Volume 1, 1998, Paper 6
Paper 6: A comparative study of IELTS and ACCESS test
results
Magdelena Mok, Nick Parr, Tony Lee and Elaine
Wylie
ACCESS is the English language examination of the Department of
Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) of the Australian
Federal Government to assess migration applicants' English language
skills for migration purposes. An alternative examination for
the same purpose is the IELTS (General Training) module. The
objective of the present study is to establish the equivalence
between the measurement scales of ACCESS and IELTS (General
Training). The findings would be necessary for the migration
process and informative for IELTS as an International English
Language Testing System.
The equivalence between ACCESS and IELTS can be established by
administering the two tests to the same group of individuals.
In such a case, only a small sample of individuals can be
tested. The results from such an analysis, however, would be
difficult to generalise both because the size of the sample can
rarely claim representativeness and because the situation of the
test administration is not typical of the actual
examinations. Alternatively, actual test results from the two
examination systems can be used for the establishment of the
equivalence. In such a case, there is a need for links
between the two sets of test results through candidates who have
taken a third common test. This latter method was used in the
study. The linking test chosen was the ASLPR. The IELTS
(Academic) module was also included in the study to enable a
complete analysis of IELTS. The analysis in the study thus
included four testing systems: the IELTS (Academic and General
Training) modules, ACCESS and the ASLPR.
The statistical technique used to establish the equivalence was
many-facet Rasch modelling. This is an approach for equating
test scales by reference to an external measurement scale
independent of the tests involved. Using Rasch modelling,
equivalence among the test scales can be established from actual
test results of separate ACCESS and IELTS candidate groups.
The results of the equating are also highly generalizable due to
the statistical modelling techniques employed.
The findings from the equating exercise have enabled the
identification of the scale structures of the four testing
systems. The results are most interesting both in terms of
the understanding gained regarding the test scales and in terms of
the methodology used.
As regards the equivalence between ACCESS and IELTS (General
Training), there is a large segment of match between the ACCESS and
the IELTS scales. This provides sufficient basis for
estimating the equivalence of the two scales.
The application of Rasch modelling in establishing equivalence
among testing systems has also made a contribution to applied
linguistic research.
