ASAT written test : a positive hidden agenda

The written expression component of ASAT is a welcome addition to a test which can be criticised on the issue of its content and the type of knowledge it examines. Such criticism is not the topic of this article, however. What is discussed here are reflections on the status of both language and language education and the assessment of pupils' capability in language. Such reflections have been generated in part by the inclusion of of a written expression component in ASAT. This article then suggests ways in which the teaching and learning of of language might be improved through some simple and some less simple changes.