Test score validity periods for high-stakes language tests: Applications in higher education and medical sectors

Several high-stakes English proficiency tests including but not limited to IELTS, PTE Academic, and TOEFL iBT recommend a 2-year time limit on validity for score usage. Although this timeframe provides a useful rule-of-thumb for the recency of testing, it can have far-reaching consequences. In response to stakeholder queries around IELTS validity period recommendations, researchers from the British Council and Cambridge University Press & Assessment reviewed current practice and collated evidence around how this recommendation is applied and understood by test score users. Accordingly, this report systematically compares policies in five countries and two sectors (higher education and medical regulators). An analysis of policy documentation was conducted for 90 universities and 18 regulators, alongside in-depth interviews (n = 9) with UK stakeholders. Findings indicate the 2-year recommendation is overwhelmingly the norm. Interviewees saw value in the current approach, although they were often not aware that this period is recommended rather than a rule. The intention of this paper is neither to support nor to refute the 2-year recommendation but to inform decision-making and communication from test providers. A call is made for further research focusing on two key areas: the relevance and application of validity periods among practitioners, plus increased empirical insights upon which such recommended timeframes can be more robustly grounded.