At the intersection of language assessment and academic advising: Communicating results of a large-scale diagnostic academic English writing assessment to students and other stakeholders

Abstract

Many tertiary institutions administer diagnostic academic English assessments to incoming undergraduate students following the large rise in international students. This is often done to ensure students with difficulties in academic English are diagnosed early and referred to appropriate support programs on campus. This paper presents the findings of a series of interviews with the aim of establishing the type of feedback stakeholders favor following such a writing assessment and how the results could best be communicated to students. The findings highlight the integral importance of the role of academic advisors to the success of this large-scale diagnostic writing assessment. A tentative model of diagnostic writing assessment in a tertiary setting is presented.