Meet the team

Research and Validation

Research Notes

Issue 76 November 2019

Research Notes 76 - Cover image

The investigations and rationale behind the revision of A2 Key and B1 Preliminary are documented in this issue, with articles covering stakeholder consultation and improvements made to the four components of both qualifications.

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Dr Amy Devine
Senior Research Manager

Amy manages research supporting the validation of Cambridge Assessment English examinations, including new product development, examinations for young learners, impact research and admissions tests provided by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Her background is in Psychology, and Amy received her Master’s from the University of Otago and recently completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge. Amy’s research interests include socio-biological explanations for gender differences in performance and the role of affective variables in learning, with a particular focus on test anxiety, self-beliefs and motivation.

Dr Angeliki Salamoura
Principal Research Manager

Angeliki has over 20 years of experience in the field of English education, as a teacher, researcher, research manager and assessment and learning specialist. As a Principal Research Manager at Cambridge Assessment English, she leads on research related to Learning Oriented Assessment (LOA), language learning, impact and the CEFR. Angeliki also has overall responsibility for education reform projects within the Research and Thought Leadership division, ranging from CEFR familiarisation and benchmarking to test and programme evaluation. In this context, she has led impact assessment projects in the K-12 and vocational sectors in Europe, Asia and South America.

Dr Ardeshir Geranpayeh
Head of Automated Assessment and Learning

Ardeshir is Head of Automated Assessment and Learning at Cambridge Assessment English. He has been leading on the development and implementation of the automated assessment of writing and speaking in Cambridge English since 2009. Ardeshir holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh on the comparability of language proficiency testing. He has 29 years’ experience of test validation and has contributed to the design, development, validation, revision and evaluation of almost all Cambridge English language proficiency tests. He is a regular presenter at international conferences where he has led workshops on statistics, computer-based testing, listening tests and test security.

Bea Kalman
Projects Assistant

Bea is responsible for providing a broad range of project activities and administrative services to support research projects, and acts as a first point of contact for government and corporate sector projects, impact study projects and projects related to the CEFR. She actively contributes to the development of the Cambridge Learner Corpus and manages the process of providing scripts to Cambridge University Press. She also coordinates research inquiries and data requests received from external researchers.

Dr Brigita Séguis
Senior Research Manager

Brigita completed her DPhil in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology at the University of Oxford where she specialised in multilingualism, discourse analysis and corpus linguistics. Her areas of expertise/interest at Cambridge Assessment English are the Occupational English Test, predictive validity of admissions tests, impact studies and multilingualism. During her time at Oxford she presented at several international conferences and she is currently working on turning her doctoral research findings into journal articles.

Carrie Warren
Research Support Administrator

Carrie holds a BA (Hons) in Business and Tourism Management from the University of Wolverhampton. Prior to joining our organisation, she worked for a PR and advertising agency. Since joining Cambridge Assessment in 2000, she has gained extensive experience of working in assessment and research. Carrie is responsible for supporting research publications and staff conferences.

Dr Edmund Jones
Senior Research Manager

Edmund holds a PhD in Computational Statistics from Bristol University. As a Senior Research Manager in the Research and Thought Leadership Division, he is involved in research activities related to detection of malpractice and computer-based tests. In addition, he provides expertise in quantitative research methods for benchmarking and impact assessment projects for governmental education ministries.

Ella Pope
Research Support Administrator

Ella is part of the Research Support Team. She is involved with internal communications support, as well as being responsible for maintaining Quality Management documents and the Cambridge Assessment English Library. She also provides general administrative support to the Research and Thought Leadership Division.

Dr Evelina D Galaczi
Head of Research Strategy

Evelina is Head of Research Strategy at Cambridge Assessment English. She has worked in English language education for over 25 years, as an English language teacher, teacher trainer, program administrator, materials writer and assessment specialist. Her key areas of expertise are the development and assessment of speaking skills, the role of technology in learning and assessment, and ways of bringing innovation tools, skills and behaviours to organisations.

Ewa Child
Research Support Administrator

Ewa provides support for the Research and Thought Leadership Division. As part of her role, Ewa manages the consultancy engagement process and the coordination of internal research events.

Graham Seed
European Projects Manager

Graham is the Research Manager for European Projects. His primary responsibility is the management of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE), and he contributes to a number of European and international projects. He moved to the Research and Thought Leadership Division in November 2017, having previously been a Senior Assessment Manager in the Assessment Division of Cambridge Assessment English, where he was responsible for online automated speaking tests and oversaw the development of the Cambridge English Curriculum.

Dr Hanan Khalifa
Deputy Director, Partnerships, Projects and Policy

Hanan leads a cross-divisional team of Cambridge English experts in the field of language learning, teaching and assessment, providing evidence-based decision-making and transforming language education, working with ministries of education worldwide and developing strategic partnerships at a global level.

