Linking the BESTEP writing test to the CEFR
A Language Training and Testing Center grant project.
Project: Linking the Writing Section of the BEST Test of English Proficiency (BESTEP) to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)
2023-2024
This study linked the BEST Test of English Proficiency (BESTEP) writing test to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and explored the panellists’ mental processes when linking the BESTEP writing samples to CEFR levels. The BESTEP is an English proficiency test developed by the Language Training and Testing Centre (LTTC) in Taiwan; it assesses college students’ readiness for academic English as the medium of instruction (EMI) programs in Taiwan’s tertiary education. The study involved 15 panellists, including six test ‘insiders’ from Taipei and nine test ‘outsiders’ based in Australia.
Three research questions were investigated in this study: RQ1. How do the score levels of the BESTEP writing test relate to the CEFR levels? RQ2. How do the judgements of test ‘insiders’ compare to those of test ‘outsiders’’? RQ3. What are the panellists’ mental processes when linking the BESTEP writing scripts to the CEFR levels? Are there any differences between test ‘insiders’ and test ‘outsiders’ in their linking processes? The findings suggest that both test ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ engaged in a dynamic and iterative linking process, focusing on similar aspects of test takers’ performance and adopting similar strategies. The linking results provide the LTTC and the BESTEP users with credible evidence regarding the alignment of the BESTEP writing test to the CEFR levels, hence facilitating the interpretations of test takers’ scores on the BESTEP writing test.
The final report on this project was published on the LTTC website.
Read the final report Linking the BESTEP writing test to the CEFR