There is a strong need for universities to provide language programmes and other forms of training to help undergraduate students achieve high levels of English language proficiency. This is especially important in STEM-related fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) where English is the dominant language in the industry and all daily tasks are conducted mostly in English. These tasks include making oral presentations, writing and answering emails, reading technical documents, writing standard operating procedures, and communicating with clients, business partners, suppliers, and colleagues.
To help universities and employers to measure students’ and job applicants’ English language skills, Cambridge English provides Linguaskill – a fast, reliable online test of English which uses cutting-edge AI to measure listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
An impact study found a high level of language skills and revealed that both students and employers consider Linguaskill to be a useful test to support graduate employability. Malaysia’s higher education system trains thousands of students for careers in the STEM sector, supporting the country’s competitivity in international markets.
Cambridge English funded a team of researchers from a leading public university in Malaysia to investigate how Linguaskill can boost the employability of students in the STEM sector. The study involved 192 final year undergraduates studying STEM subjects, and 34 employers in the STEM sector.
The research investigated three key questions:
- What are final year undergraduate students’ proficiency levels based on their Linguaskill results?
- What are the test takers’ perceptions of the test, and their anxiety, confidence, and motivation levels?
- How do the Linguaskill results influence potential employers in terms of the test takers’ employability potential?
Levels of English
Overall, the students demonstrated a high level of English, with every student achieving at least level B1 and more than 80% achieving at least level B2:
| C1 and above |
9.9% |
| B2 |
72.5% |
| B1 |
17.6% |
| A2 |
0 |
| A1 |
0 |
The percentage of students achieving C1 or above in each skill was:
| Listening |
64.1% |
| Reading |
46.4% |
| Writing |
15.1% |
| Speaking |
13.1% |
This could pose a problem for the undergraduates as most employers emphasise the need for the graduate employees to be able to express their ideas accurately and effectively.
Test takers’ perceptions
- Test takers’ trust Linguaskill because it is a test from Cambridge Assessment English.
- They felt motivated to apply for jobs with the Linguaskill test certification.
- They are confident that good Linguaskill test results would help them when applying for a job.
- These sentiments were also echoed by the employers who also consider high Linguaskill scores as an indicator of high English language proficiency levels, and would be inclined to call applicants with strong results for an interview.
- Many of the test takers reported that taking the test was a positive new experience for them.
- They felt that the test measured what it was intended to measure; the content and context of the test was generally suitable.
- They found the test user-friendly and they felt quite relaxed taking the test.
Employers’ perceptions
- More than 60% of the respondents agreed that they would be inclined to offer an applicant a job at their companies due to the overall English proficiency level of the applicant as indicated in the Linguaskill overall test score.
- 52.94% of the respondents believe that employees with good Linguaskill results will perform better in their jobs than those who do not have this qualification.
- 58.82% of respondents either agree or strongly agree that the employee's Linguaskill test report will influence his/her job responsibilities.
- The employers considered that the Linguaskill test would provide a fair indication of an applicant’s language proficiency level.
- When asked which is the most important skill, employers rated receptive skills as more essential than productive skills, but all four skills were considered to be very important:
Reading 28%
Listening 27%
Speaking 21%
Writing 19%
Impact and conclusion
The study shows that there is a strong need for universities to provide language programmes and other forms of training to help undergraduate students achieve high levels of English language proficiency. This is especially important in STEM-related fields as the employers who were interviewed expected a high level of proficiency in order to cope with daily tasks in their industries.
Employers who participated in the study found Linguaskill a good indicator of English proficiency needed in their industries, especially with the more employment-oriented nature of the test, as opposed to current English language tests and assessments currently available in the country.