Beyond dichotomies : Unravelling the complexities of international standardised language testing

Harding, Luke (2026) Beyond dichotomies : Unravelling the complexities of international standardised language testing. ELT Journal. ISSN 0951-0893

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Abstract

This article discusses the issues raised in O’Sullivan’s and Hashimura et al.’s Point-Counterpoint articles with the aim of introducing new angles on the topic of international standardised English language testing and opening the debate further. In the first section, I provide summaries of the positions taken by O’Sullivan and Hashimura et al., contrasting the “tests as a social good” and “critical language testing” paradigms. Second, I explore international standardised English language testing as a site of complexity, focusing on the nature of this complexity in conceptualising language testing as a field, language tests (as social objects), and language testing organisations. Third, I address shifts towards measuring innovative constructs and the prospect of greater localisation. Finally, I conclude with a call for research that explores complexity in greater depth with a view to change.