Exploring the Possibilities of Integrating Communicative AI Into the IELTS Test Preparation Process
An IELTS Research Grant project examining Generative AI (GenAI) from a perspective of language education and language test preparation.
This report examined Generative AI (GenAI) from a perspective of language education and language test preparation. While there is already a growing body of research on GenAI and language learning, the role of prompting, understood as a novel form of human-computer communication, has been neglected. To address this gap, we carried out a study in two parts. In the first part, we conducted a scoping review that focused on how prompting GenAI language models can support English language learning and assessment. The review identified three application scenarios for prompts: text generation, test item generation and automated assessment. In the second part, we conducted qualitative fieldwork to understand how prompting as a communicative practice is emerging in a real context of language learning and language test preparation. To this end, we carried out interviews and observations in a language school located in a large Australian city. We found that both teachers and students engage in highly contextual forms of sensemaking that influence informal theories about GenAI use and prompting. We also found evidence of a form of prompting amongst students that we termed “tactical”: unsophisticated but reflecting pragmatic and subjective priorities. In the conclusion, we reflect on the significance of prompting as pragmatic communication and suggest some implications and future research directions.
Research report
Perrotta, C., Knoch, U., Selwyn, N., Mohammadi, S. (2025). Exploring the possibilities of integrating communicative AI into the IELTS test preparation process IELTS Research Report