DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCE-BASED ENGLISH TEST FOR WORKPLACE READINESS

Abstract

This article discusses the development of an English test to prepare for workplace readiness among Malaysian graduates.  This test is considered important to indicate the level of competency of the graduates before entering workplace.  This test focus on the oral competence as it was found that Malaysian graduates lack communication skills.  Six competencies (based on the framework developed by TOCC) are examined in the test. These are discrete but work together holistically to make a speaker persuasive and convincing in presentations and discussions: discourse competence – holistic impression of speaking ability – persuasiveness, articulateness, linguistic competence – fluency and accuracy of language, interactional competence – ability to give feedback or comment on another’s ideas without offending, strategic competence – ability to recover from mistakes, or to think on feet, socio-cultural and formulaic competence – expected courtesies as heard in   common expressions.