The Foreign Service Journal, October 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2022 45 scores to stress communicative effectiveness and fluency more than grammatical and lexical precision. The result is a com- bined speaking/listening score that emphasizes communicative ability. Score reports. The Language Testing Unit now provides a tailored score report, something long sought by examinees seek- ing feedback on their performance. Changes to scoring proce- dures are capturing more information about each test, which is reflected in the score report. The score report format will evolve when the new Foreign Service–specific rubrics and scoring pro- cedures are introduced. Changes to the format and content of the test include changes to tasks on the speaking test and texts on the reading test. Introductions during the speaking test. The introduction at the start of the test focuses on a professional, rather than personal, context to address concerns that personal biographi- cal information may be a source of unconscious bias. It is up to examinees to decide how to introduce themselves and share information about their professional background as they would when interacting with a foreign counterpart. Presentation during the speaking test. The second part of the speaking test previously began with the examinee providing a 3- to 5-minute explanation or introduction to a chosen topic. This task has been eliminated, because many Foreign Service employees indicated that they had never given such a presenta- tion or had done so only with the assistance of locally employed staff. Flow of the speaking test. Most of the speaking test occurs in a scenario-based, topical conversation that flows through a series of listening and speaking tasks. The scenario is a meeting or conference that is typical of the types of meetings that Foreign Service employees attend. The examinee will select the meeting topic from a list of options that reflect all career tracks. A pro- gram or agenda—in English—will be provided to the examinee during the test and serve as material for the conversation. Listening on the speaking test. Roughly half of the speak- ing test will be devoted to measuring listening comprehen- sion. Tasks will include the examinee responding to questions and answers about the conference program or meeting agenda and meeting sessions. The last section of the speaking test will follow a format very similar to the interview previously on the third part of the speaking test, where the examinee asks questions, gathers information, and reports it back in English. While there is not a separate score for listening, these changes give equal weight to speaking and listening and result in a