Dr Hye-won Lee
Senior Research Manager

Hye-won holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and Technology from Iowa State University (USA), where she specialized in computer-assisted language assessment, argument-based validation and quantitative research methods. As a Senior Research Manager in the Research and Thought Leadership Division, she participates in research projects related to new generation assessments and new products, and provides expertise for producing and publishing validation documents for external stakeholders.

Jane Lloyd
Senior Research Manager

Jane’s current responsibilities for RTL involve working on large-scale educational reform projects with ministries and NGOs, and working for the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE). Her work for ALTE is to support other national language test providers; this includes statistical analysis of items, analysis of rater performance, research into exam and language use at regional and national level, courses and training in assessment, preparation for audits, and training for item writers, test designers and raters.

Jason Hurren
Thought Leadership Communications Manager

Jason believes in the life-changing value of education and how it gave him the opportunity to leave his varied and brief careers in retail, construction, manufacturing, light engineering and the service industries. He has worked at Cambridge Assessment English for over 20 years in events and communication roles. In his current role Jason is responsible for providing stakeholders with information and perspectives to help them improve learning outcomes.

Jess Jamet
Administrative Coordinator and PA to the Director

Jess provides PA support to the Director and coordinates administrative support for the Research and Thought Leadership Division. As part of her role, Jess also administers the Division’s budget, supports line managers with recruitment and induction activities, and acts as a central point of contact for visitors.

Dr Jing Xu
Senior Research Manager

Jing is a Senior Research Manager at Cambridge Assessment English. His current research focuses on automated speaking assessment, validity theory, and computer-assisted language learning. Jing received his doctorate in Applied Linguistics and Technology from Iowa State University where he studied language assessment with Professor Carol Chapelle.

John Savage
Publications Assistant

John Savage is the Publications Assistant for Research and Thought Leadership. He supports editors and authors with the project schedules, copy-editing, proofreading and production of various publications, such as the Studies in Language Testing series and Research Notes. He also provides editorial support for project-related reports, and in 2017 became managing editor of the English Profile Studies series.

Dr Kevin Cheung
Principal Research Manager

Kevin is a Principal Research Manager, leading on writing research and also working on university admissions tests. He is a Chartered Psychologist with research specialisms in academic writing, scale development and assessment, and his research is informed by prior experience as an instructor. This experience includes teaching writing to undergraduate students and also basic literacy skills to offenders for the Probation Service.

Dr Mark Brenchley
Senior Research Manager

Mark manages research supporting the development and validation of Cambridge Assessment English products, with a special focus on grammar, vocabulary, and the application of corpus-based methodologies. His areas of interest/expertise include corpus linguistics, tagging/parsing systems, the development of grammatical and lexical knowledge, and the linguistic basis of register development.

Mariangela Marulli
ALTE Coordinator

Mariangela coordinates the activities of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE). She organises conferences, courses, and events for the Association, liaising with European organisations in the field of language testing. She also provides administrative support for ALTE European-related projects and for the Research and Thought Leadership Division.

Dr Nick Saville
Director, Research and Thought Leadership

Nick is responsible for directing the work of the Research and Thought Leadership Division, and is a member of Cambridge Assessment English’s Senior Management Team. He is the elected Secretary-General of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE), on the Board of Trustees for The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF), and is a Board member of Cambridge University’s Institute for Automated Learning and Assessment (ALTA).

Safiatú Lopes
Research Analyst

Safi is the principal Research Analyst for the RTL Division, having previously worked as a Validation Analyst. Safi provides quantitative analysis support to the Research Managers for on-going research studies, which includes work such as training/impact evaluation and predictive validation studies. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from UCL and an MSc in Occupational Psychology from Manchester University.

Dr Sarah McElwee
Principal Research Manager

Sarah is a Principal Research Manager at Cambridge Assessment English, leading on research related to university admissions tests. Her areas of expertise are the use of assessments to support the selection of candidates to university, and the impact of university admissions on students, universities and wider society. She is particularly interested in admission to medicine, the validity of selection assessments, and widening participation in Higher Education.

Siân Morgan
Senior Research Manager

Siân has taught in the UK, Italy and the USA. Among her current responsibilities are managing IELTS partnerships and stakeholder engagement, providing research support for teaching qualifications, as well as thought leadership activities such as writing research communications and presenting at workshops and conferences. She is also the lead RTL contact for speaking assessment.

Tania Clarke
Senior Research Manager

Tania has an MPhil in Psychology and Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Education with English and Drama from the University of Cambridge, where she also completed her Graduate Basis for Chartered membership with the British Psychological Society. Her interests lie in psychometric testing, and she is currently finishing her Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (C-CET).

Tony Clark
Senior Research Manager

Tony manages research on the IELTS exam and related projects. His PhD focused on how Chinese and Japanese students learn to write in academic English, and how test preparation in their country of origin relates to their subsequent UK university experience. His ESRC-funded PhD thesis (supervised by Dr Guoxing Yu and Dr Talia Isaacs) was entitled ‘Relearning Academic Conventions: Intensive IELTS Writing Preparation in China and Japan,’ and received a British Council Research Assessment Award in 2014.