UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE LA SANTISIMA CONCEPCION

TASK 3

SPEAKING TEST DESIGN

EDUCATION FACULTY

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

ASSESSMENT

ROXANNA CORREA PEREZ

LUIS FUENTES CID

GABRIEL JARA MUÑOZ

CONCEPCION, 2013

1. Test Specifications

Test’s Purpose

The purpose of this test is to evaluate students’ achievement of the current course goal

regarding giving directions in real life context.

Description of the Examinees

The examinees are students between fourteen and fifteen years old, currently enrolled

in a Public-Subsidized School coursing first year of high-school, in which English is

taught as a foreign language.

Test Level

Their level of English is categorized as Lower-Intermediate, even though they have

been exposed to the language for five years or so, their speaking skills are not well-

developed due to the lack of practice and emphasis in the school.

Definition of the Construct

The test aims to assess the ability to give and ask for directions in English orally, using

the learned structures seen in class in a real life situation context. The test includes

individual-interlocutor (test-administrator) interaction, discussion stage and a pair

(classmate-classmate) social interaction (role-play); Therefore tasks in which they have

to apply their knowledge (such as looking to a map and asking and giving directions)

would be suitable for the test in order for them to put their knowledge into practice.

Taking this into consideration a “good” or “excellent” performance from part of the

students would be the correct use and application of the structures when they face a

real life situation, minding pronunciation, intonation, stress and grammatical structures,

leaving out the pragmatics competences possibly involved in the test.

Number of Section/Papers

The test consists mainly of three sections. The first includes images with different

places around the city in which the students (individually) have to say to the test-

administrator what do they do there. The second section is a discussion whether they

have those places in their city and finally a role play in which students interact by asking

and giving directions.

Time for each section

Individual question(s): 2 minutes per Student.

Discussion question: 4 minute both students.

Role-play task: 5 minutes.

(This can vary according to the performance of the students. If there is no interaction

the interlocutor can guide the task(s) so students can produce)

Weighting for each section

Individual questions, Discussion question, and Role-Play activity are evaluated

according to the rubric which gives the points to the overall performance of the students.

Total Score: twenty four points.

Target language situation

The target language corresponds to the chunks of language seen in classes regarding

“Giving Directions”.

E.g. “turn right”, “turn left”, “go straight along”, vocabulary about the city.

Text type

Images.

Text length

Number of pictures.

Language Skills to be tested

Speaking

Language elements to be tested

The main focus would be on the following elements:

● Fluency

● Grammar

● Pronunciation

● Vocabulary

Test tasks

The test consists upon three tasks.

First: Question and Answer

Second: Discussion/Conversation

Third: Role-Play

Test Methods

The test method is constructed in three parts or three tasks, being the first one a one to

one student-interlocutor interaction in which the student answer a question regarding a

picture, followed by the second part in which the interlocutor promotes the dialogue

between the students in a discussion about different places and finally a role-play

activity in which students simulate a real life situation.

Rubrics

See appendix pg. 3

Criteria for marking

The criteria for this test focus mainly in six aspects:

Grammar (adequate use of structures)

Pronunciation

Vocabulary (concepts and expressions seen in class)

Comprehension (understanding of questions)

Fluency

Interaction (in terms of a balanced conversation; both participants take equal part

in the interaction)

Description of typical performance at each level

Indicators of these aspects are described in the rubric, with the many variations of

proficiency levels (needs improvement, satisfactory, good and excellent)

Description of what candidates at each level can do in the real world

Indicators of these aspects

Sample papers

See appendix page 1.

Sample of Student’ performance on task

See appendix page 3.

2. Eliciting Evidence

Tasks Types

Task 1: Student A:

Student B:

Task Orientation Opened: Teacher asks questions to the students and they have to answer according to what they think. Students are given some information about what they have to talk when giving the speaking test by they are able to talk and communicate as they wish, by using words and tenses they decide to use.

Interactional RelationshipOne-Way Interactional: Teachers asks and student responds. The learner is asked to communicate opinions and views to the teacher, the teacher may ask for clarification question

Goal Orientation There is: There is communicative purpose, they have to respond to the teacher who might ask a second question depending upon the answers.

