The 2001 ILTA Code of Ethics: Philosophical foundations and historical context

While ethical and moral philosophy underpins core concepts in language testing, few publications in the field engage with moral philosophy in a sustained or systematic way. A notable exception is the International Language Testing Association’s (ILTA) Code of Ethics (COE), ratified in 2000, which continues to guide professional practice. As ILTA initiates a revision of the COE, this paper examines the objectives and philosophical foundations of the original COE. Drawing on the document itself and key writings by its principal author, Alan Davies, and contemporary authors, we offer an analysis that reveals both the strategic rationale behind the Code and the unresolved tensions within it. Our aim is to deepen the field’s understanding of the ethical frameworks that have shaped the language testing profession as ILTA traces a way forward in revising the COE.