Introduction

Whether or not the higher education sector and language testing organisations ultimately opt to go down the road of developing the kind of more nuanced, discipline-oriented English language tests discussed in Chapter 4, it seems unlikely that the problem of students successfully meeting language entry criteria, only to struggle subsequently with the language demands of their studies, will dissipate entirely. Studying to the test, issues involving test security and factors such as test reliability and performance on the day, which contribute to a margin of error, are always likely to blight pre-enrolment language assessment. Furthermore, as we saw in Chapters 3 and 4, currently the technical, financial and political factors that have the potential to impact negatively on the effectiveness of gatekeeping tests are many and complex. Consequently, there will likely always be a proportion of students who successfully enrol in degree courses but who are at risk linguistically, and this raises the question of whether and how universities can at least manage the fallout that arises from this situation. One solution that is gaining traction, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, is that of post-enrolment language assessment, commonly referred to as ‘PELA’. In a study looking at the use of PELA in thirty-eight Australian universities, Dunworth (2009) reported that more than forty per cent of the surveyed universities administered some form of post-enrolment language assessment, with another twelve universities proposing their introduction. While, as we shall see, different universities have adopted different models of PELA, they share a common discourse and are underpinned by common principles. Those at the vanguard include the University of Melbourne (DELA (Diagnostic English Language Assessment)), Curtin University of Technology (UniEnglish), the University of South Australia (ELSAT) and the University of Auckland (DELNA (Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment)). It is certainly not coincidental that a number of these boast resident expertise in testing: expertise that has been drawn on by other universities contemplating the institution of PELA.