Professor Cyril Weir, Powdrill Chair in English Language Acquisition and Director of the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) at the University of Bedfordshire, has been awarded the International Language Testing Association (ILTA) Distinguished Achievement Award.

Comprising an international group of language testing and assessment scholars and practitioners, the ILTA promotes the improvement of language testing throughout the world.

On learning of the award Professor Weir said: “To be awarded an honour by such an illustrious body as the International Language Testing Association is truly humbling. But while the award acknowledges the work I have done in applied linguistics and language testing since the early 1980s, it also signifies recognition of the high quality of CRELLA’s work, nationally and internationally.”

Since joining Bedfordshire in 2005 as Director of CRELLA, Professor Weir has seen the Centre, which is based at the University’s Putteridge Bury campus; grow its offering to scholars, examining boards and government organisations, both domestic and international, providing high quality research and development in English language learning and assessment.

Professor Weir has a PhD in language testing and is the author of a wide range of educational publications. He has had a long and distinguished career in the field of applied linguistics and language testing. Professor Weir has held senior academic posts at several universities in the UK and has supervised thirty PhD students, many of whom have gone on to have an impact on language testing worldwide.

Professor Weir’s achievements in academic life and in terms of wider impact were recently recognised by the award of Membership of the UK’s distinguished Academy of Social Sciences, one of the most prestigious accolades in the British Social Sciences. His work for the world’s leading examination board, Cambridge English Language Assessment, led to the award in 2013 of a centenary anniversary medal for his outstanding contribution to the success of the organisation.

He is currently chairman of the British Council’s Assessment Advisory Board and has been a senior consultant working for the British Council since 1982, initially helping to create the ELTS test in the early 1980’s and subsequently carrying out 12 research projects to help improve the IELTS Academic English test taken by over 2 million candidates worldwide. He has carried out project related consultancies in over 60 countries in the fields of English language testing, programme and project evaluation and curriculum renewal, and has given over 60 keynote and plenary speeches and 40 seminars/workshops in these areas.

His writings include papers in journals, academic volumes and publications specifically designed to assist language testing practitioners gain a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in testing of language ability and validation research.

In recognising Professor Weir’s achievements, the ILTA added: “Cyril’s work over more than 30 years has made a significant contribution to wider social science and has achieved major impact in seeking to ensure that academics, practitioners and policymakers have access to the necessary understanding and skills to create and use language tests in a well-informed and responsible manner.”

Professor Weir received the award at the ILTA’s annual Language Testing and Research Colloquium in Amsterdam last month.