Study On The Design And Application Of A College English Oral Test Model

English, as the widely accepted global language, is now playing an increasingly important role because of rapid globalization. This language ability has become an important ability that a talent is required to have in contemporary society. Therefore, the importance of English teaching and English learning is highlighted in college education.Most college students, especially freshmen and sophomores, are required to learn college English, whose objective is to enhance students’comprehensive ability of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation. Thus, great attention is paid to the teaching and learning of oral English. But English oral test, as an activity closely related to oral English teaching and learning, is not fully developed. Although currently there are some large-scaled English oral tests, such as the oral test of BEC and CET-SET, they mainly serve the purpose of screening or selecting but for the purpose of improving students’oral English. The result of the questionnaire survey shows that for many universities, there is no English oral test in college English course that the students are taking. Most college students think that college English oral test can help them improve their oral English and agree that it should be introduced into college English course.On the basis of the questionnaire survey results, this paper aims to design a feasible, effective and student-centered periodical English oral test model. It is mainly for the purpose of exerting positive backwash effect on students’oral English learning and teacher’s oral English teaching. This test model (CEOTM) is based on Bachman’s CLA model, which explains what communicative language ability is composed of. Abiding by the qualities that a qualified language test should have, the design of CEOTM follows the steps proposed in Bachman&Palmer’s Test Development Model. As a result, test purpose, test domain, task types, the characteristics of test takers, time duration, form of test, scoring method and test administration are designed and described in detail. An experimental research is carried out to testify the effects of CEOTM. Two classes of freshmen in SWUFE are taken as experimental subjects. Class A is treated as experimental group and Class B is taken as the control group. Before CEOTM is implemented, a pre-test is held in both classes. In the experiment process, two progressive tests are held in Class A and a simple questionnaire survey is carried out after each test. At the end of the term, an achievement test is held in Class A and Class B. By analyzing the test results and questionnaire survey results, it is found that CEOTM exerts positive backwash effects on students’ oral English learning and teacher’s oral English teaching.It is hoped that this test model can shed some light on the design and application of college English oral test model in more universities. If this periodical English oral test can be used effectively, it is expected to enhance students’oral English learning and improve teacher’s oral English teaching.