Introduction to Language Testing
Current
situations of language testing
In groups of 4 or 5, discuss the current situations of language testing at schools or language centers.
Current
situations of language
testing
Multiple
Using mostly written forms
choice
Testing the vocabulary, grammar structures, reading, writing
Less focus on communicative skills
Oral skills are not assessed
Impacts of current ways of language tests
Students
Not
learn to the tests the language
reluctant to oral skills of
being able to use the language well especially in communication Language learning becomes tiring and boring since students have to learn lots of vocabulary and grammar structures without knowing how to apply them in real situations. Tests used can not achieve their main objectives.
WHY W hat
TEST?
are the purposes of language tests? 1. To measure students¶ performance - individual performance (classroom tests) - for purposes of comparison or selection (external examination) 2. To enable teachers to increase their own effectiveness by making adjustment in their teaching 3. To identify the precise areas of difficulty encountered by the class or by individual students 4. To provide students with an opportunity to show their ability to perform certain tasks in the language 5. To enable students to learn from their weaknesses
What
should be tested?
Testing the language skills
Testing the language areas
Testing the language skills
Four
major skills in communication through language are listening, speaking, reading and writing. These skills should be carefully integrated and to use for real life communication. There would be no rigid distinction drawn between the four different skills Tests should be able to reflect student¶s general fluency and ability to use the language.
Testing the language skills To give some indication of the student¶s scholastic ability in some of the language skills needed as a student, tests of each language skill can be designed
Testing the language skills
Listening comprehension (short dialogues, talks, lectures ) Speaking
ability ( interview, picture description, role play, problem solving task) Reading comprehension (questions and answers, true/ false, multiple choice, matching, etc.) Writing
ability (letters, reports, summary, instruction, accounts of past events, etc.)
Testing the language areas
Grammar
and usage
Vocabulary (word meaning, word formation, collocations) Phonology (phonemes, stress, intonation)
Testing Grammar and usage
To measure student¶s ability to recognize appropriate grammatical forms and to manipulate the structures
Example Choose
A, B, following:
C,
or D to complete the blanks in the
Although it (1) ««. Quite warm now, (2) «« will change later today. By tomorrow morning, it (3) ««.. Much colder and there may even be a little snow. (1)
A. seem seemed
B. will seem
(2)
A. Weather weather
B. The weather
(3)
A. is B. will go to be D. would be
C.
seemed
C.
a weather D. some
C.
is going to be
D. had
Example Complete
the following dialogue:
A: «««««does Victor Lee «««? B: I think his flat is close to Tan Airport
Son Nhat
PRACTICE
Design/Select an English test Present the purpose of the test
