Computer-Based Vs. Face-to-Face Speaking Assessment: Fitness for Purpose from a Communicative Language Testing View

Thanks to the ever-developing educational technologies, more and more educational institutions and testing
organizations around the world have been delivering their testing events through computer-based formats. As far as language
assessment is concerned, these developments have led to questions on all sorts of validity being raised by educational and assessment
researchers, especially regarding the speaking skill. This exploratory paper compares and contrasts the pros and cons of computer-
based and face-to-face assessment of speaking from a communicative view of language, by exploring what exactly needs to be
assessed in speaking, the effects of the delivery mode and the differences between computerized and human rating. The findings are
that face-to-face assessment of speaking is a much more valid format than computer-based assessment from a communicative point
of view, but that the latter can provide a partial answer to the bulk administration problem in contexts such as placement or exit tests
in educational institutions.