Unveiling the factors for the predictive validity of IELTS for postgraduate studies: assessment, teaching and learning in the TLU domain

The project evolves the newly developed argument-based validation framework to explore what factors might affect the predictive validity of IELTS scores for postgraduate studies. It attempts to reveal how language proficiency required by IELTS resonates with that of postgraduate assessment and how language and assessment support facilitates language performance in postgraduate assessment, subsequently affecting predictive validity. The results will facilitate IELTS development and validation and assist interpretation of IELTS scores in a valid, fair and ethical way to make IELTS serve better as an indicative measurement of language proficiency for postgraduate teaching, learning and assessment.