A Study On Washback Effect Of Reading Skills Test Of Jsgt On Reading Classes

English as a foreign language is learnt by learners in China. Chinese learners are different from second language learners, because they don’t own an original and convenient language environment. Therefore, reading classes are the main courses to gain English knowledge, develop language skills and meet foreign cultures. The main purpose of reading classes is to cultivate students’ reading ability,and the main purpose of testing reading is to test students’ reading ability. Washback is defined as tests’ influences on teaching and reading, which takes in effect when it is an key exam.Reading test being as a significant part, its washbacks cannot be neglected.This study uses quantitative and qualitative research techniques to study on washbacks of JSGT’ reading comprehension on reading classes, which is aimed at inspiring educators to realize the importance of cultivating different levels in reading skills.This paper involves the reading comprehensions of JSGT in Xining from 2010 to2015, 12 English teachers who are teaching Grade 3 and 200 students from Grade 3 by the means of tests analysis, class observations, questionnaires and interviews. This paper is to investigate what influences will be caused in classes by the test of reading skills and their cognitive levels in these reading comprehensions, whether these influences are negative or not. Finally, the general findings are: the tests of low reading skills and low cognitive skills take up a great proportion in reading comprehension of JSGT from 2010-2015,which has a great influence on reading classes; from teachers’ viewpoint, positive washbacks surpass negative ones, while half of students are indifferent or negative toward washbacks. These washbacks are from following aspects:reading interests, reading habits, reading motivation, teaching methods, depth of teaching, the speed of reading. Positive washbacks are: lay a good foundation in learning English, sharpen students confidence in reading, stimulate students’ motivation,get directions when teachers teach; get high scores easily,meet the fact that students’ overall English competence is week comparably in Western cities. Negative washbacks are: bad reading habits are rooted; become uninteresting in reading; limit the choices of teaching methods; hinder the cultivation of reading abilities, humanities and cognitive abilities.