CET Spoken English Test: A Study Of Its Washback

Being an aspect of the quality of impact of a language test, washback is usually referred to the effect of testing on teaching and learning. There are both positive and negative washback, about which a lot of researches have been conducted abroad from theory to practice. Yet in China, research of the kind is rare. This dissertation studies the washback effect of CET Spoken Rnglish Test (CET-SET) on college English (CE) teaching and learning by adopting a descriptive research method. Data collected from over 350 CE learners and teachers through questionnaire, interview and classroom observation have shown that CET-SET is both valid and reliable with an obvious positive washback effect. Meanwhile, research results indicate that CET-SET washback varies from examiner teachers and test-taker learners to non-examiner teachers and non-test-taker learners, and that it also varies from CE teachers/learners' attitudes to CE teachers/learners' actions. The dissertation explores the possible reasons for this existing gap: the position of speaking in the CE teaching objectives, the infancy of CET-SET, and the powerful College English Test washback, and advances some suggestions to narrow the gap so as to promote its positive washback in future practice that self-assessment be carried out; score reporting be perfected; microlinguistic skills, routine skills and improvisation skills be developed in CE learners.