Description of the paper – e.g. topic, research question, objective, purpose, value, conceptual or theoreticalframework, state of the art:The topic we are dealing with is embedded in a diagnostic process of Assessment of CommunicativeCompetence in English as a Foreign Languages at Tertiary Level. We consider that this study can providea great collaboration for your Student-Assessment Network, and we expect it to arouse a productiveexchange of ideas between educational researchers.During the academic year 2005-2006, an interdisciplinary pilot study was carried out by researchers inEducation and English Philology at the University of Salamanca (Spain), and granted by the Department ofEducation of the Spanish regional government of Castilla and León (Ref. US30/2004). 52 fist-year studentsof the degree in English Studies have collaborated by means of computer-adaptive tests of language abilitydeveloped by Cambridge ESOL. The information gathered by those tests was implemented by means of asurvey on the linguistic background of student which was designed by the research team.The longitudinal study has been developed in two phases. The objectives for the first phase were thefollowing ones:-Objective knowledge of the level of students-Identitification of problematic cases-Use of empirical data-Students conscious of their problems-Introduction of ICTs in English learning-To include students’ opinion and suggestionsThe second phase had as specific objectives:- To verify if any progress has been made by students in their communicative competences levels.- To assess if new techniques have been used by the students in this learning processes, and check if thoseused correspond to the ones suggested in the first part of the study.- To corroborate the impact that the knowledge of their own level has had on their learning process, and ifthe strategies employed before taking the test have varied or not.- To provide students with a more global vision of their learning stage and complete the assessment processiniciated with the first part of the study.The theoretical framework for this pilot study is inserted in the context of competences’ assessment andincorporation of ICTs in teaching methodology at university. There are numerous studies concluding thatthe incorporation of ICTs and the use of e-resources in the classrooms can improve the teaching quality,supplying a higher richness of the formative process, higher motivation and communication among thepeople involved and a better monitoring of the educational process, more individualised and personalised.One of the most important applications of the ICTs is the assessment of students through the internet,which underlines the importance of the feedback students are provided with and the impact that it has hadon the students` learning process.:The methodology used in the study is both descriptive and longitudinal.1.- One of the major goals of this study was to assess students` communicative competence by using selfadaptivestandardized tests (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, Cambridge ESOLadaptive tests) which were accomplished by the students between the first and second semesters of theacademic year 2005-2006.2.- An oral test was also used in order to check whether the required B2 level had been reached by thestudents. This test was the Cambridge ESOL Test for First Certificate in English (B2 level).3.- Finally, once the level tests were accomplished and students knew their results, a third tool, an electronicsatisfaction survey, was used to know the opinion of students about this experience.The three instruments are going to be used again in the second part of the study. The tests are maintained inorder to carry out a longitudinal study of the experience, and to contrast the results obtained in both parts ofthe processWith the completion of this pilot study we expect to obtain valuable information about the students`performance in language acquisition.We expect students to have changed their learning strategies and their attitude towards language in case theresults were low and to have followed a positive pattern in case of high results.With this experience we expect to have improved the quality of language teaching, English in this case, attertiary level and to detect on advance possible deficiencies on the learning process. The results were veryuseful for researchers as far as they permitted teachers to have an exact knowledge of the initial situation ofstudents, and be able, therefore, to improve their teaching methodology.References (including own publications):Atkins, M.J. (1993). Evaluating interactive technologies for learning. 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In the case of acceptance, delegates are required to provide a written text, summary or otherdocumentation of their presentation at the conference. Please give one copy of your written summary to theChairperson or Convenor of your session.Please send ONE COPY ONLY as an e-mail attachment to mailto:eera@strath.ac.uk by 1st February, 2007and include your first and second name in the filename.