cid, J., Schmidgall, J., & Park, E. (2026). TOEIC® Link™ assessments technical manual (Research Report No. RR-26-04). ETS. https://doi.org/10.64634/7e2pzg04
- PaperETS Research Report Series9 Oct 2025
TOEFL iBT® Technical Manual
Venessa Manna, Shuhong Li, Spiros Papageorgiou, Lixiong Gu
The TOEFL iBT Technical Manual describes the test's purpose, design, and scoring procedures, and outlines a research agenda to support score interpretation and use. Updated for changes starting January 2026, it serves as a living document that will evolve with future evidence of reliability, validity, and fairness.
Original abstract
This technical manual describes the purpose and intended uses of the TOEFL iBT test, its target test-taker population, and relevant language use domains. The test design and scoring procedures are presented first, followed by a research agenda intended to support the interpretation and use of test scores. Given the updates to the test starting January 2026, this technical manual is intended to serve as an overview and rationale for the test design as well as a reference point for informing investigations of validity evidence to support the intended test uses over time. Designed as a living document, this manual will be updated as the test's design, administration, scoring, and evidence of measurement quality (including reliability, validity, and fairness) evolve, along with its intended uses. Suggested citation: Manna, V. F., Li, S., Papageorgiou, S., & Gu, L. (2025). TOEFL iBT® technical manual (TOEFL Research Report No. RR-106). ETS. https://doi.org/10.64634/eje8f497