The Use of Communicative Functions in the Middle School English Listening Test

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the Middle School English Listening Test utilizes the communicative functions presented in the 2015 national curriculum. The test is the only nationwide English test that assesses all the middle school students in Korea except those under the jurisdiction of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. To achieve the goal, an analysis was conducted on the use of communicative functions in the dialogues included in the tests administered in September 2022 and April 2023. A total of 1258 T-units were extracted from 100 dialogues, and then each unit was compared with the expressions exemplifying different types of communicative functions provided in the national curriculum. The results showed that the 'exchanging information' function was used most, which was followed by 'persuading and making suggestions' and 'expressing one's will'. However, some of the functions such as 'repairing communication' and 'expressing knowledge, memory, and assurance' were rarely used. In addition, there was some inconsistency in the use of communicative functions in different grades. Pedagogical implications and future directions for developing a more balanced English listening test are discussed.