Introduce yourself in three words or phrases.
Persistent. Occasionally bothersome.
What do you like most about your job?
I’ve spent about a decade writing about standardised language tests, and have enjoyed opportunities to chat with dozens of people doing amazing things in this space. That’s what keeps me going. I’m always happy to get a behind the scenes peek at what’s being worked on and what students taking these tests might experience a few years down the road. The knowledge that innovation is happening and that future generations of test takers will benefit from it fill me with enthusiasm.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that improvements in the language testing industry are too little and too late. And that can sometimes lead to cynicism. If not for the aforementioned interactions, I might have decided – years ago – to work in a whole different industry.
Best work trip/Worst work trip?
Last year I traveled to Chandigarh to give a short presentation about the state of testing at a partner meet for PSI’s “Skills for English” test. Skills for English is still a pretty small test – perhaps the smallest of the SELT tests by volume – but that’s part of what made the experience worthwhile. There’s a whole smorgasbord of language test options nowadays that many of us are barely aware of. I’ll never turn down a chance to learn about one of the up-and-coming English tests.
A bonus was that Chandigarh is a pretty charming city. I had visited 18 years earlier while doing the Lonely Planet backpacking thing a lot of us did in the early 2000s. Even then, I was really taken with the city, especially all that curious architecture by Le Corbusier, so, obviously, I leapt at the chance to return. After the event, I hopped on a train to nearby Amritsar so I could visit the Golden Temple. That was truly a life-changing experience.
If you could learn a language instantly, which would you pick and why?
Chinese, probably. China has been the biggest or second biggest market for English language tests for many years, but much of what happens there goes unreported in the western press due to language issues. For instance, one of the biggest testing companies in the world entered the market back in November… and no one outside the country really noticed until a few weeks had already passed. Translation apps help with reporting on the big stuff when it comes to news and trends, but I’d love to be able to more easily chat with people at ground level and with the “netizens” on social media
What makes you get up in the morning?
Though my work involves a lot of consulting and writing nowadays, I’ll never stop working one-on-one with individual learners at various stages of their academic journeys. The thought that I might have a chance to help a young person reach their goals is good motivation to get up in the morning.
Speaking more literally, though, it’s worth mentioning that I live in a time zone quite distant from most of the testing firms I cover. If I make the mistake of checking my phone in the very early morning, I’ll often spot something interesting that happened or was announced overnight and then feel obligated drag myself out of bed for to write about it. One of my new year’s resolutions for 2025 is to not read anything about tests until after breakfast.
Champion/cheerleader which we should all follow and why?
Paul Wells recently began writing a column in University Affairs. He’s long been a champion of higher ed in Canada, and is also one of the country’s best all-round journalists.
Worst conference food/beverage experience
There have been a few bad boxed lunches along the way.
Book or podcast recommendation for others in the sector?
My podcast app tells me that the British Council’s “Our World, Connected” was my most-listened to industry-related podcast in 2024. It’s a worthwhile listen. The Council does some pretty impressive work in terms of bringing people together. Other testing firms could learn from their example.
I’m still waiting for a book that tells the definitive history of language testing for admissions. But for people who want to know about how testing came about I always recommend Nicholas Leman’s “The Big Test.” It’s close to perfect… and he published a short follow-up (Higher Admissions: The Rise, Decline and Return of Standardized Testing) just last year.
Describe a project or initiative you’re currently working on that excites you.
I hope this is the year I finally launch a podcast about English testing. I know that there’s an audience for reporting of “news and views,” but I’d like to go beyond that. My dream is to create or contribute to a sort of oral history of the people who have worked in language testing over the years, especially in the 70s and 80s. From psychometricians, to publishers to tutors… everyone has an interesting story to tell and some amusing anecdotes to share.
