[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-158058-en":3,"doc-seo-158058-105":31,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":96},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":28,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":29,"read_time":30},158058,962085564549,"Aditya","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45",4,"Exam","A Case Study of Washback and Test Preparation of the New Version of PTE Academic","The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE-A) shifted from a three-hour to a two-hour version in November 2021, prompting questions about how the revision affects stakeholders. This case study investigates washback and changes in test preparation among a small sample of Chinese test takers (n=10) through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Results indicate preference for shorter testing and multiple preparation approaches supporting positive washback, though confusion over specific items led some participants to use construct-irrelevant strategies, potentially weakening face validity. Recommendations focus on improving test design to better match test takers’ needs.","A Case Study of Washback and Test Preparation of the New Version of PTE Academic  \nYi Zou1 *, Ying Zheng2, Jingwen Wang3  \nARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT  \n\n| Article History:\u003Cbr>Received: April 2024\u003Cbr>Accepted: August 2024 |  |  | The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE-A), a widely used highstakes language proficiency test for university admissions and migration purposes, underwent a notable change from a three-hour to a two-hour version in November 2021. The implementation of the new version has prompted inquiries into the washback effects on various stakeholders. Focusing on a small sample of Chinese test takers (n=10), this paper explores washback effects following the revision of PTE-A and the complexity of test preparation through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest a shorter test length is preferred and several different methods are adopted for test preparation which gives evidence to the positive washback. However, participants reported some confusion regarding certain test items, leading to the adoption of construct-irrelevant methods. This, in turn, may affect the face validity of PTE-A. While addressing the literature gap in this field, recommendations for improving the test design to better meet test takers’needs are provided. |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| KEYWORDS\u003Cbr>Chinese test perception\u003Cbr>PTE Academic Test preparation Test Revision Washback Effects | taker | |  |\n\n1. Introduction  \nStandardized language tests have been used for multiple purposes, and globalization has led toa significant increase in the use of English language tests. The pervasive use of English in major socioeconomic sectors such as business, technology, and various academic settings has driven a surge in demand among international students seeking admission to universities where English is the primary medium of instruction. In this context, universities rely on standardized language tests to provide reliable evidence of incoming students’ English ability, ensuring they are prepared for their academic programs. The new version of PTE-A has been designed to be useful for test takers in demonstrating their English language proficiency.  \nLaunched globally in 2009, the PTE-A serves to measure candidates’ ability to use English. In developing PTE-A, Pearson collaborated with Lexical Computing Ltd to establish the Pearson International Corpus of Academic English (PICAE) . This corpus ensures the PTE-A accurately represents the English that test takers will need to understand and produce in academic settings where English is the language of instruction. The corpus comprises spoken and written data from five major English-speaking countries including curricular English found in lectures, seminars, textbooks and journal papers, and extracurricular English encountered in university administration and transcripts of radio broadcasts (see Ackermann et al., 2011) . Besides its academic focus, it is noteworthy that the testis fully computer-based, with both test delivery and scoring automated by computer. Overall, PTE-A has become one of the leading large-scale proficiency tests affecting the lives of many international students, as high-stakes decisions often hinge on these test scores. The background of this study is that  \n1 University of Southampton, Email: [eyiechoyz@hotmail.com](eyiechoyz@hotmail.com)  \n2 University of Southampton, Email: [jingwen.wang@soton.ac.uk](jingwen.wang@soton.ac.uk)  \n3 University of Southampton, [Email:](Email: ying.zheng@soton.ac.uk)[ ](Email: ying.zheng@soton.ac.uk)[ying.zheng@soton.ac.uk](Email: ying.zheng@soton.ac.uk)  \nCite this paper as: Zou, Y., Zheng, Y., & Jingwen, W. (2025). A Case Study of Washback and Test Preparation of the New Version of PTE Academic. International Journal of Language Testing, 15(1), 159–172. [https://doi.org/10.22034/ijlt.2024.447992.1337](https://doi.org/10.22034/ijlt.2024.447992.1337)  \nZou et al. (2025)  \nPTE-A was changed from a three-hour test to a two-hour version in N","cbCaiva1dqPC6Azy","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiva1dqPC6Azy","pdf",329680,2,1,14,"English","en",105,"# Introduction\n# Review of Literature\n## Washback and Test Preparation\n## PTE Academic Test Revision and Validity\n# Methodology\n## Participants and Data Collection\n## Data Analysis\n# Findings\n## Test Taker Perceptions\n## Preparation Strategies and Washback\n# Discussion and Recommendations\n# Conclusion","[{\"question\":\"What change did PTE Academic make in November 2021?\",\"answer\":\"PTE Academic moved from a three-hour format to a two-hour version in November 2021, reducing the number of test items while keeping all item types.\"},{\"question\":\"How was washback and test preparation investigated in this study?\",\"answer\":\"The study used in-depth semi-structured interviews with a small sample of Chinese test takers (n=10) to explore washback effects and preparation complexity after the revision.\"},{\"question\":\"What evidence of washback did the study find?\",\"answer\":\"Participants generally preferred the shorter test and adopted different preparation methods, which the findings interpret as evidence of positive washback. However, some confusion about certain test items led to construct-irrelevant methods.\"}]","A Case Study of Washback and Test Preparation of the New Version of PTE Academic | PDF",1787994184,35,{"code":4,"msg":32,"data":33},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":34,"title":13,"keywords":35,"description":14,"schema_data":36,"social_meta":91,"head_meta":93,"extra_data":95,"updated_unix":29},"a-case-study-of-washback-and-test-preparation-of-the-new-version-of-pte-academic","",{"@graph":37,"@context":90},[38,53,73],{"@type":39,"itemListElement":40},"BreadcrumbList",[41,45,48,51],{"item":42,"name":43,"@type":44,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":46,"name":47,"@type":44,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":44,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":44,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/a-case-study-of-washback-and-test-preparation-of-the-new-version-of-pte-academic/158058/",{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":54,"image":55,"author":60,"headline":13,"publisher":62,"fileFormat":65,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":66,"datePublished":67,"encodingFormat":65,"isAccessibleForFree":68,"interactionStatistic":69},"DigitalDocument",{"url":56,"@type":57,"width":58,"height":59},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/a-case-study-of-washback-and-test-preparation-of-the-new-version-of-pte-academic/158058.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":9,"@type":61},"Person",{"url":42,"name":63,"@type":64},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-11","2026-08-29",true,{"@type":70,"interactionType":71,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":72},"ViewAction",{"@type":74,"mainEntity":75},"FAQPage",[76,82,86],{"name":77,"@type":78,"acceptedAnswer":79},"What change did PTE Academic make in November 2021?","Question",{"text":80,"@type":81},"PTE Academic moved from a three-hour format to a two-hour version in November 2021, reducing the number of test items while keeping all item types.","Answer",{"name":83,"@type":78,"acceptedAnswer":84},"How was washback and test preparation investigated in this study?",{"text":85,"@type":81},"The study used in-depth semi-structured interviews with a small sample of Chinese test takers (n=10) to explore washback effects and preparation complexity after the revision.",{"name":87,"@type":78,"acceptedAnswer":88},"What evidence of washback did the study find?",{"text":89,"@type":81},"Participants generally preferred the shorter test and adopted different preparation methods, which the findings interpret as evidence of positive washback. 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