Japanese Stakeholders’ Perceptions of IELTS Writing and Speaking Tests and their Impact on Communication and Achievement

The English language curriculum in Japan has been revised to focus on enhancing the four skills (i.e., listening, speaking, reading and writing), and it is proposed that universities accept the results of commercial standardised proficiency tests, such as IELTS. This study explored the level of familiaritywith IELTS among Japanese high school teachers, university lecturers and first year university students, and how IELTS is perceived among these stakeholders, with special attention paid to the impact of its inclusion in university entrance exams in the near future. The study allows further insights to begained from these perceptions into the usefulness of IELTS in terms of students’ readiness for L2 communication in an academic setting.