IELTS washback on teaching methods and materials
Abstract
International language proficiency tests have become increasingly important due to the requirements of academic institutions and immigration authorities worldwide. The influence of tests on teaching content, materials, and instructional practices is commonly referred to as washback or backwash. This paper presents a conceptual analysis of IELTS washback, drawing on previous research and theoretical discussions to examine its implications for teaching methods and instructional materials. It argues that certain forms of course alignment may enhance the efficiency of IELTS preparation. These proposed alignments, which may diverge from some dominant assumptions associated with Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), are discussed across the four language skills of speaking, writing, reading, and listening, as well as in relation to vocabulary and grammar instruction. Based on this analysis, the paper offers pedagogical recommendations for IELTS preparation courses and contributes to ongoing discussions concerning the relationship between language testing and language teaching.
References
Alavi, S. M., & Akbarian, I. (2012). The role of vocabulary size in predicting performance on TOEFL reading item types. System, 40(3), 376–385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2012.07.002
Alavi, S. M., Kaivanpanah, S., & Masjedlou, A. P. (2018). Validity of the listening module of international English language testing system: Multiple sources of evidence. Language Testing in Asia, 8(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-018-0057-4
Alderson, J. C., & Wall, D. (1993). Does Washback Exist? Applied Linguistics, 14(2), 115–129. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/14.2.115
Allen, D. (2016). Investigating washback to the learner from the IELTS test in the Japanese tertiary context. Language Testing in Asia, 6(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-016-0030-z
Anderson, R. C., & Freebody, P. (1982). Reading comprehension and the assessment and acquisition of word knowledge. Center for the Study of Reading Technical Report; no. 249.
Anderson, N. J. (2014). Active skills for reading. 3, Student book (3rd ed). National Geographic Learning.
Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press.
Biggs, J. B. (1995) Assumptions underlying new approaches to educational assessment, Curriculum Forum 4 (2), 1–22.
Blackwell, A., & Naber, T. (2007). Open forum 1: Academic listening and speaking. Oxford University Press.
Brown, J. D. (1995). UNDERSTANDING AND DEVELOPING LANGUAGE TESTS. Cyril J. Weir. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1993. Pp. xii + 203. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 17(1), 103–104. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100013899
Burrows, C. (2004). Washback in classroom-based assessment: A study of the washback effect in the Australian adult migrant English program. In L. Cheng, Y. Watanabe, & A. Curtis (Eds.), Washback in language testing: Research contexts and methods (pp. 113–128). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cakir, A., Unaldi, I., Arslan, F. Y., & Kilic, M. (2016). Effects of reading Strategies and Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge on Turkish EFL Learners’ Text Inferencing Skills. English Language Teaching, 9(8), 11. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n8p11
Cambridge ESOL. (2009). Cambridge IELTS 7: Examination papers from University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. Cambridge University Press.
Cambridge ESOL. (2011). Cambridge IELTS 8: Official examination papers from University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. Cambridge University Press.
Cambridge English Language Assessment. (2016). IELTS 11 academic: With answers: Authentic examination papers. Cambridge University Press.
Chen, C., & Liu, Y. (2020). The role of vocabulary breadth and depth in IELTS academic reading tests. Reading in a Foreign Language, 32(1), 1–27.
Cheng, J., & Matthews, J. (2018). The relationship between three measures of L2 vocabulary knowledge and L2 listening and reading. Language Testing, 35(1), 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532216676851
Cheng, L., Watanabe, Y., & Curtis, W. A. (2004). Washback in Language Testing: Research Contexts and Methods. Routledge.
Clarke, M. A., & Silberstein, S. (1977). Toward a realization of psycholinguistic principles in the ESL reading class. Language Learning, 27(1), 135–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1977.tb00297.xCoxhead, A. (2000). A New Academic Word List. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587951
Crooks, T. J. (1988). The Impact of Classroom Evaluation Practices on Students. Review of Educational Research, 58(4), 438–481. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543058004438
Davies, A., Brown, A., Elder, C., Hill, K., Lumley, T., & McNamara, T. (1999). Dictionary of language testing. Cambridge University Press.
Eckstein, M. A., & Noah, H. J. (Eds.). (1992). Examinations: Comparative and international studies. Pergamon Press.
Eckstein, M. A., & Noah, H. J. (1993). Secondary School Examinations: International Perspectives on Policies and Practice. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt211qvfm
Field, J. (2012). The cognitive validity of the lecture-based question in the IELTS listening paper. IELTS collected papers, 2, 391-453.
Frederiksen, N. (1984). The real test bias: Influences of testing on teaching and learning. American Psychologist, 39(3), 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.39.3.193
Ha, H. T. (2021). Exploring the relationships between various dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and L2 listening and reading comprehension. Language Testing in Asia, 11(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-021-00131-8
Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for language teachers. Cambridge Univ. Press.
IELTS 15 academic: With answers: authentic practice tests. (2020). Cambridge University Press.
IELTS academic: 16 authentic practice tests with answers. (2021). Cambridge University Press.
