Chapter 8. From needs to tasks

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.