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Bui and Peter Skehan in the year 2016 framework for the implementation
in a Government school in Tamil Nadu of task- based instruction which
to measure English language oral was designed in such a way that it is
production. highly favourable towards achieving
complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF).
English Language Oral Production He stated that CAF are the most relevant
goals for task-based instruction.
English language production is the
production of spoken or written
language. The researcher would be Constructs
using the speech output as the testing Complexity
variable. The oral language output from Complexity is essentially “the extent
the students would be used to measure to which the language produced in
the progress in language learning. performing a task is elaborate and
Complexity, Accuracy and Fluency (CAF) varied” (Ellis, 2003, as cited in Housen and
are language performance descriptors Kuiken, 2009, p.461). L2 complexity can
and are widely used in second language be subdivided into cognitive complexity
research in recent times as an alternative and linguistic complexity. “Both types of
to standardized proficiency tests. complexity in essence refer to properties
CAF are “dimensions for describing of language features (items, patterns,
language performance, most frequently structures, rules) or (sub) systems
used as dependent variables to assess (phonological, morphological, syntactic,
variation with respect to independent lexical) thereof” (Housen and Kuiken,
variables such as acquisitional level or 2009, p.463). Linguistic complexity
task features” (Pallotti, 2009, p. 590). in TBLT refers to how differently and
The task performance was defined by distinctly learners are able to phrase
the dimensions of complexity, accuracy their language based on number and
and fluency based on the Task-based length of clauses (t- unit) and a range of
language teaching approach (TBLT). It is grammatical structures. “A T-unit is an
important to establish the relationship independent clause and any associated
between the teaching approach and dependent clauses, that is, clauses that
assessment model to explain the are attached to or embedded within it”
suitability of the assessment model (Larsen- Freeman, 2006, p. 597). The
and also to project the constructs of linguistic complexity can be further
assessment in an integrated manner. divided into grammatical complexity
In simple terms it is to show whether and lexical complexity. Grammatical
the learners are tested based on what complexity is the “average number of
they were taught or exposed to in clauses per T-unit” (Larsen- Freeman,
the language syllabus. The language 2006, p. 597) and lexical complexity is
teaching approach that is dominantly “a sophisticated type-token ratio, word
present around the world and types per square root of two times the
specifically in the State government words” (Larsen- Freeman, 2006, p. 597).
school syllabus is task-based language
teaching. Skehan (1996) proposed a

Indian Journal of Educational Technology 241
Volume 3, Issue 2, July 2021