Towards a deeper understanding of the CEFR principles in grammar competence testing

Abstract

This paper focuses on various perspectives and challenges language teachers face while assessing language learners’ proficiency level and relying on standardised placement tests in compliance with the CEFR. The aim of this study is to obtain a more critical insight into language testing in terms of the relationship between a test form and test score; to provide an interpretation of the CEFR-based proficiency levels; and to address the inclusion of the CEFR scheme in the real-life, academic language environment. Through a comparative, qualitative analysis, it examines the achievements of a group of respondents, undergraduate students majoring in English, recorded in a standardised pen-andpaper test focusing on their written language competence to determine their CEFR language proficiency levels. It also analyses errors, and compares the results obtained at different levels within the CEFR context, providing a theoretical background to the role and place grammar has in language teaching and learning. The main findings of the research point out the commonest grammatical errors found at the B2 and C1/2 levels, also revealing inconsistent and unexpected types which contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities language assessment implies. This paper presents results which identify the areas that could be improved in terms of testing grammatical competence within the CEFR framework.