TOEFL set to change
( 2004-02-04 09:19) (Shenzhen Daily)
A new generation of
TOEFL test integrating reading, writing and oral examinations will be introduced
in August next year.
The compact test will combine previous tests of English skills in listening,
speaking, reading and writing. There will no longer be any specific questions on
grammar.
TOEFL, or the Test of English as a Foreign Language, measures the ability of
non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as
it is used in college and university settings. The tests are required by more
than 4,300 two and four-year colleges and universities, professional schools,
and sponsoring institutions in the U.S.
A sharp reduction in the number of participants and challenges from other
English tests may have prompted the radical reform by the U.S.-based Educational
Testing Service. An estimated 10,000 people sat four TOEFL tests in Beijing last
year, while the number was usually around 30,000 and had been as high as more
than 100,000 in the past.
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