testingexerpt

In the first, the content of the test will be dictated by the work that has been covered. The second type of test will dictate some of the work to be done in the future. The third type often dictates the syllabus and therefore the work done up to the time of the test.

We can perhaps distinguish between examinations, tests and assessment in this way.

Assessment: The ongoing evaluation by the teacher to check whether the students have learned, or whether they know something.

Test: A more formal evaluation by the teacher at particular times,

for any purpose.

Examination: A formal evaluation of attainment monitored by someone

other than the teacher - the English department, the school

or college, or by a nationwide or international board.

Of our three reasons for testing, the first may be largely by assessment, but also by more formal testing; the second by testing, but sometimes by informal assessment or formal examination; the third normally by examination. Assessment may very often be oral, by question and answer (see 2.4). Examinations are often largely or entirely written.

What we test will depend on our reason for testing. A test of attainment may wish to test all aspects of language - the four skills, pronunciation, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, appropriateness, style - or may concentrate on one or more. A test of learning progress may be quite restricted in its scope. A diagnostic test usually picks out known or suspected problem areas and tests those very specifically.

Consideration of what we test will affect not just the setting of the items, but also the marking. In a test of writing skill, how much weight should be given to correctness of spelling? In a written test of grammar, should we take note of spelling at all? In an answer to a comprehension question do we penalize inaccurate grammar? A student may understand a reading passage and all the questions. Is it just for a student to get zero out of ten because of an inability to form the past tense correctly? As a marker of tests, the decision is yours, but be sure to understand exactly what you are testing.

The specific items in a test will depend on the work covered, or on what we expect the students to know and be able to do. Some examples follow, but first we shall look at different types of test, that is, how to test.

Dictation (see 2.6.3) and cloze tests (p. 44) are global in that they test a number of skills and abilities. Picture compositions, skeleton stories and essays are often used to test writing skills; talks and conversations for speaking skills. Some of these are marked subjectively according to a global impression. It is possible to give more specific marks for, say,

use of correct prepositions

word order

spelling

correct tense formation

clause use

vocabulary etc.

Cloze tests however can be marked completely objectively (see below). Dictation is entirely objective in that the only correct response is the passage as read; the subjective element is in the marking.

Specific items ate better tested by discrete item tests. It should be kept in mind though that this is precisely what they test; they should not be interpreted as an indication of general language ability, or communicative competence. They are best restricted to a diagnostic role. Discrete item tests are often of the gap filling or multiple choice type, since the sentence gives them some minimal context.

Miriam _______ too much ice cream.

a) eat b) ate c) eaten d) eating

It was very _______ of Henry to leave the gate open so that the cows got out.

a) disresponsible b) unresponsible

c) non-responsible d) irresponsible

Though these are just as easy to mark:

Give the past tense of eat.

What is the opposite of responsible?

they are completely uncontextualized. Better tests relate a set of questions to a single situation - a picture, picture sequence, or a text.

Many tests are really just a series of questions, and we have discussed various types of questioning in 2.4. Some questions (or tests) are subjective and some are objective, but this distinction does not apply to the setting of tests - all are subjective in the setting. The test is objective if all testers or markers agree not only on the answer, but on the marking.

It is often thought that multiple choice questions are objective and WH questions are open ended and therefore subjective, since the teacher has to evaluate the answer. This is not strictly so.

Who was Hansel's sister?

Probably all markers would agree that Gretel was the right answer (assuming the question refers to the fairy tale), and the marking could be standardized. It is possible some teachers might insist on a full sentence for an answer; some might disagree on how to mark Gretle or gereatle. Giving a number of choices would certainly overcome this problem.

Some multiple choice questions, especially of the 'Choose the best answer' type, can be rather subjective. So can those where the setter's assumptions are open to question.

We _______ return at 9.30.

a) shall b) will c) do d) are

Here the setter presumably disallows b), but many teachers marking might allow it.

A clear example of different assumptions is the 'odd man out' question (see 3.4 for the use of this in teaching - valid because the assumptions are always called for).

Give the odd one out among the following:

a) a giraffe b) a zebra c) a dog d) a cat e) a newspaper

The answer is obviously a) since a giraffe is the only one which cannot be black and white!

We will mention three principles which apply to discrete item tests, and in a general way to all tests.

1 The verbal context should not be more difficult than the item tested.

Miriam _______ so much ice cream that she complained of stomach ache the following morning.

The sentence here (so .... that .... ) is rather complex for testing a simple past tense form and may confuse students who may in fact know the past tense of eat. It depends of course on what is considered difficult. It may be worth testing advanced students in their use of articles, even though they would have been introduced to them at a very elementary stage.

2 Do not mix up what you are testing (see 2.4.2 on Multiple Choice); test form or usage, not a bit of each. This is imperative if the test is diagnostic.

