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!