Join us for LTF 2026: exploring methodological choices in language assessment research, from traditional approaches to new directions.

The Language Testing Forum (LTF) stands as one of the UK’s longest-running and influential annual conferences, held since 1980 and dedicated to the field of language testing and assessment. LTF is hosted by different institutions or groups within the language testing community each year, with 2026 being hosted in Oxford by Oxford University Press. The conference serves as a platform for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the language testing community to come together to discuss recent developments, share research findings, and explore practical issues related to language testing and assessment. Since 2016, LTF has been the official conference of the UK Association for Language Testing and Assessment (UKALTA) and features the UKALTA Annual General Meeting (AGM). The conference plays a vital role in advancing the field of language testing in the UK and promotes professional standards in language assessment.

Venue

13 November 2026 (Friday evening)

The conference opens on Friday evening at Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP.

14–15 November 2026 (Saturday full day and Sunday until lunchtime)

The conference continues at the Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, Worcester College, Oxford OX1 2HB.

The full agenda will be posted on the conference website.

Conference theme

The theme for LTF 2026 is ‘Methodological Choices in Language Assessment: Traditions and New Directions’. The theme invites researchers and practitioners to reflect critically on how methodological decisions shape the evidence we gather, the claims we make, and the impact our assessments have across diverse contexts. As the field navigates expanding data sources, emerging and evolving technologies, and increasing expectations for ethical and transparent research, methodological flexibility and rigour are more important than ever.

Featured topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Traditional and contemporary quantitative and qualitative research methods in language assessment

Methods for investigating constructs and gathering validity evidence

Methods for examining rating processes and rater behaviour

Process-oriented and digital methodologies

Methodological approaches to classroom-based assessment

Methods for exploring stakeholder perspectives, test use, and washback

Methods for investigating accessibility, accommodations, and inclusive principles in test design

Ethical, reflective, and conceptual approaches to assessment methodology, including methodological transparency and replicability

The topics provide a platform to interrogate established practices, explore innovative approaches, and consider the implications of methodological choice for the future of language assessment.

Call for Papers

Submit your abstract (max. 300 words) by 25 July 2026 using our online submission form.

Further details can be found on the conference website.

Disclaimer

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