Using observation checklists to validate speaking-test tasks

Test-task validation has been an important strand in recent revision projects for University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) examinations. This article addresses the relatively neglected area of validating the match between intended and actual test-taker language with respect to a blueprint of language functions representing the construct of spoken language ability. An observation checklist designed for both a priori and a posteriori analysis of speaking task output has been developed. This checklist enables language samples elicited by the task to be scanned for these functions in real time, without resorting to the laborious and somewhat limited analysis of transcripts. The process and results of its development, implications and further applications are discussed.