TYPES OF TEST IN LANGUAGE

Amanaturrohmah (201710560211009)

Fajar Wirawan (201710560211010)

Based on Brown (2003), a test is a method of measuring a persons ability,

knowledge or performance in given domain. Then, language testing is the practice
and study evaluating the proficiency of an individual in using particular language
effectively. Some others explanation about test: first, test is a method. Means it is
an instrument or a set of techniques, procedures or items that requires
performance in taking test. To qualify as a test, it must be explisit and stuctured
such as multiple-choice, writingquickly and oral interview. Second, a test must
measure. There are some part that measured by test such as general ability,
individual ability, knowledge and performance.

As the teachers or researchers, the first that they have to do is designing a test
for the students to determine the purpose of the test. Defining the the purpose will
help the teacher to choose the right kind of test and also help the teacher to focus
on the specific objectives of the test. There are some test types that the teacher or
the researcher use, as follow:

1. Language Aptitude Test

Language aptitude, the part of linguistic and psychological, refers to the

ability to learn a language. Brown (2003) argue that a languege aptitude test
is the designed to measure capacty or general ability to learn a foreign
language and ultimate succes in that undertaking. Language aptitude test are
ostensibly design to apply to the classroom learning of any language.
It is thought to be a combination of several abilities:
 1) Phonological ability, means the ability to detect phonetic differences
(e.g. of stress, intonation, vowel quality) in a new language.
2) Syntactic ability, means the ability to recognize the different grammatical
functions of words in sentences.
3) Spelling clues ability, means spelled somewhat phonetically, then select
from a list the one whose meaning is closest to the disguised word.
A language aptitude test tends to measure a learner aptitude for language
learning, be it second or foreign, i.e. students performance in a language.
Thus, it is used to identify those learners who are most likely to succeed.
Language aptitude tests usually consist of several different test items which
measures such abilities as:
1) Sound-coding ability, means the ability to identify and remember new
sounds in a new language.
2) Grammar-coding ability, means the ability to identify the grammatical
functions of different parts of sentences.
3) Inductive-learning ability, means the ability to work out meanings
without explanation in the new language.
4) Memorization, i.e. the ability to remember and to recall words, patterns,
rules in the new language.
Two well-known standardized language aptitude tests have been used in
the United States, the Modern Language Aptitude Test (Carroll and Sapon,
1958) and the Primsleur Language Aptitude Battery (Primsleur, 1966). Both
of these are English tests and require students to perform such tasks as
learning numbers, listening, detecting spelling clues and grammatical patterns
and memorizing (Brown, 1994).

2. Placement Test

A placement test is originally designed to place learners at an appropriate

level in a programme or course. Brown (2003) argue that the purpose of
placement test is to place a student into a particular level or section of
language curriculum or school. A placement test usually but not always
 includes a sampling of the material to be covered in the various courses in a
curriculum, a students performance on the test sould indicate the point of
material that will be find by the student. Because it could be to difficult or too
easy but properly challenging.
There are some various types or testing procedures such as dictation,
interview or a grammar test can be used for placement purposes. For example
of placement test is The English Placement test (EPT) this designed to assess
the level of reading and writing skills of entering undergraduate students so
that they can be placed in appropriate courses. Those undergraduate students
who do not demonstrate college or university-level skills will be directed to
remedial courses or programmes to help them attain these skills.

3. Proficiency Test

A proficiency test is devised to measure how much a language has been

learned by someone. It is not linked to any particular course of instruction,
but measure the learner’s general level of language mastery. Brown (2003)
argue that a provisiency test is not limited to any one course. The aim of a
proficiency test is to determine whether this language ability corresponds to
specific language requirements (Valette, 1977). Most English language
proficiency tests base their testing items on high frequency-count vocabulary
and general basic grammar. Some proficiency tests have been standardized
for worldwide use, such as the well-known American tests, the TOEFL, and
the English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) which are used to measure the
English language proficiency of foreign students intending further study at
English-speaking institutions, namely the USA.
However, the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or CPE, as
it is generally referred to, is the most advanced remains the only British top-
value and high-prestige standardized language test. It is the most advanced
general English exam provided by the University of Cambridge. The
Certificate is recognized by universities and employees through out the
 world. The English level of those who pass the CPE is supposed to similar to
that of a fairly educated native speaker of English.

4. Progress Test

A progress test is an achievement-like test. It is closely related to a

particular set of teaching materials or a particular course of instruction.
Progress tests are usually administered at the end of a unit, a course, or term.
A progress test may be viewed as similar to an achievement test but much
narrower and much more specific in scope (Richards et al., 1989). They help
examiners in general and language teachers in particular to assess the degree
of success of their programmes and teaching and therefore to identify their
shortcomings and weaknesses respectively. Progress tests can also be
diagnostic to some degree, in the sense that they help identify areas of
difficulties encountered by learners in general.

