English language knowledge of first-year university students on performance-based tests

As stated by the Guidelines of the Italian Ministry of Education, the aims and objectives of the fifth-year foreign language curriculum of lyceums correspond to the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR). At this level, students are expected to demonstrate an acceptable level of fluency in writing and speaking. This thesis addresses the issue of the ability of first-year university students to employ their English language knowledge to perform authentic tasks, such as writing an enquiry email. The test designed and administered to gather data aims at evaluating student knowledge at a B2 level, by means of two tasks and holistic and analytic rating scales based on the Bachman and Palmer framework of language competence. Together with the test, a student questionnaire was administered. The results reveal that only 7% of students who have completed the test meet the Ministry of Education Guidelines.