Does Washback Exist

The notion of 'washback' is common in the language teaching and testing literature, and tests are held to be powerful determiners of what happens in classrooms. This article explores the notion of washback and advances a series of possible Washback hypotheses. It then reviews the empirical research in general education. The article concludes with a series of proposals for further research into a phenomenon on whose importance all seem to be agreed, but whose nature and presence have been little studied.