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LANGUAGE TESTING
Jennifer E. Lopez Master Teacher 1
Lucena City National High School
What is a language Test
A test is a method of measuring a person’s skill/ability or knowledge in a given area.
“A sample of behavior under controlled or specified conditions and aimed toward providing a basis for forming judgments.
skills
speaking
listening
reading
writing
WHAT to test?
knowledge
language
grammar morphology
syntax semantics
lexis
Receptive Skills (decoding process- searching for meaning)
Reading (require a printed text)
Listening (require an aural text)
Productive Skills (encoding process- expressing ideas)
Writing (written or typed text)
Speaking (spoken text)
READING
Testing of Reading Skills
WHAT TO TEST? Reading Aloud Silent Reading
pronunciation
Stresses & Intonation
Subskills Identify main facts &details Relate cause & effect Identify sequence of events Predicting outcomes Inferring meaning from contextual clues
Reading levels Literal comprehension Reorganization Inferential Comprehension Evaluation Appreciation
Reading Text Types (genres)
Narrative descriptive Expository report Poem Play Non-linear texts-table, graph & chart
Reading Test Question Types
True/ False Rearrangement (sequencing order) Structured (controlled, guided) Open-ended (subjective response, free
writing) MCQ (matching, wh question, completion) Cloze procedure
Criteria for selection of reading texts
Authenticity Ideas (students’ schema, complexity) Exploitability (adaptability, simplification) Language (lexical, syntactical, semantic
complexity) Accessibility Text length
Sources of reading text Journals Theaters Comics Reports Story books Reference books Internet Textbooks Traveling agencies Restaurants Manuals Mass media (TV, radio, magazine, newspapers)
LISTENING
Testing of Listening Skills
WHAT TO TEST?
Subskills Identify main facts &details Relate cause & effect Identify sequence of events Predicting outcomes Inferring meaning from contextual clues
Levels Literal comprehension Reorganization Inferential Comprehension Evaluation Appreciation
Principles in Testing Listening Skills
Allow reading time for candidates to read every question prior to the listening
Writing of responses should be kept to the minimum
Ensure listening content and contexts be as authentic as possible
Ensure test venue has excellent acoustic facility Ensure both listening tape and cassette player
are in excellent working condition
Listening Text Types (genres) Narrative Descriptive Expository Discussion Speech Talk Interview Poem Play Announcement Report Dialogue conversation
Question Types
MCQ with/without pictures Fill in the blanks/completion items Labeling Matching True/false Sequencing
Criteria for selection of a listening text
Authenticity Ideas (students’ schema) Audio quality Exploitability (adaptability, simplification) Text length Accessibility Language (syntactical, semantic, lexical
complexity)
Sources of Listening Texts Announcements at airport, bus terminal, malls, radio, TV, etc. Interviews Reports Stories Lectures Dialogues Poems Play Songs Advertisements Speeches Talks news
WRITING
Testing of Writing Skills
WHAT TO TEST?
Content/ Ideas Language
Organization
Quality/levels
quantity clarity Sentence complexity vocabulary
syntax
accuracy
simple
compound complex
appropriacy paragraphing
Types of Writing Tasks (What to write)
Letters (formal/informal) Articles Announcements Reports Poems Plays Stories Talks/speeches News
Resources Used in Testing Writing
A set of questions Short notes Picture series Maps Charts, tables, graphs Schedules Advertisements Diary entries
Question Types & Levels
Very Partially Free Structured Structured Writing
LEVEL OF GUIDANCE GIVEN & STIMULI USED
V. High Guidance Key words given Ideas given in pictures or short notes Key phrases given Format given
V. Little Guidance Candidates have to come up with their own words & ideas
Scoring Writing Tests
Holistic Impressionistic vs. Analytical
SPEAKING
Testing of Speaking Skills
WHAT TO TEST?
Turn-taking Language
Presentation Skills Organization
Content/ideas
pronunciation
accuracy
clarity
appropriacy format Eye- contact
style
fluency confidence
syntax grammar
Sentence complexity
vocabulary
Criteria in determining speaking contexts
Authenticity Exploitability (language functions,
language forms) Purposeful Practical (time, administration, scoring) Meaningful
Types of speaking contexts
Interview Discussion (pair, group) Speeches/ talks (formal/ informal) Dialogue/ conversation
Strategies to make candidates talk
Problem-solving Role-playing Describing a series of pictures Talking on a given topic Responding to a series of questions
Principles in testing speaking skills
Ensure speaking contexts are as authentic as possible, esp. in communicative testing
Put candidates at ease prior to the real test Examiners to remain as non-intrusive as
possible, esp. in group discussion Ensure scoring reliability-inter-rater reliability Speaking contexts must give maximum
opportunities for candidates to speak.
GRAMMAR
What to test in a grammar test?
The rules of grammar (phrases, clauses, tenses etc.)
Mechanics (punctuation, capitalization) Syntax (sentence structure)
How? Item Types
MCQ with/without pictures Fill in the blanks/completion item Error recognition Rearrangement Transformation Matching Combination Addition Changing words
HAPPY TESTING!