Assessing Spoken EFL Without a Common Rating Scale

Abstract

This study investigated teacher cognition and behavior in a high-stakes, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) school context where no common rating scale exists. 24 EFL teachers at the upper secondary level in Norway were asked to rate the performance of a student taking her oral English exam and to give an account of what kind of performance aspects they pay attention to in the rating process. The study showed that while the raters had the same general ideas of the constructs to be assessed, there were differences in how they perceived the relative importance of these constructs, particularly as regards topical knowledge. The study has implications for language teaching and assessment practices at the intermediate to upper-intermediate levels (Common European Framework of Reference, level B1/B2), particularly with regard to the role of topical knowledge.