A new generation of TOEFL test integrating reading, writing and oral examinations will be introduced in August next year.

The compact test will combine previous tests of English skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. There will no longer be any specific questions on grammar.

TOEFL, or the Test of English as a Foreign Language, measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is used in college and university settings. The tests are required by more than 4,300 two and four-year colleges and universities, professional schools, and sponsoring institutions in the United States.

A sharp reduction in the number of participants and challenges from other English tests may have prompted the radical reform by the US-based Educational Testing Service. An estimated 10,000 people sat four TOEFL tests in Beijing last year, while the number was usually around 30,000 and had been as high as more than 100,000 in the past.

(Shenzhen Daily February 4, 2004)