English language trainers not uncommonly ask us whether they should use the TOEIC Listening & Reading test with all their students or instead assess their lower-level students with the TOEIC Bridge test. 

There are arguments for and against using TOEIC Bridge in such situations, and so the answer to the question depends largely on your philosophy and needs.

We regularly get inquiries on strategies for using TOEIC tests in English language teaching, as well as on how quickly scores can be expected to improve. Therefore I was interested to learn of research conducted by TOEIC representative Pro-Match in Australia that responds to both questions.

Pro-Match had the opportunity to work with results from almost 750 students at  Pacific Gateway International College (whose English language centers have since been purchased by the Canadian company ILSC). Teachers in all Pacific Gateway's varied types of English language programs administered TOEIC Listening & Reading tests once each month throughout enrollment periods that lasted a minimum of four weeks and an average of twelve weeks—providing a wealth of data!

Despite required study in English from elementary school on and the country's stature as one of the world's leading exporters, Japanese professionals continue to have on average surprisingly poor English language skills.

One study by Japanese firm Recruit Agent cited in a recent Reuters article found that only 9 percent of over 1,100 white-collar workers surveyed claimed to be able to communicate in English at all, with most others rating themselves "Barely" able to function in speaking or listening.

A new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance (downloadable free), offers almost 500 pages of data comparing its 34 country members on almost every imaginable education-related statistic, from teacher pay (page 415) to student reading ability as correlated to their immigrant status (page 97).

Some of the results could be anticipated (for instance, that the previously soaring rates of study abroad slowed with the world's economic downturn, declining from an 8% increase to a 3.3% increase between 2007-8 and 2008-9). Others are more surprising. One that initially startled me and caught my attention was that field of study differs depending on where international students choose to go abroad.

An interesting discussion took place on the LinkedIn group ESL Teacher Professionals last month relating to a question asked by teacher Renee in New York regarding ways English language learners could improve their listening skills beyond such usual recommendations as films, radio, and YouTube. Comments from around the world focused on free Web sites. I've had a chance to go through those sites myself now and wanted to share the best with you:

The article “English: the Inescapable Language,” which appears in the latest issue of The American, a journal published by the American Enterprise Institute, has a somewhat different focus than you would expect from its title.

The article indeed does discuss how English has becomes the world’s common language of the workplace, including some interesting “did you know?” material such as the following—

• Flashcards. These could be paper cards, digital, or mobile phone apps.

Speaking is one of the most challenging English language skills for many TOEIC test takers to master. Even native speakers are often terrified when they first have to give a formal presentation to an audience: the fear of public speaking is in fact our most common phobia, with many saying that this fear is worse for them than even fear of death.

If you are preparing for TOEIC, however, giving a public speech is not what you have to master. You will be speaking privately and simply into the “ears” of a computer and being scored by expert raters who score international English anonymously and objectively, with no judgments based on accent or knowledge of who you are.

Speaking “to a computer” of course can generate its own fears (though in today’s VOIP- and DVC-connected business world you may be doing it every day). Fortunately there are many learner-friendly forums that will develop your skills and your confidence.