NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1474151
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0265-5322
EISSN: EISSN-1477-0946
Available Date: 0000-00-00
The Relationship between English Language Proficiency Test Scores and Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Study of Two Tests
Language Testing, v42 n3 p253-282 2025
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.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: International English Language Testing System; Test of English as a Foreign Language
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1York University, Canada