New English language exam system for all Sri Lankan undergraduates
View(s):A new English language testing system is to be created in the middle of next year, called University Test of the English Language (UTEL), National Centre Director Bihimini Abeywickrama said recently.
According to the Director, the UTEL testing programme will be made available for all undergraduate students of all state universities in the island and will test English language reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
The reading and listening components of the exam will be administered online, and will be assisted through a partnership with the University of Colombo. The writing and speaking components would be conducted on sight, Dr. Abeywickrama said.
The Director also said that the different scores of the test would show the different levels of English language use and it will be the first occasion in which Sri Lanka’s higher education system will test all undergraduate students.
“Currently students gaining an A in the English language in the Uva Welwessa University will be different from students gaining an A in the Jaffna University. The new UTEL system will provide a common standard,” Dr. Abeywickrama said.
She also related that such a standardised exam would be beneficial for students, lecturers and employers.In terms of the students the new system would test their proficiency in the language and allow them take the appropriate measures to upgrade their English language usage if needed. English lecturerswill benefit by adjusting their curriculum and teaching instruction to fit the needed shortcomings. Employers also stand to benefit by knowing the English standard of a potential employee.
Dr. Abeywickrama also said an action committee was established to create the exam structure, which they managed by carefully studying the IELTS, TEOFL and the Common European Framework of Reference. She said that even though these exam structures were studied, the programme reflected the English standard and practice of Sri Lanka.
Through an action plan, experienced and qualified lectures have been selected to train other university lecturers who would cater for the new exam system, she added.