Part of
Task-Based Language Teaching: A readerEdited by Kris Van den Branden, Martin Bygate and John M. Norris
[Task-Based Language Teaching 1] 2009
► pp. 143–170
In this chapter, we will focus on tasks as attainment goals. Determining and describing target tasks may be regarded as the first step in the process of task-based curriculum design (Long, 1985, 1997, 2005a; Richards, 2001). In describing target tasks for language education and evaluation, a balance will need to be struck between theoretical principles and practicability. What can be argued for theoretically may not always be realizable in real-life language education or assessment. How to deal with practicalities in applying the task-based approach to the description of target tasks will therefore be one of the key issues dealt with in this chapter.