TOEIC- the Test of English for International What??
A guest piece by Carmela Chateau
“International ’Communication’, according to the full name of the test, but most studies in communication refer to four skills. In the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, there are in fact five skills: reading and listening (the passive or input skills), and writing, spoken production and spoken interaction (the active or output skills). Of these, spoken interaction is often perceived as the most difficult skill as it involves both listening and speaking and cannot be prepared in advance. It is also what most people would understand by “international communication”, along with spoken production (giving presentations, etc.) and business writing (e-mails, reports, etc.). So we presume that ETS is claiming to test those skills. Here is what they have to say about it:
“The TOEIC tests directly measure the ability of nonnative speakers of English to listen, read, speak and write in English in the global workplace. The TOEIC test is used by over 9,000 organizations around the globe in more than 90 countries to assess English proficiency in the workplace.” (Source www.ets.org)
So, there it is, TOEIC does measure your ability to speak and write. You might have noticed an odd use of English grammar though. The TOEIC tests (plural) may measure many things, but only the TOEIC test (singular) is used in the second sentence. And yes, the TOEIC Listening and Reading test (singular) is by far the most frequently used test, probably because it is the cheapest. And the reason why it is cheap is because it is not a test of speaking or writing. Therefore it is easy to correct, because the answer sheet is a set of circles that the candidate must fill in with a pencil. And it is “objective”, because it only tests what is testable by multiple choice questions. But English ability is not really a multiple choice question:
Do you speak English a) perfectly, b) well, c) well enough, d) not very well, or e) badly?
The answer is generally subjective, as is almost any assessment of foreign language ability.
Despite all this, the TOEIC test is the most popular language test on the market in certain countries. If the reason isn’t that it really tests communication, it could simply be that it is the cheapest test, or that the salesmen are particularly convincing. Looking at the ETS website doesn’t help much in working out its appeal:
“Since 1979, the TOEIC test has been recognized for the highest levels of score reliability and fairness. Developed by ETS, the TOEIC test has set a worldwide standard for workplace English-language proficiency testing. Today, over 8,000 corporations in more than 90 countries use the TOEIC test, and 4.8 million tests were administered in 2007.”
Again, the first sentence does not really make sense to a native speaker of English. Where has the test been recognized, and by whom? You might be surprised by the number of native speakers who lack even that level of analysis though.
Case history: One of my students recently applied for a science course given in English. Unfortunately, she has never taken the TOEIC. As she has already spent a year as an Erasmus exchange student at a Scandinavian university where the courses were in English, her ability to work well in that language is confirmed by the marks she obtained. I also provided her with a certificate, grading her level of English according to CEFR levels after interviewing her and evaluating her written work. This was judged by her interviewer to be “too subjective”. The student therefore suggested that she should be interviewed in English. The interviewer refused, saying that such a solution would also be “too subjective”. But a TOEIC test of listening and reading would be judged “objective” although, as we have seen, it does not evaluate any productive skills.
In France, we have moved into a parallel universe, or sixth dimension, where the ability to communicate in a language has been replaced by a certificate which attests only the ability to select correct answers to multiple choice questions. The reason could be that in France interviewers do not feel confident of their ability to speak English (perhaps because they too have a TOEIC score rather than the ability to “interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible” Level B2 Spoken Interaction CEFR).
A table in TOEIC_06_Worldwide_report.pdf shows that France is in third place for the number of test takers, way behind Japan but just after Korea. There are more TOEIC takers in France than in Taiwan. No other European country comes close to France for the number of TOEIC takers. Yet France does not have a high reputation in Europe for the quality of the English spoken there. Could there be a “cause and effect” relationship involved?”
Carmela Chateau works for the University of Burgundy in France and is a TEFL.net book reviewer”
Thanks Carmela!
For more another TOEIC rant, have a look at what the TEFL blogging godfather EFL Geek has to say about it:
And my many TOEIC rants can be found here, of which my most recent piece is:
Rumours about TOEIC (including some interesting recent comments)
July 12th, 2009 at 10:21 am
BLOGOSPHERICAL DIBATE PART2 – In answer … the continuing
We should first make some definitions ….
* The TOEIC Test (reading and listening) – Irrespective of the origins of this test or where it is now percieved in the marketplace, it is a test to indicate a person’s proficiency in the workplace.
* Proficiency in the workplace – Here comes the biggest question – What is proficiency in the workplace? Let’s answer that below.
* TOEIC Test preparation. Preparation for a test is learning about a test, what to expect, how to perform, planning for the sitting, learning the rules and getting accustomed to the test environment, question forms, delivery of questions such as type .. etc
* Improvement of English – THIS IS NOT TOEIC TEST PREPARATION! Rather the improvement of English skills such as grammar, vocabulary, learning phrases, the use of phrases, use and meaning of idioms and developing a naturally fluency and understanding in both the written and spoken word.
Much of the TOEIC test preparation material available in the market is a sales-driven useless waste of trees WHEN claimed to be an English language learning tool! Naturally one will always learn a little no matter in what form the contact with the language they wish to learn is. TOEIC preparation in its extreme, and with the need to drive the sales of books, tries to impress words and phrases into the students mind (brainwashing), but this is NOT learning English only a method to cheat a test. Other preparation is a collection of irrelevent words and exercises that although have a high value in learning English, have little or no connection with preparing for the TOEIC test.
