b. Cognitive- and context-related aspects of validity
Cognitive-related validity is concerned with the extent to which the cognitive processes
employed by candidates are the same as those that will be needed in real-world contexts
beyond the test. These real-world contexts are known as the Target Language Use (TLU)
domain (Bachman and Palmer 1996). Context-related validity is concerned with the
conditions under which the test is performed and so includes aspects such as the tasks, the
rubric and the topic as well as the administration conditions.
Validation of these aspects should therefore include investigation of the degree to which the
sample of items, tasks or questions on an examination are representative of the TLU domain
in terms of relevance and coverage.
It should be noted that a feature common to all Cambridge English examinations, irrespective
of which skill is being tested, is the inclusion of a variety of task and response types. This is
supported by numerous researchers who have made the case that multiple-task tests allow
for a wider range of language to be elicited and so provide more evidence of the underlying
abilities tested, i.e. the construct, and contribute to the exam’s fairness (e.g. ChalhoubDeville
2001).