A Review of Pearson’s Versant English Speaking and Listening Test (VESLT)

Language Assessment Quarterly 2026

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Authors: Gary J. Ockey, Carol A. Chapelle, Erika Latham, Liberato Silva-Dos-Santos, Jeanne Beck, Şebnem Kurt, Fatimah M. M. Aseeri, Widya Kusumaningrum, Febriana Grundy, Hwee Jean Cindy Lim, Inyoung Na, Andrias Tri Susanto
+7 more Shuhui Yin, Kate Challis, Qi Qi, Gi Jung Kim, Duong Nguyen, Ali Ebrahimpourlighvani, Junghee Byun
DOI: 10.1080/15434303.2025.2608742
Cited by: 0
References: 12

Abstract

Pearson’s Versant English Speaking and Listening Test (VESLT) is an automated online assessment designed to assess the oral communication abilities of English learners. We reviewed this test with the aim of determining how effectively it achieves its purpose. We judged that four of the six tasks effectively tapped into most aspects of the construct of oral communication. Despite some limitations, we concluded that the test represents a big step forward in the quest for an effective automated assessment of oral communication.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Phonetics and Phonology Research Stuttering Research and Treatment Voice and Speech Disorders

Publication details

Journal / source
Language Assessment Quarterly
Volume
23
Issue
1
Pages
89–103
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN