TOPIK to introduce speaking test from 2023

The homepage screen of the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) / Captured from internet

By Kim Hyun-bin

Foreigners who want to take the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) will need to prepare for the speaking section in a couple of years as it will be implemented in the assessment by 2023.

TOPIK currently offers three sections ― listening, writing and reading.

According to education circles, Sunday, the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) plans to establish an internet-based testing (IBT) for the TOPIK speaking section. The government institute has already given public notice of a bid to select a firm that will carry out a study and establish the system.

TOPIK is largely taken by foreigners who want to enroll at a local university or graduate program, receive government-sponsored scholarships, or land a job in the country.

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Many education experts and businesses have been requesting to include the speaking portion to better evaluate foreigners' Korean language capabilities.

Last year, TOPIK was available in 76 countries with over 329,000 people taking the exam worldwide. The number exceeded the 300,000 mark for the first time since it was established in 1997. It is increasing drastically, as only four years ago there were some 208,000 test-takers in 66 countries.

The NIIED has secured a budget to introduce the speaking assessment test and set up a four-year master plan for full implementation scheduled for 2023.

The institute will make questions and evaluation standards and hold two mock trials within this year. By 2021, it will establish an IBT system and as well as keep polishing grading and evaluation procedures.

By 2022, the NIIED will complete the preparation and go through two final test runs with 1,500 examinees each before the full implementation the following year.

In the first year in 2023, the institute plans to hold the speaking test twice that year, allowing around 5,000 exam takers. The number of examinees will be expanded in the following years, expected to accompany 10,000 test takers in 2024, 20,000 in 2025 and up to 50,000 by 2027.

The mock tests and the evaluations will be held locally, and once confirmed to have no problem, they will be offered at international test centers starting from regions that have high demand for the tests including China, Japan and Vietnam.

If the speaking test is settled, the institute plans to adopt the IBT system for listening, reading and writing sections, which are currently given in paper-and-pencil test format.

"If the budget is fully secured, we will be able to implement the speaking assessment as planned. The exam is a comprehensive evaluation of the Korean language capabilities and, once completed, it will create a base to better foster foreign human resources," an official from the NIIED said.

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