Language Testing, Ahead of Print.
English-medium universities often accept scores from various English language proficiency (ELP) tests as evidence of ELP from non-English background students. This practice raises the question of how these tests compare in terms of their ability to predict academic achievement. This longitudinal study addresses this question by examining the strength of the associations between total scores on the IELTS Academic and the TOEFL iBT, on one hand, and the academic achievement of 6481 non-English background undergraduate students in the first 10 semesters of their study at a Canadian, English-medium university, on the other. Findings revealed that the association between ELP and academic achievement varied across ELP tests and disciplines. Furthermore, students with different IELTS scores exhibited significantly different grade point average (GPA) trajectories over time. Specifically, students with lower IELTS scores tended to exhibit a more substantial decline in GPA over the 10 semesters compared to students with higher scores who displayed less decline in GPA, suggesting greater resilience. The findings and their implications for research concerning the relationship between ELP and academic achievement over time are discussed.

Language Testing, Ahead of Print.
Second language (L2) utterance fluency is crucial for speaking-proficiency assessment. The measurement of L2 utterance fluency relies heavily on silent pause identification. However, empirical studies establishing specific silent pause thresholds for L2 monologic speaking are scarce, and even fewer exist for L2 dialogic speaking. This study thus aims to explore the optimal silent pause threshold for measuring L2 utterance fluency in both speaking contexts. Following De Jong and Bosker, the study assumes that silent pause measures calculated at optimal thresholds can best predict L2 proficiency and perceived fluency. Multiple linear regression models were conducted using four silent pause measures (mid-Analysis of Speech Unit [ASU] silent pause rate, end-ASU silent pause rate, mid-ASU silent pause duration, end-ASU silent pause duration) at various thresholds (100–1000 ms) to predict participants’ L2 proficiency and perceived fluency scores. For the monologic task, silent pause measures calculated at a threshold of 200 ms best predicted both L2 proficiency and perceived fluency scores. For the dialogic task, silent pause measures calculated at a 200-ms threshold had the best predictive power for L2 proficiency score, whereas the optimal threshold for predicting the perceived fluency score was 350 ms.

Language Testing, Ahead of Print.
Several high-stakes English proficiency tests including but not limited to IELTS, PTE Academic, and TOEFL iBT recommend a 2-year time limit on validity for score usage. Although this timeframe provides a useful rule-of-thumb for the recency of testing, it can have far-reaching consequences. In response to stakeholder queries around IELTS validity period recommendations, researchers from the British Council and Cambridge University Press & Assessment reviewed current practice and collated evidence around how this recommendation is applied and understood by test score users. Accordingly, this report systematically compares policies in five countries and two sectors (higher education and medical regulators). An analysis of policy documentation was conducted for 90 universities and 18 regulators, alongside in-depth interviews (n = 9) with UK stakeholders. Findings indicate the 2-year recommendation is overwhelmingly the norm. Interviewees saw value in the current approach, although they were often not aware that this period is recommended rather than a rule. The intention of this paper is neither to support nor to refute the 2-year recommendation but to inform decision-making and communication from test providers. A call is made for further research focusing on two key areas: the relevance and application of validity periods among practitioners, plus increased empirical insights upon which such recommended timeframes can be more robustly grounded.