Automatic Proficiency Assessment in L2 English Learners

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Mohammadi, Armita, Koerich, Alessandro Lameiras, Moro-Velazquez, Laureano, Cardinal, Patrick
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Mohammadi, Armita
Koerich, Alessandro Lameiras
Moro-Velazquez, Laureano
Cardinal, Patrick
author_facet Mohammadi, Armita
Koerich, Alessandro Lameiras
Moro-Velazquez, Laureano
Cardinal, Patrick
contents Second language proficiency (L2) in English is usually perceptually evaluated by English teachers or expert evaluators, with the inherent intra- and inter-rater variability. This paper explores deep learning techniques for comprehensive L2 proficiency assessment, addressing both the speech signal and its correspondent transcription. We analyze spoken proficiency classification prediction using diverse architectures, including 2D CNN, frequency-based CNN, ResNet, and a pretrained wav2vec 2.0 model. Additionally, we examine text-based proficiency assessment by fine-tuning a BERT language model within resource constraints. Finally, we tackle the complex task of spontaneous dialogue assessment, managing long-form audio and speaker interactions through separate applications of wav2vec 2.0 and BERT models. Results from experiments on EFCamDat and ANGLISH datasets and a private dataset highlight the potential of deep learning, especially the pretrained wav2vec 2.0 model, for robust automated L2 proficiency evaluation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_02615
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Automatic Proficiency Assessment in L2 English Learners
Mohammadi, Armita
Koerich, Alessandro Lameiras
Moro-Velazquez, Laureano
Cardinal, Patrick
Computation and Language
Sound
Audio and Speech Processing
Second language proficiency (L2) in English is usually perceptually evaluated by English teachers or expert evaluators, with the inherent intra- and inter-rater variability. This paper explores deep learning techniques for comprehensive L2 proficiency assessment, addressing both the speech signal and its correspondent transcription. We analyze spoken proficiency classification prediction using diverse architectures, including 2D CNN, frequency-based CNN, ResNet, and a pretrained wav2vec 2.0 model. Additionally, we examine text-based proficiency assessment by fine-tuning a BERT language model within resource constraints. Finally, we tackle the complex task of spontaneous dialogue assessment, managing long-form audio and speaker interactions through separate applications of wav2vec 2.0 and BERT models. Results from experiments on EFCamDat and ANGLISH datasets and a private dataset highlight the potential of deep learning, especially the pretrained wav2vec 2.0 model, for robust automated L2 proficiency evaluation.
title Automatic Proficiency Assessment in L2 English Learners
topic Computation and Language
Sound
Audio and Speech Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.02615