Interlocutor Status and FamiliarityLow:Student- Student (know)Students- Teacher (know)

TopicsPlaces around the city. Task 2;

Look at the picture and answer the following questions. What can you see in the picture? What do people usually so in that place?

Look at the picture and answer the following questions. What can you see in the picture? What do people usually so in that place?

Continuing with the same pictures, take a look at them again and discuss the following situation with your classmate. (Teacher can guide the discussion of necessary). Imagine that you’re taking a foreigner friend for a tour around the city. Which place do you think is the best option?

Task Orientation Opened: There is a situation and students are free to discuss which is the better choice, there is a final decision to take. Students are able to talk and communicate as they wish, by using words and tenses they decide to use.

Interactional RelationshipInteractional: Two ways interaction: There is an interaction between both students with no intervention from the teacher.

Goal OrientationStudents have to speak with each other, so the communication process happens. There is communicative purpose, a decision that has to be taken. Interlocutor Status and FamiliarityLow:Student- Student (know)Students- Teacher (know)

TopicsPlaces around the city.

Task 3:

Task Orientation Students are presented some information they must use when speaking but they can use some different words, synonyms, tenses that they have seen in classes such as “turn-left, right; go straight along…”

Interactional RelationshipInteractional: Two ways interactional: The two students interact between the 2 test takers. There is no intervention of a third person in terms of communication.

Goal Orientation There is: The communication process occurs by simulating a real life context situation.

Interlocutor Status and FamiliarityLow:Student- Student (know)Students- Teacher (know)

TopicsPlaces around the city.

Now you and your classmate are having a meeting in the city for your foreigner friend. However, one of you got lost and can’t find the way to get to the place you guys agreed to meet. Decide which student will be the lost person. Imagine that you’re having a phone conversation and the lost person is asking for directions to get to the place.

References

Luoma, S. Assessing Speaking. 2004. Cambridge University Press, pg. 141 RCampus. Retrieved (2013, June, 5th) from

http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=yes&code=L47B46&

English Speaking TestLuis Fuentes Cid - Gabriel Jara Muñoz

Name: __________________________ Grade: ____________Date:_____________Unit: Places around the City. Obtained Score: _________ Total Score: _________Mark: __________________

Student A:

Look at the picture and answer the following questions. What can you see in the picture? What do people usually so in that place?

Student B:

Look at the picture and answer the following questions. What can you see in the picture? What do people usually so in that place?

Student A and B

Take a look at the pictures again and discuss the following situation with your classmate. Imagine that you’re taking a foreigner friend for a tour around the city. Which place do you think is the best option?

Students A and B Now you and your classmate are having a meeting in the city for your foreigner friend. However, one of you got lost and can’t find the way to get to the place you guys agreed to meet. Decide which student will be the lost person. Imagine that you’re having a phone conversation and the lost person is asking for directions to get to the place.

Sample of Rubric

Sample of Students’ Performance on task.

Improved tasks

Task 1:

Task 2:

Task 3:

Images to support tasks:

Look at the picture and please answer the following questions. What can you see in the picture? What is it? (Teacher can lead to the answer if students do not answer)What do people usually so in that place? Do they eat? Do they dance? Do they buy things? (Teacher can lead to the answer if students do not answer)

Take a look at the pictures again and discuss the following situation with your classmate. (Teacher can guide the discussion of necessary). Imagine that you’re taking a foreigner friend/a friend from another country for a tour around the city. This friend is new and wants to know Concepcion. Which place do you think is the best option for him to visit? Do you think is better to go to the cinema or to the library? Please discuss with your classmate. (If necessary teacher can guide the discussion)

Now you and your classmate are having a meeting in the city for your foreigner friend / friend from another country. However, one of you got lost and can’t find the way to get to the place agreed to meet!Decide which student will be the lost person. (Teacher can make this decision)Imagine that you’re having a phone conversation and the lost person is asking for directions to get to the place. Student A calls and asks. Student B answers and gives directions.