The Test of English for International Communications, better known as TOEIC, will include new writing and speaking components in the fourth quarter of 2006, according to Educational Testing Service officials.
The 25-year-old standardized test of the English proficiency of nonnative speakers is also being revised to include authentic reading and listening tasks that are set to be implemented by May.
Hundreds of Japanese, South Korean and French test-takers are participating in the pilot writing and speaking portions that began Dec. 2 and run through Dec. 24. In Japan, small groups of students are being asked to perform such tasks as describing a scene in a photograph of a market selling bananas.
The new speaking component will take about 30 minutes and is designed to test a range of skills, including pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency and extended discourse.