Abstract

This study examines the challenges that Libyan EFL teachers face when assessing students' speaking proficiency and investigates how the use of training rubrics and test anxiety influences perceptions of fairness and effectiveness. The data were collected from EFL teachers using a questionnaire. To strengthen methodological rigor, inferential statistical analyses were conducted. Results showed that teachers experience a significantly high level of assessment challenges (M = 3.93), exceeding the neutral midpoint (t (19) = 7.17, p < .001), with a very large effect size (d = 1.60). Insufficient training was positively associated with scoring subjectivity (r = .48, p = .032), whereas rubric use was strongly associated with perceived assessment fairness (r = .71, p = .001). Test anxiety was also significantly related to perceived student underperformance (r = 0.62, p = 0.003). The findings highlighted the critical role of teacher training, structured rubrics, and anxiety-reduction strategies in improving the reliability and fairness of speaking assessments in the Libyan EFL context. The study highlights the importance of systematic teacher training, the use of institutionalized rubrics, and anxiety-reduction strategies to improve the reliability and fairness of speaking assessments.