PISA Test Sample Questions PDF

Take the Test sample Questions from OECD’s PISA Assessments Take the Test What does PISA actually assess? This book presents all the publicly available questions from the PISA surveys. S...

Take the Test sample Questions from OECD’s PISA Assessments Take the Test What does PISA actually assess? This book presents all the publicly available questions from the PISA surveys. Some of these questions were used in the PISA 2000, 2003 and 2006 surveys and sample Questions from OECD’s PISA others were used in developing and trying out the assessment. Assessments After a brief introduction to the PISA assessment, the book presents three chapters, including PISA questions for the reading, mathematics and science tests, respectively. Each chapter presents an overview of what exactly the questions assess. The second section of each chapter presents questions which were used in the PISA 2000, 2003 and 2006 surveys, that is, the actual PISA tests for which results were published. The third section presents questions used in trying out the assessment. Although these questions were not used in the PISA 2000, 2003 and 2006 surveys, they are nevertheless illustrative of the kind of question PISA uses. The final section shows all the answers, along with brief comments on each question. Take the Test sample Questions from OECD’s PISA Assessments The full text of this book is available on line via this link: www.sourceoecd.org/education/9789264050808 Those with access to all OECD books on line should use this link: www.sourceoecd.org/9789264050808 SourceOECD is the OECD online library of books, periodicals and statistical databases. For more information about this award-winning service and free trials ask your librarian, or write to us at [email protected]. isbn 978-92-64-05080-8 www.oecd.org/publishing 98 2009 05 1 P -:HSTCQE=UZU]U]: Programme for International Student Assessment  Programme for International Student Assessment Take the Test Sample Questions from OECD’s PISA Assessments  ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. PISA™, OECD/PISA™ and the PISA logo are trademarks of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). All use of OECD trademarks is prohibited without written permission from the OECD. © OECD 2009 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d'exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at [email protected]. FOREWORD Parents, students, teachers, school leaders, governments and the general public need good information on how well their education systems prepare students for life. A growing commitment by governments to monitor the outcomes of education systems in terms of student achievement on a regular basis and within an internationally agreed framework led to the launch of the OECD’s Programme for International Assessment (PISA) in 1997. There have so far been three PISA surveys: in 2000, 2003 and 2006. The results from PISA provide a new basis for policy dialogue and for collaboration in defining and implementing educational goals, in innovative ways that reflect judgements about the skills that are relevant to adult life. What does PISA actually assess? This report brings together all the publicly available questions in reading, mathematics and science and, together with the PISA assessment frameworks, gives a solid overview of the PISA test. Some of these questions were used in the PISA 2000, 2003 and 2006 surveys and others were used in developing and trying out the assessment. For the questions used in the PISA 2000, 2003 and 2006 surveys, country results are provided in Annex B to allow an overview of how well students did in each country on different types of questions. Each chapter in this report has two distinct sections: the first presents the questions and the second presents the answers to these questions. This allows the reader to take the test! This report was compiled by Susanne Salz and Diana Toledo Figueroa, with editorial assistance from Elisabeth Villoutreix and Juliet Evans. 3 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD................................................................................................................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)..................................11 The aims of PISA.............................................................................................................................................................................................12 The PISA surveys.............................................................................................................................................................................................13 The PISA results...............................................................................................................................................................................................13 The PISA questions......................................................................................................................................................................................13 CHAPTER 2 Reading sample tasks.............................................................................................................................................................15 Reading unit 1: Lake Chad..............................................................................................................................................................17 Reading unit 2 : Flu...............................................................................................................................................................................19 Reading unit 3 !.YHMÄ[P......................................................................................................................................................................22 Reading unit 4 : Labour......................................................................................................................................................................24 Reading unit 5 : Plan International.............................................................................................................................................26 Reading unit 6 : Police........................................................................................................................................................................28 Reading unit 7 : Runners...................................................................................................................................................................30 Reading unit 8 : Gift.............................................................................................................................................................................32 Reading unit 9 : Amanda and the Duchess...............................................................................................................................................37 Reading unit 10 : Personnel............................................................................................................................................................41 Reading unit 11 : New Rules..........................................................................................................................................................43 Reading unit 12 : Moreland............................................................................................................................................................45 Reading unit 13 : Warranty.............................................................................................................................................................46 Reading unit 14 : A Just Judge........................................................................................................................................................49 Reading unit 15 : In Poor Taste......................................................................................................................................................53 Reading unit 16 : Bullying................................................................................................................................................................54 Reading unit 17 : Bees........................................................................................................................................................................56 Answers.............................................................................................................................................................................................................58 Lake Chad scoring.................................................................................................................................................................................58 Flu scoring..................................................................................................................................................................................................60 GYHMÄ[PZJVYPUN.........................................................................................................................................................................................63 