Now, where are these places we're going to? Beijing's easy enough, but where's this Xuzhou place? It's a city of two million people, but even the Chinese people we talk to here don't know it. They all know Suzhou, with all the famous gardens, and think we've just got our pronunciation wrong. Hang on, there it is, up the top of Jiangsu province, half way between Beijing and Shanghai.
Nick's the accidental assessor, Fenella's a more natural choice. She's been compiling the tests for a couple of years, after all. Our role now is to administer them on site and assess the students in their speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills. The tests are end-of-year tests for English language students at three Chinese tertiary institutions. They go on to study subjects in which English is the teaching medium.
It's going to be a hectic and interesting time. The accidental assessor has been receiving a crash course from the master. Travel and accommodation arrangements are all made. It's time to get this show on the road.
