As speaking is one of the core language skills, formal evaluation of students' speaking abilities is crucial for language teachers in order to assess the pedagogical needs of their students. To date, the issues surrounding the assessment of second language learners' speaking abilities have not been explored in depth.

This volume is the first to consider these assessment issues and their implication for language teaching practitioners wishing to evaluate their students' speaking abilities. This book outlines current language assessment paradigms, outlines in an accessible manner the research in the field, and provides teachers and test developers with practical guidelines to design and develop suitable speaking tests and assessment tools for their students.