Comments on “Evaluation of the Usefulness of the Versant for English Test: A Response”: The Author Responds

Abstract

I welcome the feedback from Downey et al. on my analysis of the Versant for English Test (formerly called the PhonePass Test), as it provides opportunities to engage in dialogue on differing notions of language performance and authenticity and address the implications of technological expediency influencing and shaping the design of test tasks. The technological impact on spoken language assessment needs to be continually interrogated because its effects on the interactions between the test taker and the test input are open to much debate.