Assessing English Proficiency for University Study

John Read is Associate Professor in Applied Language Studies at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests are in the testing of English for academic and professional purposes and second language vocabulary assessment. He is the author of Assessing Vocabulary and has been co-editor of Language Testing and President of the International Language Testing Association.

“Assessing English proficiency for university study focuses on post-entry English language assessment (PELA) for students in higher education. … this book would be suitable for a range of readers including EAP teachers, test developers, policy advisors and others involved in PELAs. … Read’s book can be fully utilized by all of those involved in post-entry language assessment.” (Naoki Ikeda, Papers in Language Testing and Assessment, Vol. 6 (1), 2017)“The central topic of this book is the assessment of English language proficiency and academic literacy needs of students to enable them to cope with the demands of study at university. … This book is highly recommended. It will be an essential go-to resource not only for those with an interest in PELAs, but also for those with a broader interest in English language assessment issues.” (NewZealand Studies in Applied Linguistics (NZSAL), Vol. 22 (1), 2016)

• 1. The Context: Students in English-medium Universities 2. Post-entry Language Assessments in Australia 3. The DELNA Programme at the University of Auckland 4. Post-entry Assessments in Other Countries 5. The Case for Introducing a Post-entry Assessment 6. Defining and Assessing Academic Language Proficiency 7. Defining and Assessing Academic Literacy 8. A Diagnostic Perspective on Post-entry Assessment 9. The Design of Academic English Assessments 10. The Validation of a Post-entry Assessment Postscript