Labour scoring.........................................................................................................................................................................................67 Plan International scoring................................................................................................................................................................69 Police scoring...........................................................................................................................................................................................71 Runners scoring......................................................................................................................................................................................72 Gift scoring.................................................................................................................................................................................................74 Amanda and the Duchess scoring..............................................................................................................................................79 Personnel scoring...................................................................................................................................................................................84 New rules scoring..................................................................................................................................................................................85 Moreland scoring...................................................................................................................................................................................86 Warranty scoring....................................................................................................................................................................................87 Just Judge scoring...................................................................................................................................................................................88 In Poor Taste scoring............................................................................................................................................................................92 Bullying scoring......................................................................................................................................................................................93 Bees scoring..............................................................................................................................................................................................94 5 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 3 Mathematics sample tasks..................................................................................................................................................97 Mathematics unit 1: Farms...........................................................................................................................................................100 Mathematics unit 2 : Walking.....................................................................................................................................................101 Mathematics unit 3 : Apples........................................................................................................................................................102 Mathematics unit 4 : Cubes..........................................................................................................................................................104 Mathematics unit 5 : Continent Area.....................................................................................................................................105 Mathematics unit 6 : Growing Up...........................................................................................................................................106 Mathematics unit 7 : Speed of Racing Car.........................................................................................................................107 Mathematics unit 8 : Triangles....................................................................................................................................................109 Mathematics unit 9 : Robberies................................................................................................................................................110 Mathematics unit 10 : Carpenter..............................................................................................................................................111 Mathematics unit 11 : Internet Relay Chat........................................................................................................................112 Mathematics unit 12 : Exchange Rate...................................................................................................................................113 Mathematics unit 13 : Exports....................................................................................................................................................114 Mathematics unit 14 : Coloured Candies...........................................................................................................................115 Mathematics unit 15 : Science Tests......................................................................................................................................115 Mathematics unit 16 : Bookshelves........................................................................................................................................116 Mathematics unit 17 : Litter.........................................................................................................................................................116 Mathematics unit 18 : Earthquake...........................................................................................................................................117 Mathematics unit 19 : Choices..................................................................................................................................................117 Mathematics unit 20 : Test Scores............................................................................................................................................118 Mathematics unit 21 : Skateboard...........................................................................................................................................119 Mathematics unit 22 : Staircase................................................................................................................................................120 Mathematics unit 23 : Number Cubes.................................................................................................................................121 Mathematics unit 24 : Support for the President...........................................................................................................122 Mathematics unit 25 : The Best Car........................................................................................................................................123 Mathematics unit 26 : Step Pattern.........................................................................................................................................124 Mathematics unit 27 : Lichen.....................................................................................................................................................125 Mathematics unit 28 : Coins.......................................................................................................................................................126 Mathematics unit 29 : Pizzas......................................................................................................................................................127 Mathematics unit 30: Shapes......................................................................................................................................................127 Mathematics unit 31 : Braking...................................................................................................................................................128 Mathematics unit 32 : Patio.........................................................................................................................................................129 Mathematics unit 33 : Drug Concentrations....................................................................................................................130 Mathematics unit 34 : Building Blocks................................................................................................................................132 Mathematics unit 35 : Reaction Time....................................................................................................................................134 Mathematics unit 36 : Water Tank...........................................................................................................................................135 