How does Envoy's adaptive test work?

Envoy by IDP Education is a new adaptive, AI-powered language test. It assesses reading, listening, speaking and writing skills based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Adaptive English proficiency tests respond and adapt to a student's performance and ability in real time. An AI algorithm decides what questions your students get — and at what level of difficulty. If your student answers each question well, then the next questions are more difficult. If they struggle, the difficulty decreases.

As an educator, you know one-size-fits-all testing doesn’t always work. Your students have diverse skills, so it makes sense to offer tests appropriate for their level. With traditional testing, this is impossible for large groups of students. But with Envoy’s adaptive test it is now simple and quick.

Ease

Envoy’s AI technology looks after marking providing a full CEFR-aligned score report of your student’s performance within 2 hours of test completion. If the AI flags any suspicious behaviour during a test our expert human raters will review results before they are released. In this situation results will be delivered within 24 hours. Providing you reassurance that the results are accurate and reliable.

With the Envoy admin dashboard , you have full control and can set up tests in minutes. You can see all of your student performance and engagement data. Get insights into the areas your students need to improve, which gives you the data and tools you need to build personalised lessons that address the areas of improvement in your classes.

Flexibility

Because Envoy is an AI-powered, adaptive test , you get a lot of flexibility. You only need one test for every class and student in your school. Envoy is suitable for all levels of English learners from pre A1 to C2 — gone are the days of making different tests for different classes in different courses and levels. The test calibrates to the level and proficiency of your students, giving them the best possible test experience.

Students can take Envoy wherever and whenever they want. You can still take it at school in a computer lab, of course. But you no longer need to. Envoy boosts this accessibility because students don’t need to download or install any software. They can take the test in their browser — all they need to do is give Envoy permission to access their mic and camera. Envoy’s no-fuss setup streamlines the process.

Teachers benefit from the flexibility, too. You can use these tests for placement tests at the start of a course. They’re a great way to check students’ progress throughout a course. And you can also use them for end-of-course assessments. Same test, same platform, multiple use cases .

Envoy is modular, too. Teachers have the flexibility to test the skills they need to. They can focus on receptive skill development with Envoy’s reading and listening test or on productive skills with our speaking and writing tests.

Security

Envoy has security features powered by our AI technology to ensure the integrity of your testing. Before taking the test, students must verify their email address and have their photo taken. During the test, Envoy…

• tracks students’ faces and eye movements to ensure they’re not looking at another screen or their notebook.

• detects when they’re reading.

• recognises multiple voices — if someone supplies answers to the student, the AI will know.

• prevents students from leaving the test tab.

• stops copying and pasting of answers.

As mentioned, the AI flags inappropriate or suspicious behaviour. Then, expert human raters review the test to check for cheating and get back with their results within 24 hours.

Online and adaptive English tests have been around for a while. Here’s how Envoy is different.

• Open-ended questions. When you test your students’ writing and speaking skills with Envoy, you actually test how they’d perform in a real-life situation. That’s because Envoy’s AI Rater can assess open-ended questions. For example, other tests assess speaking skills by getting students to read a passage out loud. Envoy goes beyond the assessment of elocution to test communicative ability in a more comprehensive manner. With Envoy, you get a complete picture of your students’ proficiency. Questions test their extended discourse skills to assess how well they might communicate when using English out in the real world.

• Human-driven AI. Experienced language educators and linguists support Envoy’s AI tech. People write the questions. People have the final say on any flagged tests. Multiple groups of people from diverse backgrounds rate and benchmark the AI output to ensure quality and identify any bias in the system (a fundamental principle of responsible AI). People continuously do quality assurance, check the Envoy algorithms, and look for inaccuracies. With Envoy, you get the best of AI and human educators.