Submission 62 - Response to the Joint Committee on Migration Inquiry into skills recognition, upgrading and licensing - English language competency testing and OET

Sep 4, 2026

Uploaded by Liam

Response to the Joint Committee on Migration Inquiry outlining why English language competency testing is increasingly necessary for entry to Australian education and professional contexts. Explains the Occupational English Test (OET) as a performance-based, specific-purpose assessment developed in the early 1990s for overseas qualified health professionals. Describes its rigorous development using workplace language analysis, profession-specific tasks, double marking for speaking and writing, scoring criteria, and ongoing research, emphasizing high validity and reliability and the model’s potential for skilled migration trade occupations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Submission 62

Joint Committee inquiry scope

Purpose and relevance of English testing

OET ownership, development, and validity

Scoring, double marking, and reliability

Research and potential expansion

Application to skilled migration trade occupations

Closing remarks and contact

Submission 62 Response to the Joint Committee on Migration Inquiry into skills recognition, upgrading and licensing The testing of English language competency has become increasingly necessary in the light of current community concern about the quality of English language testing for entry to Australian educational institutions and professional contexts. The Occupational English Test (OET) is a specific purpose performance based test owned and administered by the Centre for Adult Education (CAE) in Melbourne. It was developed in the early 1990s to provide an appropriate form of English language assessment for overseas qualified health professionals. Its rigorous development involved an analysis of the language used in context by a range of health professionals to enable profession specific tasks to be developed which had a strong correlation to the communicative requirements of the workplace and hence high face validity. This work was conducted by a team of leading ESL test developers atthe University of Melbourne Language Testing Resource Centre (MLTRC) lead by Professor Tim McNamara a world leader in international language testing. MLTRC were also involved in the development of the scoring criteria and assessment protocols which include double marking of the speaking and writing subtests, where rater reliability and interpretation of criteria can lead to issues of reliability. Double marking allows the application of statistical tests designed to identify rater characteristics and check on an individual rater’s internal consistency, further improving the reliability of the score given. MLTRC have maintained a strong relationship with the OET since its development and have conducted on going research into a number of critical aspects of ESL testing using OET data and specifications. The model used by the OET has the capacity to be expanded to other trades and professions. Its focus on assessing communicative competence in a relevant context gives it high face validity in comparison to more general tests of English, and its existing regime of double marking all speaking and writing performances offers those who rely on the results of the test an extremely high level of reliability. The staff of the CAE OET are keen to foster this style of language testing as a model for use within the Trade occupations identified in the Skilled Migration List. CAE OET staff would be pleased to provide additional information to the committee. Thank You Philippa McLean Manager OET Assessments Centre for Adult Education

FAQs

Why does the submission emphasize English language competency testing for Australian education and professional contexts?

It states that community concern has made English test quality increasingly important, and that competency testing is necessary for entry to educational institutions and professional situations in Australia.

What is the Occupational English Test (OET) and who owns and administers it?

OET is a specific-purpose, performance-based English test owned and administered by the Centre for Adult Education (CAE) in Melbourne.

How does OET support reliability in speaking and writing results?

It uses scoring criteria and assessment protocols including double marking of speaking and writing, combined with statistical checks to identify rater characteristics and internal consistency.

How could the OET model be applied beyond health professionals?

The submission says the model can be expanded to other trades and professions, supported by its focus on communicative competence in relevant contexts and its double-marking reliability.

Sep 4, 2026

Uploaded by Liam