Mathematics unit 37 : Spring Fair............................................................................................................................................136 Mathematics unit 38 : Swing......................................................................................................................................................137 Mathematics unit 39 : Student Heights................................................................................................................................138 Mathematics unit 40 : Payments by Area............................................................................................................................139 Mathematics unit 41 : Shoes for Kids....................................................................................................................................140 Mathematics unit 42 : Table Tennis Tournament......................................................................................................................141 Mathematics unit 43 : Lighthouse...........................................................................................................................................142 Mathematics unit 44 : Decreasing CO2 Levels...............................................................................................................144 Mathematics unit 45 : Twisted Building..............................................................................................................................146 Mathematics unit 46 : Heartbeat..............................................................................................................................................148 Mathematics unit 47 : Space Flight........................................................................................................................................149 Mathematics unit 48 : Rock Concert.....................................................................................................................................149 Mathematics unit 49 : Moving Walkways..........................................................................................................................150 Mathematics unit 50 : Postal Charges...................................................................................................................................151 6 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  TABLE OF CONTENTS Answers..........................................................................................................................................................................................................153 Farms scoring.........................................................................................................................................................................................153 Walking scoring...................................................................................................................................................................................153 Apples scoring......................................................................................................................................................................................155 Cubes scoring........................................................................................................................................................................................157 Continent Area scoring...................................................................................................................................................................158 Growing Up scoring.........................................................................................................................................................................159 Speed of Racing Car scoring.......................................................................................................................................................161 Triangles scoring..................................................................................................................................................................................162 Robberies scoring...............................................................................................................................................................................162 Carpenter scoring...............................................................................................................................................................................164 Internet Relay Chat scoring..........................................................................................................................................................164 Exchange Rate scoring....................................................................................................................................................................165 Exports scoring.....................................................................................................................................................................................166 Coloured Candies scoring.............................................................................................................................................................166 Science Tests scoring........................................................................................................................................................................167 Bookshelves scoring..........................................................................................................................................................................167 Litter scoring...........................................................................................................................................................................................167 Earthquake scoring............................................................................................................................................................................168 Choices scoring....................................................................................................................................................................................168 Test Scores scoring.............................................................................................................................................................................168 Skateboard scoring............................................................................................................................................................................169 Staircase scoring..................................................................................................................................................................................169 Number Cubes scoring...................................................................................................................................................................170 Support for the President scoring.............................................................................................................................................170 The Best Car scoring.........................................................................................................................................................................170 Step Pattern scoring...........................................................................................................................................................................171 Lichen scoring.......................................................................................................................................................................................171 Coins scoring.........................................................................................................................................................................................173 Pizzas scoring........................................................................................................................................................................................173 Shapes scoring......................................................................................................................................................................................174 Braking scoring...................................................................................................................................................................................175 Patio scoring...........................................................................................................................................................................................176 Drug Concentrations scoring......................................................................................................................................................177 Building Blocks scoring..................................................................................................................................................................178 