This article looks at the phenomenon of ‘communicative” language testing as it emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a reaction against tests constructed of multiple choice items and the perceived over-emphasis of reliability. Lado in particular became a target for communicative testers. It is argued that many of the concerns of the communicative movement had already been addressed outside the United Kingdom, and that Lado was done an injustice. Nevertheless, the jargon of the communicative testing movement, however imprecise it may have been, has impacted upon the ways in which language testers approach problems today. The legacy of the communicative movement is traced from its first formulation, through present conundrums, to tomorrow's research questions.