Dr Jing Xu

  • Head of Research, Assessment Innovation
  • Cambridge University Press & Assessment-English
Dr Jing Xu

Contact

Connect

Location

  • The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, UK, CB2 8EA

About

I am Head of Research, Assessment Innovation in the English Research Group at Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Before joining Cambridge in 2015, I worked as a research assistant for the Oral English Certification Test programme at Iowa State University, a research intern at Educational Testing Service, a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Toledo and an English teacher in China.

I received my Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and Technology from Iowa State University, where I specialised in language assessment, statistics and quantitative psychology. I also hold an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Toledo, with a focus on computer-assisted language learning, and a B.A. in English from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

I currently serve as Co-Chair for the Automated Language Assessment SIG and as a Nominating Committee member of the International Language Testing Association (ILTA). I am also a member of the UK Association for Language Testing and Assessment (UKALTA), the European Association for Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA), the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL), the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), and the Asian Association for Language Assessment (AALA). 

Outside of work, I love hiking, swimming and playing basketball, and I serve as Treasurer of the Cambourne Raptors Basketball Club.

Research

Research interests

  • Language testing and assessment
  • Computer-assisted language learning
  • Test validity theory

My current research focuses on innovation in language assessment through the application of technologies. I am particularly interested in AI-assisted marking and feedback, AI-mediated language assessment and learning, and emerging constructs arising from the increasing use of AI, as well as their implications for test validity theory. A full list of my publications is available on my Google Scholar profile.

Featured works:

Xu, J., Taylor, L., Xi, X., Karatay, Y., Min, S., & Roever, C. (2026). Can an AI agent replace human examiners in high-stakes interactive speaking tests? A debate. Language Testing. https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322261459594

Xu, J., & Knill, K. (2026). Computer scoring of spoken responses. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), Encyclopedia of applied linguistics (2nd Edition). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1044.pub2

Karatay, Y., & Xu, J. (2025). Exploring the potential of conversational AI for assessing second language oral proficiency. TESOL Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.70003

Yu, G., & Xu, J. (Eds.). (2024). Language test validation in a digital age. Cambridge University Press & Assessment. https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/Images/735163-studies-in-language-testing-volume-52.pdf

Xu, J., Schmidt, E., Galaczi, E., & Somers, A. (2024). Automarking in language assessment: Key considerations for best practice (Cambridge Papers in English Language Education). Cambridge University Press & Assessment. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.117098

Gao, S., Gales, M., & Xu, J. (2024). Detecting aberrant responses in automated L2 spoken English assessment. In C. Chapelle, G. H. Beckett, & J. Ranalli (Eds.), Exploring artificial intelligence in applied linguistics (pp. 96-117). Iowa State University Digital Press. https://doi.org/10.31274/isudp.2024.154.07

Xu, J., Jones, E., Laxton, V., & Galaczi, E. (2021). Assessing L2 English speaking using automated scoring technology: examining automarker reliability. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 28(4), 411-436. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2021.1979467

Khabbazbashi, N., Xu, J., & Galaczi, E. (2021). Opening the black box: Exploring automated speaking assessment. In Lanteigne, B., Coombe, C. & Brown, J. D. (Eds), Challenges in language testing around the world (pp. 333-343). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4232-3_25

Xu, J. (2018). Measuring ‘Spoken Collocational Competence’ in communicative speaking assessment. Language Assessment Quarterly, 15(3), 255-272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2018.1482900

Xu, J. (2015). Predicting ESL learners’ oral proficiency by measuring the collocations in their spontaneous speech [Doctoral dissertation, Iowa State University]. Iowa State University Digital Repository. https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-180810-4474

Xu, J. (2010). Using multimedia vocabulary annotations in L2 reading and listening activities. CALICO Journal, 27(2), 311-327. https://www.jstor.org/stable/calicojournal.27.2.311

Chapelle, C. A., Chung, Y.-R., Hegelheimer, V., Pendar, N., & Xu, J. (2010). Towards a computer-delivered test of productive grammatical ability. Language Testing, 27(4), 443-469. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532210367633

Chapelle, C. A., Chung, Y.-R., & Xu, J. (Eds.). (2008). Towards adaptive CALL: Natural language processing for diagnostic language assessment. Iowa State University. https://apling.engl.iastate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/221/2015/05/5thTSLL2007_proceedings.pdf

I work in a non-teaching department and do not supervise any students.