External validation of the foreign language speaking tasks of the High School Leaving Exam

Spain is going through one of its most significant educational changes in the last 20 years. The change involves all the educational stages k-12 grade and it will entail a comprehensive exam at the end of high school. The score obtained on this exam will be used as the main criterion to compete for a place at the university level. One significant part of it is the foreign language section. This paper addresses differences between the speaking tasks of the current University Entrance Examination and the future High School Leaving Diploma. The paper compares theoretically and qualitatively a pilot study run by the Ministry of Education, Culture & Sports (MECD) on the use of speaking tasks in the University Entrance Examination with one undertaken by a large research group working together in the OPENPAU project (Reference FFI2011-22442 with ERDF co-financing) on the same matter. This paper intends to show that the scope of the MECD piloting project is limited compared to the OPENPAU group proposal. It is suggested that the MECD should redefine the test construct to reflect more the students’ speaking proficiency test as in the OPENPAU project proposal.