In this research report, we describe a study to map the scores of the "TOEFL® Essentials"™ test to the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). The TOEFL Essentials test is a four-skills assessment of foundational English language skills and communication abilities in academic and general (daily life) contexts. At the time of writing this…

Since its implementation in 2004, the Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) has been accepted as evidence of language ability for licensure of internationally educated nurses (IENs) in Canada. This article focuses on the complexities of sustaining an occupation-specific assessment over time. The authors reference the…

Lexical items that are encountered more frequently and in varying contexts have important effects on second language (L2) development because frequent and contextually diverse words are learned faster and become more entrenched in a learner's lexicon (Ellis 2002a, b). Despite evidence that L2 learners are generally exposed to non-native input,…

This qualitative validation study examines sixteen Internationally Educated Nurses' (IENs') accounts of the Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) at two testing centres (Toronto and Hamilton). This study adopts both focus groups and one-on-one interviews to investigate the inferences drawn from the test, and its…

This study reports on an investigation of the predictive validity of the TOEFL iBT®test in an English-medium institution (EMI) in a non-target-language context, namely, Turkey. The relationship between TOEFL iBT scores and academic performance was explored in a cohort of 286 undergraduate students, as was the TOEFL iBT's relationship with an…

Most English-medium programs at European universities require prospective students to take standardised tests for English as a foreign language (EFL) to be admitted. However, there are contexts in which individual teachers' judgements serve the same function, thus having high-stakes consequences for the higher education entrance of their students.…

This study is an examination of the test results of 90 academically oriented adult participants on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment (CBLA), to determine the comparability of performance on the two tests and the possibility of using two tests in the academic admissions process for…

The Common European Framework describes language proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening on a six-level scale. The Framework provides a common language with which to discuss students' progress. This report describes a study conducted with two panels of English language experts to map scores from four tests that collectively assess…