Just recently I had a situation where a student told me that their book told them they could answer some question incorrectly in the TOEIC test without it affecting their score. “Good tip!” the student said. But this is the typical advice being released by incompetent twerps (look the word up) that have absolutely no idea about preparation or have a wish to benefit the student, rather only to sell books. That student approached the test too overconfident and they DID NOT get the score they needed! THE DRIVE to sell preparation material is now reaching the extremes and if any book has this information, I advise you to pick up another or see below.
But what about the TOEIC test? Yes, how do we classify this? Well first we must appreciate that English in the workplace always depends on the APPLICATION. For instance; someone working in the field of electronic engineering, needing to use English to do so and achieving a high score in the TOEIC test, may NOT possess the English skill for the workplace. Why? Because the TOEIC test covers general business English! However, someone moving into a workplace environment where general business English is needed will find that their score in the TOEIC test may be perfectly suitable.
So here we can see that English proficiency in the workplace is directly related to the type and needs of the workplace.
Even though a listening and writing test, the TOEIC test (listening and writing) will always give an assumptive estimate of a persons speaking, and to a lesser degree their writing skills. Again the usefulness/suitability of those skills will depend on the workplace situation and needs.
Over time the TOEIC test has move more and more to an academic measurement of English proficiency and this is where the problems start. Why? Because there is a very big difference between academic proficiency and workplace proficiency. For instance; in the workplace “did you finish the report yet” a grammatically incorrect English statement (American English) may be an acceptable term in America and may also be acceptable in the workplace, but, such a term in an academic situation would not be acceptable!
In fact one may question the point where a native accepted phrase or grammar structure, which actually breaks the rules of academic correctness to such a high degree, is in fact suitable. But the we have the words “for international communication!” so that makes it all ok again!
ETS have now released the speaking and writing module in a hope to turn the TOEIC test to a more academic test. This is where yet another point of confusion comes into the picture. As the TOEIC test is widely used by universities, does this now mean that students should sit both the reading and listening, and, the speaking and writing tests to prove a possibly more academic competence?
The TOEIC test (listening and reading) has its position in industry where those skills together with an assumptive estimate of reading and speaking is suitable and where “incorrecness” under the banner of “international communication” can be accepted. If an assumptive measurement of speaking and writing is not suitable, then students should also sit the speaking and writing test module for the TOEIC test.
The whole world of learning a language is confused, confused in the difference between preparation and learning English, confused in learning English in the workplace and for academic purposes and also confused in the direct link between application, need and required level.
At http://www.onlineenglish900.com (also at onlineenglish.de and onlineenglish.eu) we have developed a focused training concept for correct preparation for the TOEIC test with the added advantage of including exercises for English language improvement including that of speaking proficiency and pronunciation. Writing is not yet catered for on the website, but keep watching, practice for the writing skills will be incorporated soon.
In the above way we hope to supply not only a very good preparation resource for the TOEIC listening and reading test, including speaking, but also to allow students to improve their English proficiency through focused learning exercises.
The moral behind this is that we should first correctly define the need and not be taken in by absurd claims made for the sake of market position. We should understand the need for learning and recognize the differences involved when learning a language and that of a “static skill”
We should recognized the true reasons and needs for learning and then we will see exactly where in the marketplace, needs area, any tests sits and its benefits and disadvantages instead of making “blind” comments. But in saying this, it is not only the users that are confused, but also the suppliers of the tests and preparation materials available, maybe under this situation, we can also appreciate and understand the many reasons for the confusion.
Robert Phipps
Authorized TOEIC test administrator.
Official TOEIC test Center.
http://www.hamburg-english.com
Robert Phipps has been an “adult in business” trainer for over 30 years. He is also a qualified engineer. He also was the founder and managing director of two companies in the UK in the fields of nationwide installation, service and maintenance, additionally manufacturing, design and development. Rob has a wealth of experience in business, education and as a consultant for business and engineering projects. Rob is both an authorized TOEFL and TOEIC administrator.
Finally this has been written quickly in the native tongue. So critics, please poke your nose somewhere else.
http://www.onlineenglish900.com
July 12th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
I had problems understanding some of that, but one thing I’d like to pick you up on
“Just recently I had a situation where a student told me that their book told them they could answer some question incorrectly in the TOEIC test without it affecting their score”
What they no doubt meant is that, unlike other tests (including some by ETS, if I remember correctly), you don’t actually lose marks for a wrong answer (you just get zero instead) and so it is always worth guessing on the off chance you get a point. Many students have doubts about this, and so it is a very useful point
btw, it isn’t usual to give a biog and as many links to yourself in a blog comment, which is why my spam filter picked this comment up as spam
July 18th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Postscript to Carmela’s story:
“Just to complete the tale, my student scored 940 on the TOEIC when she finallytook it, which sort of proves she didn’t need to take it. It’s a catch 22situation and the only real winner is ETS, as usual.”
January 16th, 2010 at 8:51 am
I am teaching a group of students in preparation for their TOEIC test to be done in a couple of weeks. My question is, what kind of topics must one focus on to help the non-natives? Their main interest is reading and listening. However, i should tackle other skills aswell.
thx