Pearson Test of English - Professional

1 Pearson Test of English - Professional Test Description and Validation Summary March 2017 (Version ) 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). Page 2 of 52 This report contains information that is based on the data collection version of the Pearson Test of English - Professional . Copyright 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Violators will be prosecuted in accordance with both and international copyright laws. Pearson Test of English - Professional is a registered trademark of Pearson .

2 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). Page 3 of 52 Table of Contents Table of Contents .. 3 Section I Test Description .. 5 1. Introduction .. 5 Overview .. 5 Purpose of the Test .. 6 2. Test Description .. 7 Workplace Emphasis .. 7 Test Administration .. 7 Number of Items .. 8 Test Format .. 8 Part A: Picture Description .. 9 Part B: Sentence 9 Part C: Passage Reconstruction .. 10 Part D: Summary Writing .. 11 Part E: Reading Comprehension .. 13 Part F: Email Writing .. 14 Part G: Dictation .. 14 Part H: Response Selection .. 15 Part I: Conversations .. 16 Part J: Passage Comprehension .. 16 Part K: Read Aloud .. 17 Part L: Repeats .. 17 Part M: Sentence Builds .. 18 Part N: Speaking 19 Part O: Story Retelling .. 19 3. Test Construct .. 20 Facility in English .. 20 Facility in Written English .

3 20 Facility in Spoken English .. 22 The Role of Context .. 23 The Role of Memory .. 24 4. Content Design and Development .. 24 Vocabulary Selection .. 24 Item Development .. 25 Item Prompt Recording .. 26 Voice Distribution .. 26 Recording Review .. 26 5. Score Reporting .. 26 Global Scale of English .. 26 Scoring and Weighting .. 27 Writing Profile .. 28 Speaking Profile .. 30 Score Use .. 31 Section I1 Field Test and Validation Studies .. 32 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). Page 4 of 52 6. Field Test .. 32 Data Collection .. 32 Native Speakers .. 33 English Learners .. 33 7. Data Resources for Scoring Development .. 33 Data Preparation .. 33 Transcription .. 34 Expert Human Rating .. 35 8. Validation .. 35 Validation Study Design .. 35 Validation Sample .. 36 Structural Validity.

4 36 Descriptive Statistics .. 37 Standard Error of Measurement .. 37 Test Reliability .. 37 Dimensionality: Correlations among Subscores .. 38 Machine Accuracy .. 40 Differentiation among Known Populations .. 41 Concurrent Validity .. 43 PTE Professional and TOEIC .. 43 PTE Professional Speaking Profile and Versant English Test .. 46 9. Conclusion .. 47 10. About the Company .. 48 11. References .. 49 12. Appendix A: Score Report .. 51 13. Appendix B: PTE Professional Item Development Workflow .. 52 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). Page 5 of 52 Section I Test Description 1. Introduction Overview Pearson Test of English Professional (PTE ProfessionalTM) is Pearson s four-skill, computer-based assessment instrument that is designed to measure how well a person can understand and communicate in workplace English .

5 PTE Professional is intended for adults 18 years of age and older and takes about 120 minutes to complete. Test scores are reported on the Global Scale of English (GSE), which ranges from 10 to 90. The candidate registers online for the test via a designated website and the test can be taken only at Pearson VUE test centers or Pearson VUE authorized test centers. The test is administered and scored entirely by Pearson s automated test delivery and scoring systems without needing a human examiner or rater; however, a test proctor is provided by the test center. The test items are delivered and scored by an automated testing system, allowing for standardized item presentation as well as immediate and objective results that are reliable and correspond well with traditional measures of English language proficiency.

6 PTE Professional is comprised of fifteen item types (Parts A through O). The majority of the item types integrate more than one language skill in performing the tasks, as shown in Table 1. Table 1. Test Structure and Required Language Skills Part Task Required Language Skills A Picture Description Writing B Sentence Completion Reading, Writing C Passage Reconstruction Reading, Writing D Summary Writing Reading, Writing E Reading Comprehension Reading F Email writing Reading, Writing G Dictation Listening, Writing H Response Selection Listening I Conversations Listening, Speaking J Passage Comprehension Listening, Speaking K Read Aloud Reading, Speaking L Repeat Listening, Speaking M Sentence Builds Listening, Speaking N Speaking Situations Listening, Speaking O Story Retelling Listening Speaking All items in PTE Professional elicit responses from the candidate that are analyzed automatically.

7 These item types provide multiple, independent measures that underlie facility in English , including sentence comprehension and construction, passive and active vocabulary use, and appropriateness and accuracy in speaking and writing. 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). Page 6 of 52 The PTE Professional score report is comprised of an Overall score, four skill scores (Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing) and eight analytic subscores with four representing Speaking (Sentence Mastery, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, and Fluency) and four representing Writing (Grammar, Word Choice, Organization, and Voice & Tone). Because more than one item type typically contributes to multiple subscores, the use of multiple item types strengthens score reliability. The Overall score is an average of the four skill scores, and the skill scores themselves are made up of weighted averages of the analytic subscores.

8 Figure 1. Overview of different scores reported in PTE Professional score report Furthermore, the four Speaking analytic subscores and the Listening skill score are combined to provide a broader picture of the candidate s spoken English skills, called the Speaking Profile. Similarly, the four Writing analytic subscores and the Reading skill score are combined to reflect the candidate s broader written English skills, called the Writing Profile. For each of these two skill profiles, an overall performance description is provided. Together, these scores provide a comprehensive profile of the candidate s facility in English in everyday and workplace contexts. Automated scoring for PTE Professional is enabled by the Versant testing system, which automatically analyzes the candidate s responses including spoken and written responses.

9 Test scores are available within 5 business days. Test administrators and score users can view and print out test results. Purpose of the Test PTE Professional is a four-skill test that is designed to measure facility in spoken and written English in the workplace context, which is a key element in successful business communication in spoken and written English . Facility is defined as the ability to understand spoken or written English on everyday and workplace topics and respond appropriately at a functional pace. The test scores provide reliable, objective, and useful information about the level of English language proficiency of English learners. PTE Professional test scores, reported on the GSE, are primarily intended for use by businesses and government agencies where assessment of English language proficiency is an important part of recruitment, training, and advancement decisions.

10 The test scores may also be used for monitoring progress as well as measuring instructional outcomes. Furthermore, the analytic subscores of PTE Skill Score Analytic Subscore Overall Score Speaking Sentence Mastery Vocabulary Pronunciation Fluency Listening Writing Grammar Word Choice Organization Voice & Tone Reading Speaking Profile Writing Profile 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). Page 7 of 52 Professional provide information about the candidate s strengths and weaknesses, which may support instruction and individual learning. The PTE Professional scores cover a wide range of abilities in spoken and written English communication. In most cases, score users must decide which PTE Professional overall score and/or skill scores should constitute a minimum requirement in a particular context ( , a cut score).