It was very ______ of Henry to leave the gate open so that the cows got out.

a) irresponsible b) irrepressible

c) irresistable d) unreliable

[usage]

a) irresponsible b) unresponsible

c) irresistable d) unresistable

[mixing form and usage]

Questions should be unambiguous.

Henry left the gate open and the cows got out.

Henry was a) thinking b) unthinking

c) thoughtful d) thoughtless

Though most might agree that d) is the best answer, a case could be made for b). Moreover the student might be justified in answering a); Henry was lost in thought and that is why he left the gate open.

We said that discrete item tests are not reliable indicators of the ability to communicate. There is now a move in the field of testing, as there has been for some time in teaching, towards appropriateness and communicative use of English. This may be why global tests such as dictation have come back into favour. Communicative tests tend to revolve around the situational factors mentioned in 1.3. Often more than one answer is allowed, and they can be somewhat objective.

Where might you hear the following?

Er, excuse me, is this seat taken?

a) in a restaurant b) in a car c) in a train

d) in a police station e) in a furniture shop [setting]

Who do you think might be speaking to Charles?

Late again, Charles? I'm afraid this just won't do, you know.

a) his daughter b) his boss c) a shopkeeper

d) a priest e) a bus conductor [role/status]

Which of the following refer to a court case?

a) Brown was sentenced to fifteen years.

b) Brown was away for fifteen years.

c) This sentence is rather hard to read.

d) The jury were out for ten hours.

e) Don't judge a situation before you know all the facts. [topic]

There are also activity, or performance tests, where students are given a meaningful task to perform. It may be as one participant in a role play, or the student may be given a problem to solve. These are difficult to create and difficult to administer to a large group of students. They are subjective but do give a real indication of the ability of the students to use language effectively.

Unseen full dictations are extremely difficult for learners up to intermediate level, but there are variations which can be more suited to earlier learners. The students can write down only the first sentence in each paragraph, or a sentence you indicate; or the first word in each sentence. You can ask them to prepare the passage beforehand. You can give them a skeleton, either as a photocopy or on the board, which they have to flesh in. You can give them the entire passage with multiple choices at various points:

The three bears / pairs / hares knocked on / in / of the door of the house. They listened carefully but they couldn't hear a / an / any reply. . . . .

Finally, cloze tests are a particular form of gap-filling test which has become popular because it is extremely simple to set, and in its objective form, easy to mark. In a cloze test every nth word of a reading passage is omitted. In a difficult test it might be every fourth word; in an easier test, every tenth word. But whichever number is chosen for n, it must be strictly adhered to - you cannot change from sixth to seventh within one text just because at one point the seventh word seems to test something more relevant. However, there are gap-filling tests with gaps at varying intervals, which go by the name of cloze test.

There are two views about marking cloze tests; it can be done objectively or subjectively. The objective view is to say that only the original word can be accepted as correct. Though easy to mark, it may seem a little unfair. Those who prefer subjective marking accept synonyms or indeed any word that fits the structure and makes sense. Try this:

Just as Heracles was ___1___ out in the morning, ___2___ heard a cow lowing ___3___ in the hillside: for ___4___ had very foolishly taken ___5___ of the cows who ___6___ a calf, and left ___7___ with the herd.

___8___ at once counted the ___9___, found that some were ___10___, and set out to ___11___ with the thief. Before ___12___ he found the door ___13___ the cavern, but Cacus, ___14___ that he was discovered, ___15___ the chains and ___16___ which should have raised ___17___, and even Heracles could ___18___ lift the enormous block ___19___ stone and slide it ___20___ its grooves.

Did you decide 1 was starting, setting, or perhaps stepping? Cows or cattle for 9? Proponents of objective marking say that statistically it does not matter. Scores will be lower but the rank order will be much the same. Opponents maintain that is all right if all you want is a rough grading. If the test is to be used diagnostically we should allow synonyms or any word that makes sense. It then becomes much more time consuming to mark.

Advocates of cloze testing claim many of the advantages attributed to dictation: it tests vocabulary, collocation, command of structure, spelling, and the ability to grasp the total drift as well as specific meaning. It is, incidentally, a useful exercise in preparing students for listening to lectures - a speaker's words are often lost when someone coughs or a car hoots outside. Though the medium is different, it is an instance where it might be wise to practise the reading before the listening.

[The answers to the cloze passage are: 1 setting, 2 he, 3 somewhere, 4 Cacus, 5 one, 6 had, 7 the, 8 Heracles, 9 cattle, 10 missing, 11 deal, 12 long, 13 of, 14 realizing, 15 hastily, 16 balances (you were brilliant if you got that one), 17 it, 18 not, 19 of, 20 up. Notice that one has to read with total understanding to get 4 as Cacus. Applied correctly, a cloze passage should have a few sentences at the start without gaps.]

Diploma in Teaching English Online

The Diploma in Teaching Online

Module One

Online Workshop One