Exploring the washback effects of a high-stakes final exam on primary English teaching from teachers’ perspectives: a case study in China

Abstract The washback effect of English tests has gained considerable attention among researchers in China, but little attention has been given to the angle of primary English education. To address this gap, this study draws on previous mechanism frameworks to investigate the washback effects of the Chengdu Primary School English Final Examination (CPEFE), a primary school diagnostic final exam, on young learners’ English teaching from the perspective of primary teachers in Chengdu, China. The participants were sixth-grade English teachers in primary school. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interview, as a qualitative case study method. The results revealed that the test’s emphasis on receptive skills, particularly reading skills, affected the teaching focus. Exam-oriented teaching content and traditional methods still persist, but a recognition of the importance of communicative language teaching (CLT) is emerging. It is hoped that stakeholders will recognise the importance of other constructs that are less emphasised in the CPEFE and leverage various teaching materials and methods to avoid negative washback and enhance pupils’ overall English proficiency.