This research takes a fresh look at how we test listening in a second language and argues that better tests start with a deeper understanding of what listening involves and of the signal listeners have to decode. 

Starting from this idea, the research questions some of the common assumptions and traditions behind listening tests and offers practical suggestions for how they can be improved. 

It begins by explaining the different mental processes that contribute to listening, highlighting why this skill can be so challenging for language learners. These insights are used to create a new set of descriptors of listening behaviour at different proficiency levels, which form the basis of the discussion in later chapters. 

The main body of the book takes apart the various elements of listening tests, challenging some of the misunderstandings behind them and proposing practical alternatives. Topics include the recordings-as-text and the recordings-as-speech, how tests are delivered, and the typical question formats used. One major focus is on how the recordings themselves play a crucial role and how many listening tests place demands on test-takers beyond real-life listening situations. 

The book then turns to specific groups of test-takers: people preparing for academic or professional contexts, and young language learners whose stage of cognitive development must be considered when designing tests. 

There’s also a brief looks at whether integrated listening tests reflect hoe listening works in everyday life. 

Finally, the book wraps up by reporting on a study that exploring how feasible it is to identify the information load of a listening text – something that could help explain the difficulty of some listening tasks.