English | British Council

Two girls and a boy sat writing at their desks in a classroom

What a rural Japanese town can teach us about English education

Learn about a curriculum reform project in Mount Koya, Japan, to understand how challenges in English language education can be addressed.

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Aligning language education with the CEFR: a handbook

This Handbook is for teachers, testers, and policymakers working to align language education with the CEFR, offering practical guidance and insights for real-world application.

A woman sat taking and assessment, looking stressed.

Rethinking EMI assessment: From proficiency scores to academic literacy

As English-medium instruction expands worldwide, this article questions how readiness and success are judged, scores to academic literacy as a fairer way to assess EMI.

Two people are sitting opposite eachother, conducting a speaking test. The examiner has paperwork on the table in front of them.

The role of pragmatic variables and item characteristics of pragmatic speaking tests

This research explores how pragmatic speaking test items, test items that reflect how people use English in real-life contexts, could be incorporated into the Aptis test.

A group of four young adults sitting in a row working on computers.

Evaluating text suitability for English for Academic Purposes reading assessment: Teachers versus Lexile, Coh-Metrix and ChatGPT

This report explores how expert EAP teachers and tools like Lexile, Coh-Metrix, and ChatGPT judge reading texts—and where their evaluations match or differ.

A woman with headphones around her neck and holding a red notebook is walking down a corridor.

Equity and validity in high-stakes testing: Insights from IELTS

Explore how international language tests can ensure fairness and validity for test-takers with disabilities through equitable accommodations.

A female teacher leaning over a table looking at a resource with a young girl.

Supporting visually impaired learners throughout learning and assessment

How can teachers make language learning fully accessible for visually impaired learners? Practical strategies show how inclusive materials, methods and assessments empower every student.

Two people are sitting in fromt of computers, with headphones on, An invigilator is watching them.

Towards building an automated scoring model for assessing appropriate use of metadiscourse markers in Aptis Writing across CEFR levels: A multidisciplinary study

Learn about our grant publication that explores the use of Metadiscourse Markers in L2 writing.

Two Japanese students in school uniform play a game on a tablet.

Investigating the washback potential of an English speaking test in the Japanese university entrance exam context

This Assessment Research Grant report is a hypothetical qualitative study investigating the potential introduction of the BCT-S, a university entrance speaking assessment, in Japan.

Two women sit talking on a bench whilst drinking coffee. In the background, a man and a woman talk whilst stood next to a tree.

Equality, diversity and inclusion: Different varieties of accents in Aptis English listening tests

This Assessment Research Grant study examines the impact of English accent varieties on test-takers' performance in Aptis listening tasks and their attitudes towards EDI in language testing.