The CAEL Assessment: Test Takers' Preparation Guide (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The CAEL Assessment Test Takers' Preparation Guide Liz Karra Fraser, Wendy, & Brisson, Marie (Eds.). (2003). The CAEL Assessment Test Takers' Preparation Guide. Ottawa: Carleton University/Penumbra Press. Pp. 184. CAD$85.00. The CAEL Assessment Test Takers' Preparation Guide is what it purports to be, a guide for those who wish to prepare for a CAEL assessment. The CAEL (Canadian Academic English Language) assessment was developed by Carleton University in Ottawa. It provides a Canadian alternative to the myriad of American and British standardized language proficiency exams (TOEFL, CELT, Michigan, IELTS, etc.). Contributors to the Guide are from Carleton's School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies and its Language Assessment and Research Unit. The Guide is organized into seven sections, contains a CD with lectures, and is also accompanied by a Reading Booklet. Each of the four language modalities tested in the CAEL assessment (reading, listening, speaking, and writing) is also addressed in the Guide. The reading section includes strategies for taking the reading test, an inventory of the reading skills tested, a description of each skill, and the questions that accompany each reading. The answer key in the appendix identifies the skill areas associated with each response. This helps the student identify which skill areas need improvement. The listening section follows the same format as the reading section but also includes the script for each taped lecture in the appendix. The writing section differs slightly. It provides strategies for writing and three sample essays that include comments from a rater. Following this is a complete practice test with an accompanying taped lecture and questions, two readings with questions, and a writing task followed by a sample. The time and maximum points allotted to each of these test components is specified in a table, but it is [End Page 361] unclear how the writing is rated: the table simply states 'level placement.' After some searching, the student might find the descriptors on the last page of the book. It is assumed that the rater looks at these descriptors, selects the most appropriate one, and assigns the corresponding band level, but no explanation could be found as to how this is done. The final section deals with speaking, or the oral assessment. It provides a good overview of the tasks required on the test and strategies to prepare for them. It also explains the skills needed for each of these tasks. The rating scale for speaking has ranges of band scores along with the criteria for each. Both the speaking and writing sections are limited in their usefulness for self-study. For speaking, the guide can only offer information on what the student must prepare for. There is obviously no way for students to self-assess their current skills. The writing section offers corrected sample essays with extensive comments, but it is unlikely that students would be able to assess their own work with the same degree of detail. On a positive note, the Guide can be used not only to prepare for a test but to prepare for classroom tasks in an academic setting. The lists of skills and their descriptions are typically those found in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) curricula. The nature of the tasks required and the skills students must demonstrate reflect the outcomes found in graduating EAP classes. The readings are written at a post-secondary level and contain information of general interest that does not rely heavily on previous cultural knowledge. The activities are topic based and integrated, like those found in a good ESL classroom. The lectures sound a little contrived, but they are fairly good simulations of post-secondary classroom lectures. On the other hand, the organization of this guide needs to be rethought. The first section, the Introduction, begins with instructions for using the Guide; these are a little confusing, however, until one reads the following pages, which deal with the test layout. Further confusion results from the labelling of section 1 as 'Test Layout' when it is called 'Introduction' in the table of contents. In addition, each section is said to contain either a reading or a listening component, when in fact the readings themselves are in a...