Over the past 25 years the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) has come to set the standard for English language proficiency tests taken by international students seeking access to higher education opportunities at undergraduate and postgraduate level in English speaking countries around the world. This lecture will trace the early development of ELTS/IELTS during the 1980s and go on to describe how the test has evolved since its introduction in response to developments in applied linguistics, assessment theory and practice, advances in technology, etc. More recently, as the influence of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages has grown in the world of international higher education and professional employment, it has become necessary to consider how IELTS fits within that particular interpretive frame of reference. 

 

Senior Lecturer in Language Assessment, at the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA), University of Bedfordshire, and Consultant to Cambridge English Language Assessment.

She has worked closely with Cambridge English Language Assessment on a wide range of examinations since the mid-1980s, both as an external consultant and as a fulltime member of staff. In 1999 she established the ESOL Performance Testing Unit with oversight of quality assurance, test validation and research issues for Cambridge's direct tests of speaking and writing. For several years she was Assistant Director of Cambridge ESOL's Research and Validation Group where she managed research and publication projects relating to several high-stake tests, including IELTS.

She has provided expert assistance for test design, development and revision projects in the UK and overseas, including the Baltic States and China. She regularly presents papers at international language testing conferences and runs training courses for the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE). Research interests include: the testing of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills; the use of qualitative research methods in language assessment; the impact of linguistic variety on language tests; and ethical issues, including the development of assessment literacy and testing accommodations.

As well as frequently publishing in peer-reviewed academic journals and volumes (Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Encyclopedia of Language and Education), Lynda serves on the Editorial Boards of Language Assessment Quarterly, Language Testing and Language Teaching, and she regularly reviews or content edits manuscripts for publications in the field. Since 2007, she has authored, edited and contributed chapters to numerous volumes in Cambridge’s Studies in Language Testing series.

 

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