INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF PEER ASSESSMENT ON STUDENTS’ READINESS AND ACHIEVEMENT IN SAU AND SAT SPEAKING

Abstract

This study explores the effect of peer assessment on students’ readiness and achievement in Summative Assessment of the Unit (SAU) and Summative Assessment of the term (SAT) speaking assessments in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context at Nazarbayev Intellectual School (NIS) Almaty-Nauryzbay. The aim was to examine whether structured peer assessment could enhance students’ understanding of assessment criteria, reduce speaking anxiety, and improve their speaking performance. Peer support and feedback tables based on SAU/SAT speaking rubrics were implemented during several preparatory lessons with 8th- and 10th-grade students. Students were engaged in evaluating each other’s speaking tasks, providing constructive feedback, and discussing assessment criteria. Mini online surveys were conducted to capture students’ perceptions, while speaking scores from current and previous SAU/SAT assessments were compared to track changes in performance.

The findings suggest that peer assessment fostered greater engagement among less confident students and promoted collaborative support from more proficient peers. Students reported that peer feedback helped them better understand scoring criteria, increased their confidence, and reduced speaking-related anxiety. Moreover, their subsequent SAU/SAT speaking scores showed noticeable improvement compared to earlier results. The findings indicate that peer assessment can be an effective and low-cost strategy to enhance students’ readiness and achievement in high-stakes speaking assessments.

Key words: speaking assessment, peer assessment, student readiness, assessment for learning, speaking achievement, SAU, SAT.