Reaction Time scoring.....................................................................................................................................................................179 Water Tank scoring............................................................................................................................................................................179 Spring Fair scoring..............................................................................................................................................................................179 Swing scoring........................................................................................................................................................................................180 Student Heights scoring..................................................................................................................................................................180 Payments by Area scoring..............................................................................................................................................................180 Shoes for Kids scoring......................................................................................................................................................................181 Table Tennis Tournament scoring.............................................................................................................................................181 Lighthouse scoring.............................................................................................................................................................................181 Decreasing CO2 Levels scoring.................................................................................................................................................182 Twisted Building scoring................................................................................................................................................................183 Heartbeat scoring...............................................................................................................................................................................185 Space Flight scoring..........................................................................................................................................................................185 Rock Concert scoring.......................................................................................................................................................................185 Moving Walkways scoring............................................................................................................................................................186 Postal Charges scoring.....................................................................................................................................................................186 7 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 4 Science sample tasks..........................................................................................................................................................187 Science unit 1 : Semmelweis’ Diary.....................................................................................................................................191 Science unit 2 : Ozone...................................................................................................................................................................193 Science unit 3 : Daylight..............................................................................................................................................................195 ScienCe unit 4 : Cloning................................................................................................................................................................197 Science unit 5 : Greenhouse.......................................................................................................................................................199 Science unit 6 : Clothes..................................................................................................................................................................201 ScienCe unit 7 : The Grand Canyon.......................................................................................................................................203 Science unit 8 : Sunscreens.........................................................................................................................................................205 Science Unit 9 : Mary Montagu................................................................................................................................................207 Science unit 10 : Acid Rain.........................................................................................................................................................209 Science unit 11 : Physical Exercise.........................................................................................................................................211 :JPLUJL\UP[!.LUL[PJHSS`4VKPÄLK*YVWZ................................................................................................................212 Science unit 13 : Biodiversity...................................................................................................................................................214 Science unit 14 : Buses...................................................................................................................................................................216 Science unit 15 : Climate Change.........................................................................................................................................217 Science unit 16 : Flies....................................................................................................................................................................218 Science unit 17 : Calf Clones....................................................................................................................................................219 Science unit 18 : Corn...................................................................................................................................................................220 Science Unit 19 : Fit for Drinking............................................................................................................................................222 Science unit 20 : Tooth Decay...................................................................................................................................................224 Science unit 21 : Hot Work.........................................................................................................................................................227 Science unit 22 : Mousepox........................................................................................................................................................228 Science Unit 23 : Stickleback Behaviour............................................................................................................................230 Science unit 24 : Tobacco Smoking.......................................................................................................................................233 Science unit 25 : Starlight.............................................................................................................................................................235 Science unit 26 : Ultrasound......................................................................................................................................................236 Science unit 27 : Lip Gloss..........................................................................................................................................................238 Science unit 28 : Evolution..........................................................................................................................................................240 Science unit 29 : Bread Dough.................................................................................................................................................242 Science unit 30 : Transit of Venus............................................................................................................................................245 Science unit 31 : Health Risk?...................................................................................................................................................247 Science unit 32 : Catalyctic Converter.................................................................................................................................248 Science unit 33 : Major Surgery...............................................................................................................................................250 Science unit 34 : Wind