To support English speaking instruction and assessment in Korean schools, this study developed a taxonomy of English speaking tasks by analyzing the 2022 Revised English Curriculum, reviewing standardized English speaking tests, and referring to task classifications in the CEFR and ACTFL. Three modes of English speaking were identified in response to different communication contexts and purposes: imitative, interactional, and presentational. Tasks designed to elicit each mode were further classified by task type. Imitative speaking comprised two task types: ‘listen and repeat’ and ‘read aloud’. Interactional and presentational speaking each included three task types, based on the macro functions of language use: interpersonal, transactional, and evaluative/problem-solving. Each task type was further subdivided into categories and subcategories. The resulting taxonomy can be aligned with school grade levels in the curriculum by excluding tasks that exceed the relevant achievement standards and by adjusting topics, vocabulary, language forms, and task complexity according to students’ grade levels.

The present study investigated students’ preferences for the types of tasks used to assess English speaking performance. It further examined whether students’ task type preferences affected their perceptions of test effectiveness. One hundred eighty-two high school students responded to a self-report questionnaire. A series of frequency analysis and paired samples t-tests were used for the analysis. The results showed that students’ most preferred task types and their least preferred ones overlapped with each other, suggesting that the task types of English-speaking performance tests used in schools are limited. The four key reasons determining students’ task type preferences were identified, including task difficulty, emotional comfort, practical value, and interest. In addition, the results indicated that students’ task type preferences could affect their perceptions of task effectiveness. Overall, the results suggest the need for developing more varied task types for English-speaking performance tests as well as helping students become familiar with English speaking performance tasks. Pedagogical implications were discussed along with study limitations.