ABSTRACT
Language testing, like all educational assessment, is a complex social phenomenon. It has evolved to fulfil a number of functions in the classroom, and society at large. Today the use of language testing is endemic in contexts as diverse as education, employment, international mobility, language planning and economic policy making. Such widespread use makes language testing controversial. For some, language tests are gatekeeping tools that further the agendas of the powerful. For others, they are the vehicle by which society can implement equality of opportunity or learner empowerment. How we perceive language tests depends partly upon our own experiences. Perhaps they were troubling events that we had to endure; or maybe they opened doors to a new and better life. But our considered judgements should also be based upon an understanding of the historical evolution of testing and assessment, and an analysis of the legitimate roles for testing in egalitarian societies. This first chapter therefore situates language testing in its historical and social context by discussing a variety of perspectives from which to evaluate its practical applications, beginning with the most fundamental concern of all: the purpose of testing.