Farms....................................................................................................................................................252 Answers..........................................................................................................................................................................................................254 Semmelweis’ Diary scoring.........................................................................................................................................................254 Ozone scoring......................................................................................................................................................................................256 Daylight scoring...................................................................................................................................................................................259 Cloning scoring....................................................................................................................................................................................262 Greenhouse scoring..........................................................................................................................................................................262 Clothes scoring.....................................................................................................................................................................................266 The Grand Canyon scoring..........................................................................................................................................................266 Sunscreens scoring............................................................................................................................................................................267 Mary Montagu scoring....................................................................................................................................................................268 Acid Rain scoring...............................................................................................................................................................................269 Physical Exercise scoring...............................................................................................................................................................271 GM Crops scoring..............................................................................................................................................................................272 Biodiversity scoring...........................................................................................................................................................................272 8 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  TABLE OF CONTENTS Buses scoring.........................................................................................................................................................................................273 Climate Change scoring.................................................................................................................................................................273 Flies scoring............................................................................................................................................................................................274 Calf Clones scoring............................................................................................................................................................................276 Corn scoring...........................................................................................................................................................................................276 Fit for Drinking scoring...................................................................................................................................................................277 Tooth Decay scoring.........................................................................................................................................................................279 Hot Work scoring................................................................................................................................................................................279 Mousepox scoring..............................................................................................................................................................................280 Stickleback Behaviour scoring...................................................................................................................................................280 Tobacco Smoking scoring.............................................................................................................................................................281 Starlight scoring...................................................................................................................................................................................282 Ultrasound scoring.............................................................................................................................................................................283 Lip Gloss scoring.................................................................................................................................................................................284 Evolution scoring................................................................................................................................................................................284 Bread Dough scoring.......................................................................................................................................................................285 Transit of Venus scoring..................................................................................................................................................................286 Health Risk scoring............................................................................................................................................................................287 Catalyctic Converter scoring.......................................................................................................................................................287 Major Surgery scoring......................................................................................................................................................................289 Wind Farms scoring..........................................................................................................................................................................290 ANNEX A PISA scales.................................................................................................................................................................................293 ANNEX B Country results for PISA 2000, 2003 and 2006 questions.........................................................................295 ANNEX C List of questions with codes and sources..............................................................................................................307 Reading sample tasks................................................................................................................................................................................308 Mathematics sample tasks.....................................................................................................................................................................310 Science sample tasks................................................................................................................................................................................313 ANNEX D Guide to further reading...................................................................................................................................................317 9 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  CHAPTER 1 Introduction to the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 11 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  INTRODUCTION TO THE PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT (PISA) THE AIMS OF PISA PISA aims to measure how far students approaching the end of compulsory education have acquired some of the knowledge and skills essential for full participation in the knowledge society. PISA surveys are carried out every three years in a large number of countries, that together make up close to 90% of the world economy. The first PISA survey was carried out in 2000 in 43 countries, the second in 2003 in 41 countries and the most recent survey was carried out in 2006 in 57 countries. The next assessments will take place in 1 2009, 2012 and 2015. The primary objective is monitoring the outcomes of education systems in terms of student achievement to provide empirically grounded information which will inform policy decisions. PISA is steered by representatives from