ERIC Number: EJ922097
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0790-8318
EISSN: N/A
The English Proficiency of College and University Students in China: As Reflected in the CET
Yan, Jin; Huizhong, Yang
Language, Culture and Curriculum, v19 n1 p21-36 2006
The College English Test (CET), designed in accordance with the requirements of the National College English Teaching Syllabus and as a result of the need for China's reform and its open-door policy in the 1980s, is the world's largest language test administered nationwide. Owing to its scientific approach, consistent marking, rigorous administration and comparable scores, the CET, now well-established as a large-scale standardised EFL test, is held in high esteem by language testers and teachers inside and outside China and well received by the public. This paper begins with a review of the CET from the perspective of its development, score interpretation and test validation. The paper moves on to an in-depth analysis of the test content, test format, and candidates' performances on each component with a view to presenting readers with an overview of the proficiency of the CET test-takers. The paper then discusses the issue of reform of the CET as a response to the pressing social need for college and university graduates with a stronger communicative competence in English. After a brief analysis of the challenges facing the CET, the paper concludes with a section on the way forward for the CET to meet the ever-changing needs of society.
Descriptors: Test Content, Language Tests, Graduates, Educational Change, Foreign Countries, Communicative Competence (Languages), English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Educational Policy, Scores, Validity, Test Format, Language Proficiency
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A