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ESP's development stemmed from advancements in language teaching theory emphasizing individual learner needs and the rising demand for specialized English skills in commerce and technology. ESP, like other language courses, necessitates evaluation due to the investment made by students and sponsors. This necessitates two levels of assessment: learner assessment, crucial for gauging task-performance abilities and informing teaching decisions; and course evaluation, vital for goal achievement and feedback to stakeholders (teachers, students, sponsors). Learner assessment can be formative (checking learning to guide next steps) or summative (checking what has been learned). Course evaluation considers what, how, who, and when to assess, using feedback for continuous improvement and course adjustments based on student needs. ESP's success hinges on understanding its needs-based approach, not a specific methodology or materials, focusing on the linguistic aspects of specific language use. Future growth requires a clear understanding of ESP's nature to foster collaboration and maintain its current standing in EFL teaching.

Assessment and Evaluation ESP was developed in response to certain pressures. Advances in the theoretical foundations of language teaching have indicated the need to pay more attention to the individual learner. The world of commerce and technology was producing large numbers of people with specific language learning needs at the time. As a result, demand was generated for courses that equip individual students with the skills needed to perform particular tasks in English. Like any other language teaching course, ESP has requirements which are clearly highlighted by the fact that ESP has specific objectives.
ESP students and sponsors are investors in the ESP course and want to see a return on their investment of time or money. The ESP course managers are accountable to these investors. This responsibility has generated the demand for more and better evaluation procedures. Two levels of evaluation were therefore highlighted.
13.1 Learner Assessment
In any language course, students' performance must be assessed at any strategic point. That is, at the beginning or at the end. Student assessment is of great importance in ESP because it deals with the ability to perform particular communication tasks. The result of this type of evaluation allows sponsors, students and teachers to decide if and how much teaching is required.
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Table 4 Comparing Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning Adopted from Ruth Sutton, unpublished document, 2001
Assessment for Learning (Formative Assessment) Assessment of Learning (Summative Assessment) Checks learning to determine what to do next and then provides suggestions of what to do—teaching and learning are indistinguishable from assessment. Checks what has been learned to date. Is designed to assist educators and students in improving learning. Is designed for the information of those not directly involved in daily learning and teaching (school administration, parents, school board, Alberta Education, post-secondary institutions) in addition to educators and students. Is used continually by providing descriptive feedback. Is presented in a periodic report. Usually uses detailed, specific and descriptive feedback—in a formal or informal report. Usually compiles data into a single number, score or mark as part of a formal report. Is not reported as part of an achievement grade. Is reported as part of an achievement grade. Usually focuses on improvement, compared with the student's ―previous best‖ (self-referenced, making learning more personal). Usually compares the student's learning either with other students' learning (norm-referenced, making learning highly competitive) or the standard for a grade level (criterion-referenced, making learning more collaborative and individually focused). Involves the student. Does not always involve the student.
13.2 Course Evaluation The ESP course evaluation helps determine whether or not you are achieving your goals. Course evaluation also plays a useful social role, showing the various parties involved (teachers, students, sponsors, etc.) that their opinions are important.
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The following figure sum up the four aspects of ESP course assessment that should be considered: What should be assessed? How are ESP courses evaluated? Who should participate in the evaluation? When (and how often) should the assessment be carried out?
Figure 13
Question Related To Course Evaluation
From the above mentioned figure, the evaluation feedback is a key to quality assurance and development of courses. Engaging in course evaluations will give a chance to influence aspects of courses that matter to both teachers and students. In other words, teachers should go carefully through the feedback and use it to adjust courses according to their students needs. By doing so, future students attending the course will benefit more and the ESP course will sound more motivating.
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Conclusion
To conclude with, ESP is a different form of ELT for the simple reason that it is an approach not a product. This idea is stressed by the fact that it (ESP) is based on learners' need with no emphasis on a given methodology or a particular type of teaching material. In addition to this the linguistic factor dominates both the origins and development of ESP where the focus is mainly on the nature of specific varieties of language use depending on both needs identification and analysis.
Now, if the ESP community hopes to grow up and flourish in the future of ELT, it is more than necessary that the agents and practitioners understand what ESP actually represents. Only then, new members can join with confidence to collaborate with the existing ones for the sake of carrying the practices which have brought ESP to the position it has in EFL teaching today.