What are the main ways of evaluating languages?

When it comes to assessing competence in a foreign language, there are two main ways of doing so:

1. Quantitative or statistical assessment - candidates answer multiple-choice questions which are assessed using computers
2. Qualitative assessment - candidates produce a sample oral and written samples, which is subsequently evaluated by examiners

In this article, we explain what this means, and also the method we use here at Pipplet.

Historically, this has been the most popular way to evaluate language tests due to it’s practical advantages: it’s often cheaper and easier to organise.

On the other hand, this method only enables evaluation of a candidates comprehension. Moreover, it tends to validate knowledge rather than ability. While it may be useful in a training context, for example to validate the achievements of a specific course, it will only give a partial view of a candidate's ability to use a language to communicate and express themselves.

Qualitative evaluation, enables evaluation in situations which better reflect the actual use of a language, for example to communicate and express oneself, both orally and in writing.

However, for practical reasons this is not the most commonly used way of assessing candidates. Historically this method would involve candidates taking a listening, reading and writing test and then also attending an interview with a teacher to assess their oral skills - expensive and can be very complex to organise, especially when you need to evaluate a large number of candidates quickly.

Secondly, the method used to complete qualitative evaluation needs to be very rigorous to ensure objectivity and reliability. Interviews must be conducted in a structured manner, assessment criteria defined precisely, and examiners must be trained and their judgment regularly monitored.

The rise of new technology has opened the door to new ways of capturing data. It’s possible to record oral samples and written responses from any computer with a microphone, or even from a smartphone. Additionally, it’s far easier to present candidates with real-life situations through the use of visuals and recordings.

Further, the anonymisation of candidates and Big Data technology makes it possible to set up even more robust methods to guarantee the objectivity and reliability of evaluation. Technology also enables the use of the skills of global examiners.

At Pipplet, we’ve taken advantage of advances in technology to build a foreign language assessment platform which combines scalable access to qualitative assessment while also being one, online test that candidates can access at any time. We use carefully selected and highly-trained native-speaking language examiners to assess all of our tests and all aspects of a candidates ability in a language so you get consistent, reliable and holistic results - not a robot in sight!