A study of the washback effects of the College English Test (band 4) on teaching and learning English at tertiary level in China

This paper presents pilot research findings, applying quantitative and qualitative methods, on the effects of CET-4 upon English education at the tertiary level in China. The research uses questionnaires delivered to 35 teachers and 210 students and semi-structured interviews with 22 teachers and 30 students conducted in five sampled universities in the city of Tianjin. CET-4 is a high-stakes national English examination measuring college students' listening, reading, writing and translating skills. Findings suggest the examination has a questionable validity but strong influence upon learning and the development of classroom assessments. Students are encouraged to learn for the test by memorizing word lists and doing past and practice papers and it is hard for the learning results to extend to non-test contexts. Classroom assessments highly resemble the exam both in test tasks and techniques. CET-4 exerts varying degrees of effects upon teaching at different schools. The exam and its prior language exams may contribute to students' low proficiency of using English for real-life purposes. They may also be responsible for teachers' unwillingness and simplicity of teaching communication. To examine the exact validity of CET-4 and to gauge more accurately the exam's washback, it is recommended a further nationwide CET-4 study be conducted.