English language exams and 'real’ English

In this talk, I examine the link between the English language exams that Hong Kong school students take nowadays (and tests that they have had inflicted upon them over the past 50 years). I look at how the different exams match up (or otherwise) with what we might see as ‘real’ English, and how the exams help prepare students for using English in the real world. I present a picture of what English language tests have consisted of over the past half century and how Hong Kong English language exams have moved and developed with the times. As a point of reference, I frame issues within the context of some standard test quality ‘concepts’. I present some snapshots of what the testing scene in Hong Kong looked like one decade at a time, framing the snapshots where I can against a test quality concept.