How to Test Speaking Skills in Japan

12 Part 1: Why should we bother with speaking tests? a sample, taken from the 2016 exam ( 教英出版、 2016: 5) 1 :

(1)

A: Yumi, can ( pen / your / I / use )? B: Of course. Here you are. A: Thank you.

(2)

A: You have a nice watch! B: ( to / gave / me / it / my father / ) for my birthday. A: That’s good! A: Look at this picture. This is the longest river in Japan. B: Do ( long / is / you / how / know / it )? A: Sorry, I don’t know.

(3)

Although this question type features communicative exchanges be tween two speakers, it’s actually good reading and grammar skills that are required to answer it correctly As a result, teachers have to prioritize them over conversation practice in their classes What do you imagine are the long-term effects of constantly pairing communicative exchanges with grammar accuracy ques tions on high stakes exams? What sorts of attitudes about En glish communication are cultivated via such a curriculum? A classic case of negative washback The current entrance exam system has been heavily criticized as the primary reason why Japanese students fare so poorly at English The key problem is the influence these exams have on how the language is taught and learned As Hagerman (2009: 57) writes: 1 Kyoei Syuppan is a publishing company based in Shizuoka Prefecture that makes past en trance exams available. If you would like to get more acquainted with these kinds of tests, you can find them at your local bookstore.