This study investigated the role of item formats in the performance of 206 nonnative speakers of English on expressive skills (i.e., speaking and writing). Test scores were drawn from the field test of the "Pearson Test of English Academic" for Chinese, French, Hebrew, and Korean native speakers. Four item formats, including multiple-choice questions asking for a single answer (SAMC), multiple-choice questions allowing for multiple answers (MAMC), gap-filling, and summarizing items, were examined in relation to expressive skills. The results showed that, although the four groups showed different score distributions, their first language itself did not account for a significant variance in the expressive skills. The summarizing item format assessing listening skills accounted for the greatest variance in the test takers' expressive skills. The SAMC format explained consistently a smaller variance than that of MAMC in the expressive skills measured. Unlike the findings of previous research, no gender difference was found.