Michael Goodine's Blog, page 25

Possible Change to TOEFL Speaking Scoring? Weird.

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) just published a document called “Reimagining Educational Assessments: AI Innovations for Enhancing Test Taker Experience.” The document says, seemingly in reference to scoring of the TOEFL iBT, that: “ETS combines the efficiency of AI with essential human oversight. While AI manages most of the scoring, human raters review a sample […]

My 2025 Duolingo English Test (DET) Score Report

Here’s a copy of my Duolingo English Test score report.  The scores arrived exactly 48 hours after I finished the test. You can also check out the link that Duolingo provides for easy sharing.  I’m happy to see that my user account includes a “make private” toggle, which I can use when I no longer […]

TOEFL Express Scoring: Gone Again?

So, express scoring for the TOEFL has disappeared again.  As you may recall, first it was offered in December for $99.  Then it went away.  Then in February it returned, costing $149.  Now it is gone again.

Me in PIE News

Here’s my star turn in the PIE News’ “Five Minutes With…” series.  I’m normally shy when it comes to talking about myself, but I do love the PIE. In those five minutes, I recommended a few things you might want to check out: A podcast from the British Council called “Our World, Connected.”  It’s hosted […]

Did Not Hit “Continue” or “Submit” Button at End of TOEFL Writing

Student often get worried because they didn’t hit the “submit” or “continue” button at the end of one of the TOEFL writing tasks before time ran out.  They worry that their answer wasn’t saved, and that it won’t be graded.  Don’t worry: whatever was on your screen when time ran out was submitted automatically.  It […]

I Took the Duolingo English Test Last Week!

I took the Duolingo English Test last week! Below are the rough comments I scribbled down while everything was fresh in my mind. I had intended to post these right away, but I got distracted by financial reports over the weekend. I’ll post my score report and a few final comments tomorrow or Wednesday. The […]

Some PTE Price Hikes

The cost of taking the PTE Academic Test was hiked in a bunch of countries last month.  Here are the new prices in a few key markets (old prices in parenthesis): Australia: AUD 475 (445) China: USD 323 (317) Canada: CAD 350 (340) New Zealand: NZD 475 (445) Pakistan USD 225 (220) Turkey: TRY 8000 […]

California State University – East Bay Updates Language Requirements

I read that California State University – East Bay has updated its list of acceptable English tests for international students (note that each campus in the California State University system can set its own requirements).  A few things are notable: Pearson’s PTE Academic test has been added to the list. Michigan Language Assessment’s MET has […]

IELTS and PTE Price Increases in India

Today, the cost of taking the IELTS in India increased to ₹18000. Coincidentally, the cost of taking the PTE in India also increased to ₹18000 today.

On Topic Templates & Other Delights

Pearson’s Sarah Hughes gave a great webinar yesterday called “The Role of Automated, AI, and Human Scoring” (link).  She discussed the ways in which Pearson spots what they call “Topic Templates” in the writing section of the PTE and what is done after they are detected. It was my first time to hear the term […]