participating countries through the PISA Governing Board. The Directorate for Education at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) manages PISA and draws on the knowledge of a rich network of international experts. Figure 1.1 A map of PISA countries and economies OECD countries Partner countries & economies Australia Hungary Norway Albania Hong Kong-China Peru Austria Iceland Poland Argentina Indonesia Qatar Belgium Ireland Portugal Azerbaijan Israel Republic of Montenegro Canada Italy Slovak Republic Brazil Jordan Republic of Serbia Czech Republic Japan Spain Bulgaria Kyrgyz Republic Romania Denmark Korea Sweden Chile Latvia Russian Federation Finland Luxembourg Switzerland China (Shanghai) Liechtenstein Singapore France Mexico Turkey Chinese Taipei Lithuania Slovenia Germany Netherlands United Kingdom Columbia Macao-China Thailand Greece New Zealand United States Croatia Former Yugoslav Rep. Tunisia Estonia of Macedonia Uruguay Panama 12 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  INTRODUCTION TO THE PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT (PISA) THE PISA SURVEYS PISA tests 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics and science as well as measuring a wider range of factors including students’ interest, attitudes and motivation. The assessment focuses on young people‘s ability to use their knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges, rather than merely on the extent to which they have mastered a specific school curriculum. This approach is called ‘literacy’. The definitions of literacy in reading, mathematics and science are explained in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 respectively. In order to test students’ literacy in reading, mathematics and science, experts in different countries design assessment frameworks and questions that represent these frameworks. These questions are then carefully piloted in all 1 countries before a final test is constructed that is appropriate and valid across the participating countries. Once the final booklets with test questions are created, they are given to students at a number of randomly selected schools in each country. Tests are typically administered to between 4,500 and 40,000 students in each country. The questions in the booklet are grouped into units. A unit consists of stimulus material such as texts, tables and/or graphs, followed by questions on various aspects of the text, table or graph. The questions use different formats: some are multiple choice, some require a short answer and some a longer constructed response. Students have two hours to answers these questions. In addition students are given a separate questionnaire containing questions about their families and different aspects of their learning, including their attitudes, aspirations and learning strategies. THE PISA RESULTS Scorers look at the PISA tests and use a detailed scoring guide to give no credit, partial credit or full credit for each answer. The results obtained in this way are analysed to provide many interesting insights. In addition to the performance of students in different countries, results are also analysed with regard to other factors such as gender, socio-economic background and differences between schools. In this way, PISA has produced an unprecedented comparative knowledge base of school systems and their outcomes, and allows these outcomes to be monitored over time. One of the key features of PISA is its policy orientation, with design and reporting methods determined by the need of governments to draw policy lessons. It is not possible to link the different information collected from students and school principals as the direct causes of PISA results, but it is possible to compare the degree of association of various factors in different countries with educational outcomes. These policy lessons are published by the OECD in numerous reports which can be found on www.pisa.oecd.org. A list of OECD PISA publications can be found in Annex D. Many participating countries also produce national reports and in some cases regional reports. THE PISA QUESTIONS This book presents all the publicly available questions used in the PISA surveys, as well as questions used in developing and trying out the surveys. Other questions have to remain confidential because they will be used in future PISA surveys to ensure comparability of the results over time. The next three chapters present the questions for the reading, mathematics and science tests respectively and Annex B provides country results for the different questions. Each chapter presents an overview of what exactly the questions assess. The second section of each chapter presents questions which were used in the PISA surveys, that is, the actual PISA tests for which results were published. The third section presents questions used in developing and trying out the surveys. These questions were not used in the actual surveys, but they are nevertheless illustrative of the kind of question PISA uses. The final section shows all the answers along with brief comments on each question. For the questions used in PISA surveys, the answer section includes a comment box showing the percentage of students who answered correctly across OECD countries, the difficulty of the question expressed in score points and which competency is being assessed. For other questions, the data 13 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  INTRODUCTION TO THE PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT (PISA) on the percentage of students who answered correctly across OECD countries and the score points are not available or not considered reliable enough to be presented here. Therefore, the comment box states only which competency is being assessed. 1 14 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  CHAPTER 2 Reading sample tasks 15 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS The assessment of reading in PISA is not aimed at testing whether or not 15-year-old students can read in a technical sense, since comparatively few young adults in modern societies have no skills in reading. The PISA definition of reading literacy goes beyond the notion of decoding information and literal comprehension towards more applied tasks. Reading literacy in PISA is defined as: Understanding, using and reflecting on written texts, in order to achieve one’s goals, to develop one’s knowledge and potential, and to participate in society. In the first PISA study in 2000, reading was the focus of the test and the majority of testing time was devoted 2 to reading tasks. In the surveys in 2003 and 2006 reading was still assessed, but less comprehensively. Therefore the most detailed analysis was done in 2000. Reading will once again be the focus of the test in PISA 2009. Students performance in reading is assessed in relation to different text formats, reading processes and situations. The primary distinction in text formats is between continuous texts and non-continuous texts. The former refers to prose organised in sentences and paragraphs and includes descriptions, narrations and argumentations amongst others. Non-continuous texts include lists, maps, graphs and diagrams. PISA assesses three types of reading processes. Students are expected to demonstrate their proficiency in (a) retrieving information, (b) interpreting texts and forming a broad general understanding of the text and (c) reflecting and evaluating its contents, form and features. The third element of assessment is the context or situation of the text. Four situations are distinguished: personal use, public use, occupational use and educational use. For example, a novel, personal letter or biography is written for people’s personal use; official documents or announcements for public use; a manual or report for occupational use; and a textbook or worksheet for educational use. Each question used in a PISA survey falls into one category of each of the three aspects. Question 3.1 from the unit Graffiti, for example, assesses the process of interpreting texts, using a continuous text and a public situation. As the last two categorisations are generally fairly obvious, they will not be explicitly mentioned for the questions presented here. To report the results, PISA uses a scale. In 2000 a reading scale with an average of 500 was used. On this scale, two-thirds of students scored between 400 and 600. The higher the score the better the students’ reading skills are. In PISA 2000, when reading was the focus of the test allowing more time for assessment and more detailed results, separate scales were used for the three types of readings tasks and for the two types of text format. These scales showed the student’s reading performance specifically in retrieving information, interpreting texts, reflection and evaluation as well as for continuous texts and non-continuous texts. More information on PISA proficiency scales can be found in Annex A. This chapter presents 17 units. The first 11 units were used in PISA 2000, 2003 or 2006 surveys and internationally comparable results are published for these. Units 12 to 17 were used in developing and testing out the surveys. While it was decided not to include these units in the PISA surveys, they are nevertheless illustrative of the kinds of questions asked in PISA. The questions presented in this chapter are all publicly released PISA reading questions. Following the section with questions, answers for all questions are given. For units 1 to 11, a comment box includes score points, the percentage of students who answered correctly across OECD countries and the question category. For country results, refer to Annex B. For units 12 to 17, a comment box lists the question category. Because these units were not used in the PISA surveys the information regarding score points and percentage of students who answered correctly is not known or is not sufficiently reliable to be presented here. 16 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS READING UNIT 1: LAKE CHAD depth Figure 1 Changing levels of Lake Chad, in Saharan North Africa in metres Figure 1 shows changing levels of Lake 60 C. 4000 BC Chad, in Saharan North Africa. Lake 50 Chad disappeared completely in about Present day 40 20,000 BC, during the last Ice Age. In 30 about 11,000 BC it reappeared. Today, 2 20 its level is about the same as it was in 10 AD 1000. 