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There are many alternatives to testing in order to assess students' performance, but in actual fact, students still have to take a wide amount of tests throughout their language training. Years of teaching experience in further education at Florida Universitaria (affiliated to the University of Valencia, Spain) have proved the important gap existing between what teachers want to test and what students perceive, frequently ending in frustration on both sides. After analysing the possible causes for the lack of understanding between both parties, we decided to carry out an experience based on peer testing across two educational levels. The aim of this paper is twofold, presenting the peer testing experience, and explaining what us, as teachers and testers, have learnt from our students about their perceptions. The three main stakeholders of the experience are: a group of 3rd-year students in the Degree in Primary Education (major in English) who designed a language test for a group of Vocational Training learners (in the finance field), and the English teachers of both groups who coordinated the whole process. First, the Education students (testers) were trained in basic concepts about exam design techniques. Afterwards, they met the Vocational Training students (testees) to find out about their skills, English level and have a first personal contact. Then, testers designed an exam based on the communicative learning approach, including the contents studied by testees in their A2-B1 English course. Finally, testers administered and marked the exercises. Results obtained accounted for a percentage of the Finance students´ English assessment. As regards the Finance participants, they actively played a part providing feedback related to their perceptions of the test and the procedure. The experience was highly satisfactory for all the parties. On the one hand, testers and testees were able to engage in the testing system as active actors and understand its objectives and difficulties from within the process. Students' ratings in the satisfaction questionnaire confirmed that this activity was remarkably motivating for them. On the other hand, the English lecturers became aware of their students' testing perspective, and the need to create real settings where learners could apply their theoretical knowledge. All in all, the experience has had a positive washback effect on the English subject and subsequent tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]