The Language Training and Testing Center

Keeping Up with the Times in
Serving Learners, Teachers, andPartner Institutions
Introduction
Who is the LTTC?
The LTTC is a non-profit educational institute founded in 1951 and currently
registered with the Ministry of Education (MOE) of Taiwan. For more than 70
years, it has dedicated itself to fostering locally appropriate foreign language
training and testing in Taiwan. The LTTC is:
The only institution in Taiwan that provides formal language training andtesting services in six languages (English, Japanese, Korean, French,
German, and Spanish)
The training institution of choice for government agencies and hundredsof organizations
An active contributor in research, publication, and collaborations withacademic institutions at home and abroad
A source of expertise and resources shared through a wide range of
public engagements

Key Partner in Bilingual Education
A driving force in foreign language education in Taiwan, the LTTC endeavors
to keep pace with the country’s education reforms. This is illustrated by thedevelopment of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT):

A Chronicle of the GEPT and English Education in Taiwan
1950s-1970s

1980s-Present

2000

2004

200920162021

Grammar-translationis the main teaching
method, later
supplemented withaudio-lingual
practices.

The Communicative
Approach becomesthe main teaching
method.

GEPTIntermediatelevel isadministered
for the firsttime.

The abilityoriented
Curriculum
Guidelines for
Grades 1-9 forElementary andJunior High
Education areimplemented.

Program for
Enhancing
Citizens’
EnglishProficiency isannounced by
the Executive
Yuan.

The National
1. New competencyDevelopment
driven test tasks
Councilare adopted for
proposes thethe GEPT.
2. The Dr. GEPT
Blueprint forservice isDeveloping
launched.
Taiwan into a
Bilingual Nationby 2030.

1968

1998

2001

2007

2015

2019

The 9-year
educationsystembecomes
compulsory.

Encouraging
all citizens tolearn foreign
languages
becomes an
MOE action
plan forlifelong
learning.

GEPT
Elementary andHigh-intermediatelevels areadministered forthe first time.

The LTTC English
Learner Corpus(LTTC-ELC)
is constructed.

The College
Entrance
Examination &Comprehensive
Assessment
Program for JuniorHigh SchoolStudents adopt
English listening
tests scores.

The competencydriven Curriculum
Guidelines for the12-Year Basic
Education areimplemented.

2022
The online learning
platform GEPT
iPrep begins
operation.

To address challenges arising from the Taiwan government’s 2030 BilingualPolicy, the LTTC has established the LTTC Task Force for Bilingual Education.
— The task force focuses on innovations in three major areas—training,assessment, and research—and works closely with experts and stakeholders
to tailor its products and services to the needs of students, educators,and government agencies.

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Innovations in Training, Assessment, and ResearchTraining
To meet the training demands of the government’s bilingual policy, the LTTC
offers targeted English language courses and teacher training courses.
English Language Courses— Competency-oriented courses for middle and high school students— EAP courses for students at the tertiary level, such as writing training programs
designed for researchers at Academia Sinica and writing and speaking
courses that enhance college students’ readiness for EMI courses

Professional Development for Teachers
Primary and secondary education— Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teacher training workshops
for junior high and elementary school teachers, e.g., workshops conductedin cooperation with the Department of Education of the Taipei City Government— Courses integrating English language test preparation, language training,and classroom English training to prepare CLIL teachers for certification atthe CEFR B2 level

Higher education— Faculty-training collaboration between the LTTC and universities aroundTaiwan, e.g., the EMI Skill Enhancement Workshop held at National Taipei
University of Technology in 2021

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Assessment
The LTTC is committed to meeting the need for an expanded standardized testing
capacity, as specified by the government. It has also met the demand for valid,reliable and localized assessment tools for classroom use.
Standardized Testing
The BEST Test of English Proficiency (BESTEP)— Funded by the Ministry of Education— A norm-referenced assessment program to evaluate university students’English communication skills, from the CEFR A2 to B2 levels, in academicsettings

The General English Proficiency Test (GEPT)— New tasks added in 2020 to better reflect the concepts and skills containedin the revised competency-based English curriculum (2019) in Taiwan— Embodying the ideal of Learning Oriented Assessment through “Dr. GEPT,”
an online service providing test takers with individual feedback on theirstrengths and weaknesses, to ensure assessment leads to further learning— Expanding the available test venues and test administration frequency inresponse to the need specified by the government— GEPT iPrep jointly launched by the National Development Council and theLTTC in 2022: a free, digital learning platform offering personalized diagnostic
feedback on learners’ listening and reading proficiencies in English.

Scores on Listening andReading Tests

Analysis of Strengths andWeaknesses
Achievement Level
Analysis & Explanation

Advice for Improvement
Guidance for Learning
Vocabulary & Sentence Patterns

Classroom Assessment
Primary and secondary education— Sets of CLIL classroom assessment tools for the elementary school subjects oflife and science, developed under commission by the Taipei City Government’s Department of Education
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Research
The LTTC grounds its endeavors in up-to-date research findings. It actively engages
the academic community through publications, exchanges, and the LTTC
Teaching and Research Grants.
Recent publications
English Language Proficiency Testing in Asia (2019)— An edited volume discussing locally designed and adapted
language tests throughout Asia and their impact on language
teaching and learning

General English Proficiency Test: Realizing Glocalization in
English Language Proficiency Testing (2021)— A two-part volume tracing the historical context of thedevelopment of the GEPT and reviewing key validation
endeavors undertaken in support of the test

Rethinking EMI: Multidisciplinary Perspectives from Chinese-speaking
Regions (2021)— A collection drawing on the current practice of EMI in diverse
disciplines and university settings and examining ways to address
challenges, both pedagogical and learning-related, that arise in
implementing EMI at tertiary institutions in Chinese-speaking
regions

LTTC Teaching and Research Grants
Intended to support research related to linguistics, applied linguistics, language
teaching, and language assessment
Offering researchers at all levels of education financial support and/or access tomaterials and data from tests developed by the LTTC
Providing opportunities for educational and research institutions, based either
in Taiwan or overseas, to conduct joint research with the LTTC

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