This post explains what item analysis is, how we use it, and what you’ll find in a robust and reliable test.
Item analysis: How reliable is your test?
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Placement testing
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IELTS for teachers
Corporate training: Streamlining English language testing
English language testing is crucial in the petroleum industry. This is how one training organisation found the most suitable placement test.
The Critical Thinking conundrum
Faced with AI, social media, and ‘intercultural communicative competence’, students must engage with critical thinking. Here’s how to do it.
Why an adaptive test is the only answer
At the ELITE conference in Malang, Indonesia last week Dr Adrian Raper explained why a placement test must be adaptive. This is a summary of his talk.
Extended edition: All series
Sometimes we come across a topic that we can’t fit into one post. So we created blog series. Take a look at our first four series here.
Can I test 2,000 students before lunch?
Running placement tests for a large cohort of new students can be time-consuming, costly and tedious. Dr Adrian Raper’s five-question framework makes it totally efficient. Test it here.
Online proctoring: A new and changing world
Online proctoring can help make remote assessment programmes more accessible and flexible. But what should you look for in a provider?
For refugees, language is just the first step…
At JALT 2018, Matthias Prikoszovits (MP) from Universität Wien tells Sieon Lau (SL) about the importance of providing vocational experience, cultural knowledge and help on understanding legal language.
A placement test gives HOPES to Syrian refugees
This case study describes the role of the Dynamic Placement Test in an international project to help young Syrian refugees enter higher education.
The CEFR and… cooking
Andrew Stokes presents an ingenious technique for demystifying the CEFR. The idea, devised by Sean MacDonald of telc, is to compare it to cooking.
Lessons in textspeak
It is so easy to feel lost and isolated online. Here is why textspeak is an essential part of English language learning.
Clarity at 30: What’s next?
Puiyee Chan, Clarity’s managing director, lays out the plans for the future.
Pronunciation at university: A case study
This study details how Ningbo University married textbook instruction of English pronunciation with digital resources. Here is how they did it.
Grammar: A refreshing revisit
Grammar has a reputation for focusing on errors. With Tense Buster, we focus on communication. Here is how.
EdTech over time
Andrew Stokes and Samuel Sheinberg look back on how EdTech has changed over the last 30 years and what we can expect in the future.
IELTS on computer: Why you must try it out
Sieon Lau reports on a Road to IELTS upgrade that enables IELTS test takers to prepare for the increasingly popular IELTS on computer.
IELTS in Zambia: ‘I’ve been speaking English since Grade 1, why should an English test worry me?’
Andrew Stokes asks Idah Chunga and Justina Kilumelume how the British Council helps IELTS candidates in Zambia.
Road to IELTS Speaking – What’s new?
Sarah Philpot led the team which redesigned the Road to IELTS Speaking section. In this post, she describes the program features and the approach behind the update.
Planning IELTS Prep: A Life Hack
Andrew Stokes points to a life hack that helps IELTS candidates optimise their preparation time.
How to pass IELTS first time
Lucas Gade discusses a successful strategy for reducing the number of expensive, time-consuming IELTS retakes.