Testing Tertiary-Level English Language Learners

This chapter presents an account of the development of the College English Test (CET) in China mainland in the past three decades. The purpose is to demonstrate the value and challenges of developing and using a contextualized local test to promote English language education in the local context. The chapter starts with a review of the social and educational context in which the CET was developed and then charted its growth into an English language test, which is probably now the largest in the world. The chapter then presents the features unique to this local English language test by focusing on the interface between the teaching and testing of English in higher education institutions. Quality assurance measures are then introduced, followed by a discussion of the high-stakes uses of the CET and the impact on teaching and learning. Finally, the chapter reviews the research and innovation to improve the test’s validity and suggests a research agenda for further development of the CET.