Test-Taking Strategies and Task-based Assessment: The Case of Iranian EFL Learners

The present study examined the effect of task-based assessment on the type andfrequency of test-taking strategies that three proficiency groups of Iranian adultEFL learners used when completing the First Certificate in English FCE readingpaper. A total of 70 EFL university undergraduates (53 females and 17 males)took part in the main phase of this study. They were divided into three proficiencygroups: high, intermediate, and low. A set of Chi-square analyses was used toexplore the type and frequency of test-taking strategies used by participants. Theresults suggested that the intermediate group test takers used the strategies significantlydifferent after completing each task (sub-test) in the FCE reading paper.However, the high and low proficient test takers› use of strategies was only significantafter completing the third task of the FCE reading paper. The findings alsorevealed that a pattern could be drawn of the type of strategies used by the threeproficiency groups who participated in this study. Nonetheless, such a patternshifted at times depending on the ability of the test takers and/or the task understudy.

Keywords:

Test-taking Strategies , Task-based Assessment , Reading , Proficiency