The new Companion Volume to the CEFR has brought teaching, and thus also examining and testing, once again to the fore. It also emphasises that learners are “social agents”. With that in mind, this Working Group aims to provide a forum for considering and discussing the full range of topics relevant to this.

However, we will not only be concerned with those issues raised by the Companion Volume, but also with new approaches to the familiar topics testing and assessment in Higher Education; and hope to address new challenges  resulting from  the complexity of today’s Higher Education context and from the particular demands today’s students will face in the modern workplace and everyday life.

We therefore invite presentations in response to the following questions, or on other aspects of testing, assessment and examining:

• What are the particular characteristics of tests for particular purposes, such as placement tests or ERASMUS / Exchange Semester applications?
• What constitutes a good examination in the Higher Education context?
• How do I create a successful examination situation for test-takers and examiners?
• How do we deal with heterogeneity and diversity when examining, testing and assessing?
• What impact has the CEFR Companion Volume had on your work in the area of testing and examining? What role does, for example, mediation play when examining and testing? Are there new activities, test formats or assessment formats that help when putting the recommendations of the Companion Volume into effect, or which are better suited to the focus established with the Companion Volume.
• Washback effect and constructive alignment: What effects do examinations or tests have on   teaching or vice versa.
• How can digital media support us or lessen our workload in testing, examining and assessment?
• Assessment rubrics: how do we keep the balance between comprehensive judgement and manageability in a rubric?
• How do I test grammar and vocabulary within the framework of the productive skills?
• What effects do language policy and Higher Education policy have on examining, testing and assessment, and how do we respond to them?