Language Testing Matters explores the social and educational impact of language testing and assessment at regional, national and international level. It brings together a collection of 20 edited papers based on proceedings of the 2008 ALTE Conference in Cambridge.

The selected papers focus on three core strands addressed during the conference: new perspectives on testing for specific purposes; insights on testing policy and practice in the context of language teaching and learning in different parts of the world; reflections on the impact of testing among differing stakeholder groups.

With its broad coverage of key issues, combining theoretical insights and practical advice, this volume is a valuable reference work for academics, employers and policy-makers in Europe and beyond. It is also a useful resource for postgraduate students of language testing, for practitioners, and anyone else seeking a better understanding of the social and educational impact of language assessment.

Key features

    Considers the important role played by language assessment today in social contexts such as the aviation industry, the legal system, and migration and citizenship policy.
    Explores recent research into cheating in tests and potential measures to address this.
    Reports recent studies to describe and profile levels of language proficiency.
    Discusses the relationships among different stakeholder groups in language testing and assessment.
    Provides insights into new areas for testing and assessment, e.g. teacher certification, examinations in L2 school systems, testing of intercultural competence