Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which type of writing task requires candidates to respond to a job advertisement?
Which type of writing task requires candidates to respond to a job advertisement?
- Transactional letter (correct)
- Newspaper article
- Information leaflet
- Set of instructions
What activity is NOT mentioned as part of decision-making tests?
What activity is NOT mentioned as part of decision-making tests?
- Role-play in a job interview (correct)
- Comparing and contrasting different items
- Ordering photos of best and worst dressed
- Finding similarities and differences without seeing each other’s materials
What is an example of a reading test item that focuses on comprehension?
What is an example of a reading test item that focuses on comprehension?
- Inserting sentences provided by the examiner
- Wringing a theatre to book tickets
- Transferring written information to charts
- Summarizing a paragraph (correct)
Which listening activity helps candidates understand factual information?
Which listening activity helps candidates understand factual information?
In a writing test, which task requires candidates to provide instructions?
In a writing test, which task requires candidates to provide instructions?
Which type of listening test activity involves following directions?
Which type of listening test activity involves following directions?
Which method is NOT suggested to maintain reliability in listening tests?
Which method is NOT suggested to maintain reliability in listening tests?
Which task is designed for candidates to practice their conversational skills?
Which task is designed for candidates to practice their conversational skills?
What does the reliability of the doze technique depend on?
What does the reliability of the doze technique depend on?
What issue is highlighted regarding the traditional doze procedure?
What issue is highlighted regarding the traditional doze procedure?
Why are modified doze procedures considered beneficial for placement tests?
Why are modified doze procedures considered beneficial for placement tests?
In the example of sentence transformation, which grammatical structure is primarily tested?
In the example of sentence transformation, which grammatical structure is primarily tested?
What does supplying the correct word in a doze test imply about a student's understanding?
What does supplying the correct word in a doze test imply about a student's understanding?
What approach does a modified doze technique utilize in selecting words to delete?
What approach does a modified doze technique utilize in selecting words to delete?
What is an example of a test item that measures knowledge of verb patterns?
What is an example of a test item that measures knowledge of verb patterns?
What is a limitation of using traditional doze techniques in testing?
What is a limitation of using traditional doze techniques in testing?
Why is it important for tests to replicate real-life interaction?
Why is it important for tests to replicate real-life interaction?
What type of test item is less likely to replicate real-life interaction?
What type of test item is less likely to replicate real-life interaction?
How should tests of reading and listening be designed?
How should tests of reading and listening be designed?
Which assessment task is suggested to provide genuine interaction?
Which assessment task is suggested to provide genuine interaction?
What characteristic should test items ideally possess?
What characteristic should test items ideally possess?
What does sentence re-ordering primarily assess in students?
What does sentence re-ordering primarily assess in students?
Which is NOT mentioned as a type of indirect testing technique?
Which is NOT mentioned as a type of indirect testing technique?
Why is it important to create a 'level playing field' in written tests?
Why is it important to create a 'level playing field' in written tests?
What might undermine receptive ability testing?
What might undermine receptive ability testing?
Which example is considered to have a more equitable essay prompt?
Which example is considered to have a more equitable essay prompt?
What do direct test items aim to achieve?
What do direct test items aim to achieve?
Which of the following elements is NOT part of the sentence re-ordering exercise?
Which of the following elements is NOT part of the sentence re-ordering exercise?
What is one characteristic of effective receptive skill testing?
What is one characteristic of effective receptive skill testing?
What is a significant issue with multiple choice questions?
What is a significant issue with multiple choice questions?
How can multiple choice question performance be misleading?
How can multiple choice question performance be misleading?
What is one advantage of cloze procedures over multiple choice questions?
What is one advantage of cloze procedures over multiple choice questions?
What does 'validity' refer to in the context of testing?
What does 'validity' refer to in the context of testing?
What is a characteristic of cloze testing?
What is a characteristic of cloze testing?
What aspect does cloze testing effectively measure?
What aspect does cloze testing effectively measure?
What is a limitation of multiple choice questions mentioned in the content?
What is a limitation of multiple choice questions mentioned in the content?
In what way are cloze procedures considered a cost-effective testing method?
In what way are cloze procedures considered a cost-effective testing method?
Study Notes
Test Item Types
- There are a number of different types of test items that can be used to assess language proficiency.
- Direct test items are tests that require the candidate to demonstrate their ability to perform the task or skill being tested.
- Indirect test items are tests that measure the candidate's knowledge of the language system, without requiring them to actually perform the task or skill being assessed.
Direct Test Item Types
- Speaking:
- Interviews to assess fluency and accuracy
- information gap activities that require students to communicate with each other to achieve a common goal.
- Writing:
- Composition and story writing
- Transactional letters such as job applications and complaints
- Leaflet writing
- Set of instructions
- Newspaper articles
Indirect Test Item Types
- Reading:
- Multiple choice questions to test comprehension of a text
- Matching written descriptions with pictures
- Transferring written information to charts and graphs
- Choosing the best summary of a text
- Matching jumbled headings with paragraphs
- Inserting sentences in the correct place within a text
- Listening:
- Completing charts with facts and figures heard in a listening text.
- Identifying objects or pictures described in a listening text.
- Identifying the speaker who made a particular statement.
- Identifying the emotion of a speaker.
- Following directions on a map and identifying the correct location.
- Cloze procedure: a method where every nth word is deleted from a text, requiring the student to fill in the blanks.
- The cloze procedure is often used to assess a student's overall knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary.
- The cloze procedure is sometimes criticized for being unreliable and producing test items that are too difficult.
Test Item Construction & Reliability
- Multiple choice questions (MCQ)
- MCQs are widely used in language testing because they are easy to mark.
- MCQs can be unreliable if distractors are not well-designed.
- Test training may increase scores but not necessarily English proficiency.
- Transformations and Paraphrases:
- These test items assess a candidate's knowledge of different grammatical structures and their ability to rewrite sentences without changing their meaning.
- Sentence Reordering:
- These test items assess a candidate's knowledge of sentence structure and syntax.
- Sentence Fill-Ins:
- These test items assess a candidate's knowledge of lexico-grammatical elements.
Creating a "Level Playing Field" for Direct Test Items
- Direct test items must be designed to ensure that all candidates have a fair chance of success.
- Test items should:
- Avoid requiring specialized knowledge that is not related to the skill being assessed.
- Replicate real-life situations.
- Use authentic or realistic texts.
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Description
Explore the different types of test items used for assessing language proficiency. This quiz covers both direct test items, such as speaking and writing tasks, and indirect test items like reading comprehension tasks. Test your understanding of effective assessment methods.
