STANAG 6001 Russian Language Exam: Holistic Approach to Assessing Speaking

This paper analyzes the STANAG 6001 Russian language exam focusing on the specifics of Speaking Proficiency evaluation. Despite the fact that the testing procedure is based on the Assessment Criteria set by the STANAG 6001, assessing speaking skills through a guided interview or a sequence of techniques seems to be one of the most challenging and hard tasks for testers. Advantages of holistic approach of assessing speaking skills are discussed and justified.