10000 BC 8000 BC 6000 BC 4000 BC 2000 BC 0 AD 1000 Figure 2 Saharan rock art and changing patterns of wildlife buffalo Figure 2 shows Saharan rock art rhinoceros hippopotamus (ancient drawings or paintings found aurochs elephant giraffe on the walls of caves) and changing ostrich gazelle patterns of wildlife cattle dog horse camel Source: Past Worlds: The Times Atlas of Archaeology, 8000 BC 7000 BC 6000 BC 5000 BC 4000 BC 3000 BC 2000 BC 1000 BC 0 AD 1000 Times Books Limited 1988 Use the above information about Lake Chad to answer the questions below. QUESTION 1.1 What is the depth of Lake Chad today? A. About two metres. B. About fifteen metres. C. About fifty metres. D. It has disappeared completely. E. The information is not provided. QUESTION 1.2 In about which year does the graph in Figure 1 start? QUESTION 1.3 Why has the author chosen to start the graph at this point? 17 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS QUESTION 1.4 Figure 2 is based on the assumption that A. the animals in the rock art were present in the area at the time they were drawn. B. the artists who drew the animals were highly skilled. C. the artists who drew the animals were able to travel widely. D. there was no attempt to domesticate the animals which were depicted in the rock art. 2 QUESTION 1.5 For this question you need to draw together information from Figure 1 and Figure 2. The disappearance of the rhinoceros, hippopotamus and aurochs from Saharan rock art happened A. at the beginning of the most recent Ice Age. B. in the middle of the period when Lake Chad was at its highest level. C. after the level of Lake Chad had been falling for over a thousand years. D. at the beginning of an uninterrupted dry period. 18 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS READING UNIT 2 : FLU ACOL VOLUNTARY FLU IMMUNISATION PROGRAM As you are no doubt aware the flu can strike rapidly and extensively during winter. It can leave its victims ill for weeks. The best way to fight the virus is to have a fit and healthy body. Daily exercise and a diet including plenty of fruit and vegetables are highly recommended to assist the immune system to fight this invading virus. 2 ACOL has decided to offer staff the opportunity to be immunised against the flu as an additional way to prevent this insidious virus from spreading amongst us. ACOL has arranged for a nurse to administer the immunisations at ACOL, during a half-day session in work hours in the week of May 17. This program is free and available to all members of staff. Participation is voluntary. Staff taking up the option will be asked to sign a consent form indicating that they do not have any allergies, and that they understand they may experience minor side effects. Medical advice indicates that the immunisation does not produce influenza. However, it may cause some side effects such as fatigue, mild fever and tenderness of the arm. Who should be immunised? Anyone interested in being protected against the virus. This immunisation is especially recommended for people over the age of 65. But regardless of age, ANYONE who has a chronic debilitating disease, especially cardiac, pulmonary, bronchial or diabetic conditions. In an office environment ALL staff are at risk of catching the flu. Who should not be immunised? Individuals hypersensitive to eggs, people suffering from an acute feverish illness and pregnant women. Check with your doctor if you are taking any medication or have had a previous reaction to a flu injection. If you would like to be immunised in the week of May 17 please advise the personnel officer, Fiona McSweeney, by Friday May 7. The date and time will be set according to the availability of the nurse, the number of participants and the time convenient for most staff. If you would like to be immunised for this winter but cannot attend at the arranged time please let Fiona know. An alternative session may be arranged if there are sufficient numbers. For further information please contact Fiona on ext. 5577. o y E Health Good nj 19 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS Fiona McSweeney, the personnel officer at a company called ACOL, prepared the information sheet on the previous page for ACOL staff. Refer to the information sheet to answer the questions which follow. QUESTION 2.1 Which one of the following describes a feature of the ACOL flu immunisation program? A. Daily exercise classes will be run during the winter. B. Immunisations will be given during working hours. 2 C. A small bonus will be offered to participants. D. A doctor will give the injections. QUESTION 2.2 We can talk about the content of a piece of writing (what it says). We can talk about its style (the way it is presented). Fiona wanted the style of this information sheet to be friendly and encouraging. Do you think she succeeded? Explain your answer by referring in detail to the layout, style of writing, pictures or other graphics. QUESTION 2.3 This information sheet suggests that if you want to protect yourself against the flu virus, a flu injection is A. more effective than exercise and a healthy diet, but more risky. B. a good idea, but not a substitute for exercise and a healthy diet. C. as effective as exercise and a healthy diet, and less troublesome. D. not worth considering if you have plenty of exercise and a healthy diet. QUESTION 2.4 Part of the information sheet says: Who should be immunised? Anyone interested in being protected against the virus. After Fiona had circulated the information sheet, a colleague told her that she should have left out the words “Anyone interested in being protected against the virus” because they were misleading. Do you agree that these words are misleading and should have been left out? Explain your answer. 20 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS QUESTION 2.5 According to the information sheet, which one of these staff members should contact Fiona? A. Steve from the store, who does not want to be immunised because he would rather rely on his natural immunity. B. Julie from sales, who wants to know if the immunisation program is compulsory. C. Alice from the mailroom who would like to be immunised this winter but is having a baby in two months. D. Michael from accounts who would like to be immunised but will be on leave in the week of May 17. 2 21 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS READING UNIT 3 : GRAFFITI I’m simmering with anger as the school wall is There is no accounting for taste. Society is full cleaned and repainted for the fourth time to get of communication and advertising. Company rid of graffiti. Creativity is admirable but people logos, shop names. Large intrusive posters on should find ways to express themselves that do the streets. Are they acceptable? Yes, mostly. Is not inflict extra costs upon society. graffiti acceptable? Some people say yes, some no. 2 Why do you spoil the reputation of young people by painting graffiti where it’s forbidden? Professional artists do not hang their paintings in the streets, do they? Instead they seek funding Who pays the price for graffiti? Who is ultimately paying the price for advertisements? Correct. The consumer. and gain fame through legal exhibitions. Have the people who put up billboards asked In my opinion buildings, fences and park your permission? No. Should graffiti painters benches are works of art in themselves. It’s do so then? Isn’t it all just a question of really pathetic to spoil this architecture with communication – your own name, the names graffiti and what’s more, the method destroys of gangs and large works of art in the street? the ozone layer. Really, I can’t understand why Think about the striped and chequered clothes these criminal artists bother as their “artistic that appeared in the stores a few years ago. And works” are just removed from sight over and ski wear. The patterns and colours were stolen over again. Helga directly from the flowery concrete walls. It’s quite amusing that these patterns and colours are accepted and admired but that graffiti in the same style is considered dreadful. Times are hard for art. Sophia Source: Mari Hankala. The two letters above come from the Internet and are about graffiti. Graffiti is illegal painting and writing on walls and elsewhere. Refer to the letters to answer the questions below. QUESTION 3.1 The purpose of each of these letters is to A. explain what graffiti is. B. present an opinion about graffiti. C. demonstrate the popularity of graffiti. D. tell people how much is spent removing graffiti. QUESTION 3.2 Why does Sophia refer to advertising? 