We know that New Directions English is a series of expert-led events that bring international and national perspectives and insight into trends and approaches in English language teaching, learning and assessment in China. Can you please let us know what the Symposium is about and why you are having it?

Greg Selby: It is the first major symposium of this kind that was recently held by the British Council. We’ve chosen to launch it now in China not only because China has always been an important market for English language testing, teaching and learning, but also because now there is a debate going on in the country in the area of English assessment.

The British council has rich experience in English language teaching, learning and assessment, and we want to contribute to that ongoing debate. The conference is therefore focused on approaching that issue.

I consider the symposium to be a milestone in the continuing journey towards even more effective English language assessment theory and practice in China and, indeed, throughout the region.

As Barry describes, there’s a kind of “triangle” of language teaching: curriculum, delivery and assessment. These refer to what is taught, how it is taught and the assessment of what is taught. We hope that the British Council can contribute in each of those three corners. That’s why we are happy to get involved.

As an authority in the area of English language teaching and assessment, how do you define BC’s position and how are you going to contribute to this field?

Greg Selby: We have a long history of English language testing and research over about 70 years. The British Council has also been involved in English language assessment and the delivery of English language tests overseas. We will soon be celebrating a number of anniversaries: 35 years since the British Council was established in China, 25 years of IELTS worldwide and 10 years delivering IELTS in China in partnership with the National Education Examinations Authority.

We have a network of English language teaching centers around the world. That gives us quite a lot of expertise. We also like to reflect on why we are involved in language testing and the research of the teaching of English. It goes back to the purpose of British Council, which is about building trust and providing opportunities for individuals worldwide.

There is one point that really interests me. Aptis can be customized to suit special needs, and the test is very flexible and can be administered by employers themselves. Test content can be adapted to suit a specific domain, such as teaching or travel and tourism. According to your experience in East Asia, do you think there is a tendency for more and more employers to prefer customization and self-administration of English language assessments?

Greg Selby: First of all, Aptis is a test, but we also think about it as a service. What we have found when working with our clients is that very often they not only want assessments but also support on language teaching curriculum or language input. As you have mentioned, our clients need Aptis to be flexible. Thus, we customize the content in the test. For example, we have Aptis for teachers and teenagers. We customize it according to how clients want to deliver it.

Increasingly, we find that the test also needs localization. For example, in Malaysia, we recently launched a partnership with the Ministry of Education because the officials there were very interested in a test for their own English language teachers. But we have to help them to find out the needs of English language teachers over there and their English language levels, and we have to adapt Aptis to suit those needs.

We know that many organizations use IELTS, TOEIC or home-made tests or have developed their own original tests to evaluate the English language abilities of employees. So in what way does Aptis stand out and what benefits can those employers expect if they switch to Aptis?

Greg Selby: The use of any test should be measured according to what decisions are being made on the basis of its results. You have to look at how a test is being used or perhaps misused by some companies, and what decisions those companies are making on the basis of the test.

For example, IELTS is a very well-researched and highly valid yet specific test for assessing the academic English of students. That test is perhaps not the best measure to use when making internal company decisions about promotions in a business context. So we need to go back to why the test is being used and how important those decisions are.

Any test will face this problem if it is widely used in the market. The key point is where you put it into use.

Finally, can you please talk about the future development plan of Aptis in China?

Greg Selby: Aptis is in its early days. It’s very soft-launched. This conference is considered the soft launch of Aptis. It is entirely appropriate, therefore, that our first symposium in the New Directions