International English Language Testing System. (n.d.). About IELTS. https://ielts.org/about-ielts
International English Language Testing System. (n.d.). Organisations that accept IELTS. https://ielts.org/organisations
Jones, M., Linse, C., O’Sullivan, K., & Richards, J. C. (2006). Tune in 1: Learning English through listening. Oxford University Press.
Jun Zhang, L., & Bin Anual, S. (2008). The Role of Vocabulary in Reading Comprehension: The Case of Secondary School Students Learning English in Singapore. RELC Journal, 39(1), 51–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688208091140
Kunnan, A. J. (Ed.). (2000). Fairness and validation in language assessment: Selected papers from the 19th Language Testing Research Colloquium, Orlando, Florida (No. 9). Cambridge University Press.
Lange, K., & Matthews, J. (2020). Exploring the relationships between L2 vocabulary knowledge, lexical segmentation, and L2 listening comprehension. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 10(4), 723-749.
Laufer, B. (1992). How Much Lexis is Necessary for Reading Comprehension? In P. J. L. Arnaud & H. Béjoint (Eds.), Vocabulary and Applied Linguistics (pp. 126–132). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12396-4_12
Lewthwaite, M. D. (2007). Teacher and Student Attitudes to IELTS Writing Tasks: Positive or Negative Washback? Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives, 4(2), 11–30. https://doi.org/10.18538/lthe.v4.n2.06
Li, M., & Kirby, J. R. (2014). The Effects of Vocabulary Breadth and Depth on English Reading. Applied Linguistics, amu007. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amu007
Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Littlewood, W. T. (1977). Linguistic change during interpersonal interaction. Lingua, 41(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3841(77)90095-X
McCarthy, M., & Carter, R. (2006). Explorations in corpus linguistics. Cambridge University Press.
Nguyen, T. M. (2025). IELTS Washback as a High-Stakes Test on Student Learning: A Hierarchical Modelling Study at a Vietnamese University. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 5(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.25511
Nguyen, T. N., & Nguyen, T. T. (2026). The washback effect of EOP speaking tests on students’ self-regulated learning. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 6(1), 17–36. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.26612
Pearson, I. (1988). Tests as levers for change. ESP in the classroom: Practice and evaluation, 128, 98-107.
Phung, D. H., & Ha, H. T. (2022). Vocabulary Demands of the IELTS Listening Test: An In-Depth Analysis. Sage Open, 12(1), 21582440221079934. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221079934
Popham, W. J. (1983). Task‐Teaching Versus Test‐Teaching. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 2(4), 10–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.1983.tb00715.x
Richards, J. C. (2006). Communicative language teaching today. Cambridge University press.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667305
Richards, J. C., & Trew, G. (2010). Basic tactics for listening (3rd ed). Oxford University Press.
Riswandi, D., & Wahyudi, D. T. (2018). Can We Find the Washback Effects of International English Language Testing System on IELTS Learners? LEKSIKA, 12(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.30595/lks.v12i1.2192
Saville, N., & Hawkey, R. (2004). The IELTS impact study: Investigating washback on teaching materials. In L. Cheng, Y. Watanabe, & A. Curtis (Eds.), Washback in language testing: Research contexts and methods (pp. 73–96). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Schmitt, D., & Schmitt, N. (2011). Focus on vocabulary 2: Mastering the academic word list. Pearson Longman.Spolsky, B. (1994). The examination-classroom backwash cycle: Some historical cases. Bringing about change in language education, 55-66.
Stæhr, L. S. (2008). Vocabulary size and the skills of listening, reading and writing. Language Learning Journal, 36(2), 139–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730802389975
Stæhr, L. S. (2009). Vocabulary Knowledge and Advanced Listening Comprehension in English as a Foreign Language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 31(4), 577–607. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263109990039
Stecher, B., Chun, T., & Barron, S. (2004). The effects of assessment-driven reform on the teaching of writing in Washington State. In L. Cheng, Y. Watanabe, & A. Curtis (Eds.), Washback in language testing: Research contexts and methods (pp. 53–71). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Van Zeeland, H., & Schmitt, N. (2013). Lexical Coverage in L1 and L2 Listening Comprehension: The Same or Different from Reading Comprehension? Applied Linguistics, 34(4), 457–479. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ams074
Vernon, P. E. (1940). The Measurement of Abilities. University of London Press.
Downloads
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The copyright of all articles published in the International Journal of TESOL & Education (ijte) remains with the Authors, i.e. Authors retain full ownership of their article. Permitted third-party reuse of the open access articles is defined by the applicable Creative Commons (CC) end-user license which is accepted by the Authors upon submission of their paper. All articles in the ijte are published under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, meaning that end users can freely share an article (i.e. copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt it (i.e. remix, transform and build upon the material) on the condition that proper attribution is given (i.e. appropriate credit, a link to the applicable license and an indication if any changes were made; all in such a way that does not suggest that the licensor endorses the user or the use) and the material is only used for non-commercial purposes.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository, in a journal or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
