Accuracy and grammatical complexity in a foreign language oral proficiency interview

This paper forms part of a doctorate thesis which investigates differences in the production of candidates to an English oral language test. It contributes to the body of research on validity and descriptors in criterion-referenced language test scales. Eight students graduating from a Language and Literature course in a public university in the state of Sao Paulo participate in this study. Results point to quantitative and qualitative differences between the scale bands for accuracy, and mainly qualitative ones for grammatical complexity. The discussion posed in this article is topical and pertinent to the Language Testing field in Brazil, at the moment when experts have been debating the need for measures to assess teachers' competences - amongst which proficiency in the target language.