A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories
The CEFR level descriptors are applied globally for language assessment, which is already aligned with IELTS, TOEFL, etc. Meanwhile, the CET4 is essential in language learning and teaching proficiency assessment in China. Building on previous research, this study examines the relationship between th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Secholian Publication
2025
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| Online Access: | http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/44252/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/44252/1/3251-Article%20Text-A%20Comparative%20Review%20of%20the%20CEFR%20and%20CET4%20Writing%20Assessment.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848827062669803520 |
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| author | Li, Changlin Nik Aloesnita, Nik Mohd Alwi Mohammad Musab, Azmat Ali |
| author_facet | Li, Changlin Nik Aloesnita, Nik Mohd Alwi Mohammad Musab, Azmat Ali |
| author_sort | Li, Changlin |
| building | UMP Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The CEFR level descriptors are applied globally for language assessment, which is already aligned with IELTS, TOEFL, etc. Meanwhile, the CET4 is essential in language learning and teaching proficiency assessment in China. Building on previous research, this study examines the relationship between the CEFR level descriptors and the CET4 writing rubrics, mainly focusing on the essay writing assessment within the past decade. Despite the broad utilisation of the CET4 in universities, its comparison with the CEFR level descriptors remains underexplored. Based on this situation, the study investigates task complexity theories, automated and manual scoring systems, and recent studies about essay writing. Findings indicate that the CET4 writing scores correspond roughly to CEFR levels A1–B2, though comparisons with higher proficiency levels (C1–C2) remain inconsistent. While automated scoring systems reliably evaluate basic linguistic dimensions, they struggle to assess more aspects, such as description, argument, task relevance, and clarity dimensions, under the CEFR and CET4 writing assessments. Furthermore, the automated scoring systems lack the capacity to capture the nuanced features of advanced writing. These findings underscore the necessity of human evaluation, particularly in essay writing content assessment, while highlighting opportunities to refine grading methodologies and task design to enhance essay writing instruction. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T03:54:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | ump-44252 |
| institution | Universiti Malaysia Pahang |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T03:54:45Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Secholian Publication |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | ump-442522025-05-09T04:37:02Z http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/44252/ A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories Li, Changlin Nik Aloesnita, Nik Mohd Alwi Mohammad Musab, Azmat Ali L Education (General) LB2300 Higher Education The CEFR level descriptors are applied globally for language assessment, which is already aligned with IELTS, TOEFL, etc. Meanwhile, the CET4 is essential in language learning and teaching proficiency assessment in China. Building on previous research, this study examines the relationship between the CEFR level descriptors and the CET4 writing rubrics, mainly focusing on the essay writing assessment within the past decade. Despite the broad utilisation of the CET4 in universities, its comparison with the CEFR level descriptors remains underexplored. Based on this situation, the study investigates task complexity theories, automated and manual scoring systems, and recent studies about essay writing. Findings indicate that the CET4 writing scores correspond roughly to CEFR levels A1–B2, though comparisons with higher proficiency levels (C1–C2) remain inconsistent. While automated scoring systems reliably evaluate basic linguistic dimensions, they struggle to assess more aspects, such as description, argument, task relevance, and clarity dimensions, under the CEFR and CET4 writing assessments. Furthermore, the automated scoring systems lack the capacity to capture the nuanced features of advanced writing. These findings underscore the necessity of human evaluation, particularly in essay writing content assessment, while highlighting opportunities to refine grading methodologies and task design to enhance essay writing instruction. Secholian Publication 2025 Article PeerReviewed pdf en cc_by_4 http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/44252/1/3251-Article%20Text-A%20Comparative%20Review%20of%20the%20CEFR%20and%20CET4%20Writing%20Assessment.pdf Li, Changlin and Nik Aloesnita, Nik Mohd Alwi and Mohammad Musab, Azmat Ali (2025) A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 10 (3). pp. 1-21. ISSN 2504-8562. (Published) https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v10i3.3251 10.47405/mjssh.v10i3.3251 |
| spellingShingle | L Education (General) LB2300 Higher Education Li, Changlin Nik Aloesnita, Nik Mohd Alwi Mohammad Musab, Azmat Ali A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories |
| title | A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories |
| title_full | A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories |
| title_fullStr | A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories |
| title_full_unstemmed | A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories |
| title_short | A comparative review of the CEFR and CET4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories |
| title_sort | comparative review of the cefr and cet4 writing assessment with insights from task complexity theories |
| topic | L Education (General) LB2300 Higher Education |
| url | http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/44252/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/44252/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/44252/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/44252/1/3251-Article%20Text-A%20Comparative%20Review%20of%20the%20CEFR%20and%20CET4%20Writing%20Assessment.pdf |