Why does Testing English Language Skills Really Matter? Issues and Challenges in Pakistani Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

This paper highlights the causes of incompetence amongst the higher education. English language teachers in Pakistan to assess the skill-based language competency of non-native English language students. It elaborates the needs for training the faculty members teaching English courses to learn how they can enhance the real potential of their English language students with focus on listening comprehension, speaking, reading comprehension, writing and grammatical structures rather than only a written recall-test of three hours. This test of recall does not improve higher education English language students’ required skills for real life competency in professional context. Neither does the written recall-test help build confidence in professional presentations while they are engaged in their active learning mode at the universities. The concern to augment the skills of higher education English language students was raised through a sample of n = 178 higher education students. The study concludes that a conventional three-hour English testing practice is too insufficient to build the skills-based confidence and required performance in professional context.