Across Cultures presents an innovative EAL assessment tool for multilingual classrooms
AssessEP is a comprehensive English language proficiency assessment tool designed for learners with English as an Additional Language (EAL). Developed by our team of international English language specialists, AssessEP evaluates listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, approximately aligning with globally recognised frameworks such as CEFR, the Bell Foundation, and ELLP. Piloted from June 2023 to July 2024, with further moderation of thresholds carried out in April 2024 and February 2025, the tool offers teachers actionable insights into learners’ language capabilities that can then be used to inform decision making regarding the level of support each learner requires.
AssessEP is innovative in the way it helps redefine assessment within the demands of a multilingual classroom. Too often, summative assessment is treated as a static label. Instead, AssessEP positions assessment as the starting point for more personalised support and progress. It does this in five key ways:
- Identifying starting points – Teachers need a clear picture of what new arrivals can already do in English across the four language skills – listening, speaking, reading, and writing – before they can plan and differentiate lesson content effectively. AssessEP provides that essential baseline.
- Tailored to EAL learners – Unlike generic curriculum-based assessments designed with native speakers in mind, AssessEP is designed specifically for learners who speak English as an additional language. Its level descriptors reflect realistic expectations for EAL learners at various stages of acquiring English, helping teachers choose the right support strategies once levels are identified.
- Tracking progress over time – Strong record keeping and detailed learner profiles give teachers and schools accessible evidence of development across skills, making progress visible and easy to share with teachers, parents, or learners themselves.
- Supporting complete beginners – An optional pre-diagnostic stage ensures that learners with no prior English are quickly and accurately identified, so their needs are not overlooked.
- Supporting all teachers in their role as language teachers – In multilingual classrooms, every teacher contributes to language development. AssessEP helps both primary class teachers and secondary subject teachers to know exactly what to do to support language development alongside curriculum content.
What do our schools say about AssessEP?
During the pilot implementation of AssessEP, ten international schools provided feedback, which highlighted the tool’s accuracy, ease of use, and cultural inclusivity. Teachers praised its image-based offline speaking module and its alignment with other EAL assessment frameworks, such as Bell and CEFR. Teachers described AssessEP as a “user-friendly assessment with clear teacher instructions”.
Following strong positive feedback and rigorous validity testing, AssessEP is now being used globally as a key assessment tool in schools. The development team remains committed to refining the tool, ensuring it continues to support teachers in the critical task of assessing and supporting EAL learners, while reframing assessment as the starting point for celebrating and building on multilingual potential. You can read the full case study here.
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