Using Integrated Tasks in Assessing Academic Writing Skills

It is believed that the right approach to teaching authentic communication is by integrating skills in the classroom. Therefore, to create positive backwash it should become common to include integrated skills in language... [ view full abstract ]

It is believed that the right approach to teaching authentic communication is by integrating skills in the classroom. Therefore, to create positive backwash it should become common to include integrated skills in language assessments as well, which is still relatively uncommon. In this interactive session, participants will analyze a sample integrated writing task taken from the TOEFL iBT® test. The task requires students to use their listening, reading and writing skills within a single task, instead of assessing each skill separately. Following this approach, language proficiency can be measured in an authentic way by simulating real-life academic settings. Participants in the workshop will have a chance to explore an integrated task and also see sample student responses. Using the holistic scoring rubrics, participants will collaborate to identify the scores of five benchmark responses. The implications for the classroom will be discussed since the learning objectives underlying the tasks can also be used to design classroom activities and assessments. A short presentation of useful teaching resources will follow.

The workshop will discuss the benefits of using integrated writing tasks in assessment. Such tasks require students to use their reading, listening and writing skills within the same task instead of assessing each skill... [ view full abstract ]

The workshop will discuss the benefits of using integrated writing tasks in assessment. Such tasks require students to use their reading, listening and writing skills within the same task instead of assessing each skill separately. Following this approach, language proficiency is measured in an authentic way by simulating real-life settings.