22 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS QUESTION 3.3 Which of the two letter writers do you agree with? Explain your answer by using your own words to refer to what is said in one or both of the letters. QUESTION 3.4 We can talk about what a letter says (its content). 2 We can talk about the way a letter is written (its style). Regardless of which letter you agree with, in your opinion, which do you think is the better letter? Explain your answer by referring to the way one or both letters are written. 23 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS READING UNIT 4 : LABOUR The tree diagram below shows the structure of a country’s labour force or “working-age population”. The total population of the country in 1995 was about 3.4 million. The Labour Force Structure year ended 31 March 1995 (000s)1 2 In labour force Working-age population2 2656.5 Not in labour force3 1706.5 64.2% 949.9 35.8% Employed Unemployed 1578.4 92.5% 128.1 7.5% Full-time Part-time 1237.1 78.4% 341.3 21.6% Seeking full-time work Seeking part-time work 101.6 79.3% 26.5 20.7% Seeking full-time work Not seeking full-time work 23.2 6.8% 318.1 93.2% 1. Numbers of people are given in thousands (000s). 2. The working-age population is defined as people between the ages of 15 and 65. 3. People “Not in labour force” are those not actively seeking work and/or not available for work. Source: D. Miller, Form 6 Economics, ESA Publications, Box 9453, Newmarket, Auckland, New Zealand, p. 64. Use the information about a country’s labour force shown above to answer the questions below. QUESTION 4.1 What are the two main groups into which the working-age population is divided? A. Employed and unemployed. B. Of working age and not of working age. C. Full-time workers and part-time workers. D. In the labour force and not in the labour force. QUESTION 4.2 How many people of working age were not in the labour force? (Write the number of people, not the percentage.) 24 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS QUESTION 4.3 In which part of the tree diagram, if any, would each of the people listed in the table below be included? Show your answer by placing a cross in the correct box in the table. The first one has been done for you. “In labour Not “In labour force: “Not in included force: unem- labour in any A part-time waiter, aged 35 employed” ployed” force” categoryy 2 A business woman, aged 43, who works a sixty- hour week A full-time student, aged 21 A man, aged 28, who recently sold his shop and is looking for work A woman, aged 55, who has never worked or wanted to work outside the home A grandmother, aged 80, who still works a few hours a day at the family’s market stall QUESTION 4.4 Suppose that information about the labour force was presented in a tree diagram like this every year. Listed below are four features of the tree diagram. Show whether or not you would expect these features to change from year to year, by circling either “Change” or “No change”. The first one has been done for you. Features of Tree Diagram Answer The labels in each box (e.g. “In labour force”) Change / No change The percentages (e.g. “64.2%”) Change / No change The numbers (e.g. “2656.5”) Change / No change The footnotes under the tree diagram Change / No change QUESTION 4.5 The information about the labour force structure is presented as a tree diagram, but it could have been presented in a number of other ways, such as a written description, a pie chart, a graph or a table. The tree diagram was probably chosen because it is especially useful for showing A. changes over time. B. the size of the country’s total population. C. categories within each group. D. the size of each group. 25 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS READING UNIT 5 : PLAN INTERNATIONAL PLAN International Program Results Financial Year 1996 Region of Eastern and Southern Africa RESA ZIMBABWE TANZANIA ETHIOPIA UGANDA MALAWI ZAMBIA TOTALS SUDAN KENYA EGYPT 2 Growing up Healthy Health posts built with 4 rooms or less Health workers trained for 1 day 1 1 053 0 0 6 719 0 0 7 425 1 1 003 2 20 0 80 1085 9 26 4 385 Children given nutrition supplements > 1 week 10 195 0 2 240 2 400 0 0 0 0 251 402 266 237 Children given financial help with health/dental treatment 984 0 396 0 305 0 581 0 17 2 283 Learning Teachers trained for 1 week 0 0 367 0 970 115 565 0 303 2 320 School exercise books bought/donated 667 0 0 41 200 0 69 106 0 150 0 111 123 School textbooks bought/donated 0 0 45 650 9 600 1 182 8 769 7 285 150 58 387 131 023 Uniforms bought/made/donated 8 897 0 5 761 0 2 000 6 040 0 0 434 23 132 Children helped with school fees/a 12 321 0 1 598 0 154 0 0 0 2 014 16 087 scholarship School desks built/bought/donated 3 200 0 3 689 250 1 564 1 725 1 794 0 4 109 16 331 Permanent classrooms built 44 0 50 8 93 31 45 0 82 353 Classrooms repaired 0 0 34 0 0 14 0 0 33 81 Adults receiving training in literacy this 1 160 0 3 000 568 3 617 0 0 0 350 8 695 financial year Habitat Latrines or toilets dug/built 50 0 2 403 0 57 162 23 96 4 311 7 102 Houses connected to a new sewage system 143 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 143 Wells dug/improved (or springs capped) 0 0 15 0 7 13 0 0 159 194 New positive boreholes drilled 0 0 8 93 14 0 27 0 220 362 Gravity feed drinking water systems built 0 0 28 0 1 0 0 0 0 29 Drinking water systems repaired/improved 0 0 392 0 2 0 0 0 31 425 Houses improved with PLAN project 265 0 520 0 0 0 1 0 2 788 New houses built for beneficiaries 225 0 596 0 0 2 6 0 313 1 142 Community halls built or improved 2 0 2 0 3 0 3 0 2 12 Community leaders trained for 1 day or more 2 214 95 3 522 232 200 3 575 814 20 2 693 13 365 Kilometres of roadway improved 1.2 0 26 0 0 0 0 0 53.4 80.6 Bridges built 0 0 4 2 11 0 0 0 1 18 Families benefited directly from erosion control 0 0 1 092 0 1 500 0 0 0 18 405 20 997 Houses newly served by electrification project 448 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 44 494 Source: Adapted from PLAN International Program Output Chart financial year 1996, appendix to Quarterly Report to the International Board first quarter 1997 26 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS The table on the previous page is part of a report published by PLAN International, an international aid organisation. It gives some information about PLAN’s work in one of its regions of operation (Eastern and Southern Africa). Refer to the table to answer the questions below. QUESTION 5.1 What does the table indicate about the level of PLAN International’s activity in Ethiopia in 1996, compared with other countries in the region? A. The level of activity was comparatively high in Ethiopia. B. The level of activity was comparatively low in Ethiopia. 2 C. It was about the same as in other countries in the region. D. It was comparatively high in the Habitat category, and low in the other categories. QUESTION 5.2 In 1996 Ethiopia was one of the poorest countries in the world. Taking this fact and the information in the table into account, what do you think might explain the level of PLAN International’s activities in Ethiopia compared with its activities in other countries? 27 TAKE THE TEST: SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM OECD’S PISA ASSESSMENTS - ISBN 978-92-64-05080-8 - © OECD 2009  READING SAMPLE TASKS READING UNIT 6 : POLICE A murder has been committed but the suspect denies everything. He claims not to know the victim. He says he never knew him, never went near him, never touched him… The police and the judge are convinced that he is not telling the truth. But how to prove it? Scientific Police Weapons At the crime scene, investigators Imagine that these pearls come identity card (determined from his 2 have gathered every possible shred of evidence imaginable: in four different colours and that thousands of coloured pearls blood) with that of the person with the red hair. If the genetic card fibres from fabrics, hairs, finger (which make up a gene) are strung is the same, they will know that marks, cigarette ends…The few in a very specific order. In each the suspect did in fact go near the hairs found on the victim’s jacket individual this order is exactly the victim he said he’d never met. are red. And they look strangely same in all the cells in the body: like the suspect’s. If it could be those of the hair roots as well as Just one piece of evidence proved that these hairs are indeed those of the big toe, those of the More and more often in cases his, this would be evidence that liver and those of the stomach or of sexual assault, murder, theft he had in fact met the victim. blood. But the order of the pearls or other crimes, the police are varies from one person to another. having genetic analyses done. Every individual is unique