This book was the winner of the 2005 Jacqueline A. Ross Dissertation Award for second or
foreign language testing. The assessment of speaking skills is an important part of the
language learning process whether carried out by teachers in the classroom or through
proficiency tests administered by testing agencies. However the complex and subjective nature
of speaking assessment raises a number of important questions about the validity reliability
and fairness of test procedures. This book which is based on research into the speaking test
of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) shows how the performance of
learners in oral proficiency interviews cannot be taken unequivocally as an indication of their
ability as variation in interviewer behaviour can have an impact both on learner performance
and on ratings outcomes.
