Testing English: Formative and Summative Approaches to English Assessment

Testing English considers why English is such a difficult subject to assess summatively and takes the view that English is an arts subject rather than one which is quantifiable and assessable objectively. Bethan Marshall examines the nature of the subject, the battlegrounds of examinations over the last 100 years and considers some of the solutions that have been put in place to overcome the problem both in the UK and abroad. Testing English looks at the way English lends itself to formative assessment in that it actively encourages dialogue with the pupils in the absence of 'right answers'. It explores the complex relationship between formative and summative assessment and considers the relationship in the light of the introduction of Assessing Pupil's Progress (APP). Essential reading for postgraduate students and researchers looking at the complexities involved in assessing English.