There some purpose use progress test in english:

1) Support groups and individual to succed with accurate information a

strengths and weekness.

2) Identity neds for additional support or extention work.

3) Evaluate teaching anad learning strategies.

5. Achievement Test
Achievement test is an important tool in school evaluation and has great
significance in measuring instructional progress and progress of the students
in the subject area. Achievement means one’s learning attainments,
accomplishments, proficiencies, etc. It is directly related to the pupil’s growth
and development in educational situations.
The purpose of this test is a understanding testing terminology to
communicate clearly with students and colleagues and evaluate a test’s
validity and reliability. Tests should give an accurate picture of students’
knowledge and skills in the subject area or domain being tested. Accurate
achievement data are very important for planning curriculum and instruction
 and for program evaluation. Test scores that overestimate or underestimate
students’ actual knowledge and skills cannot serve these important purposes.
An achievement test, also referred to as attainment or summative test, are
devised to measure how much of a language someone has learned with
reference to a particular course of study or programme of instruction, e.g.
end-of-year tests designed to show mastery of a language. An achievement
test might be a listening comprehension test based on a particular set of
situational dialogues in a textbook. The test has a two-fold objective:
1) To help the teachers judge the success of their teaching.
2) To identify the weaknesses of their learners.

In more practical and pedagogical terms, Brown (1994, p. 259) defines

an achievement test as „tests that are limited to particular material covered in
a curriculum within a particular time frame‟. In other words, they are
designed primarily to measure individual progress rather than as a means of
motivating or reinforcing language. Ideally, achievement tests are rarely
constructed by classroom teacher for a particular class.

6. Cloze test

A Cloze test is a way to measure how difficult a text is to read. Unlike

the readability formulas included on this website which measure reading
difficulty using only the text itself, a Cloze test requires that someone actually
reads the text. A Cloze test is performed by removing words from a text and
replacing them with blank spaces. A reader who is not familiar with the text
then tries to fill in the missing words. For example, here is a text with the
words removed:
A language teacher may give the following passage to students:

"yesterday, I went to the ________ and bought some bread and peanut butter.
I knew it was going to rain, but I forgot to take my ________, and got wet on
the way."
 The teacher instructs the students to fill in the blanks with words that
they think best fits the passage. Both context in language and content terms
are essential in most cloze tests. The first blank is preceded by "the";
therefore, a noun, an adjective or an adverb must follow. However, a
conjunction follows the blank; the sentence would not be grammatically
correct if anything other than a noun were in the blank. The words "bread and
peanut butter" are important for deciding which noun to put in the blank;
"supermarket" is a possible answer; depending on the student, however, the
first blank could either be store, supermarket, shop or market, while umbrella
or raincoat fit the second.
The cloze test can also be used to judge the difficulty of reading
materials. If the cloze procedure is being used for language testing, the test-
taker is given a score according to how well the words guessed match the
original words, or whether or not they make sense. Two types of scoring
procedure are used:
1) The reader must guess the exact word which was used in the original (as
in the example) above. This is called exact word method.
2) he reader can guess any word that is appropriate or acceptable in the
context. This is called the acceptable word method.

7. Diagnostic test

Diagnostic test is a form of pre-assessment that allows a teacher to

determine students' individual strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills
prior to instruction. It is primarily used to diagnose student difficulties and to
guide lesson and curriculum planning.
As its name denotes, a diagnostic test is primarily designed to diagnose
some particular linguistic aspects. Diagnostic tests in pronunciation, for
example, might have the purpose of determining which particular
phonological features of the English language are more likely to pose
problems and difficulties for a group of learners. One of the well-known
diagnostic tests in English is Prator‟s (1972) Diagnostic Passage. It consists
 of a short written passage that the learner reads orally; the teacher then
examines a tape recording of that reading against a very detailed checklist of
pronunciation errors. Basically, diagnostic language tests have a three- fold
objective:
1) To provide learners with a way to start learning with their own personal
learning programme or what would be called in the literature of testing
learning paths.
2) To provide learners with a way to test their knowledge of a language.
3) To provide learners with better information about their strengths and
weaknesses.

Ideally, diagnostic tests are designed to assess students‟ linguistic

knowledge (knowledge of and about the language) and language skills
(listening, speaking, reading and writing) before a course is begun. However,
the term formative is sometimes used to designate a diagnostic test. One of
the main advantages of a diagnostic test is that it offers useful pedagogical
solutions for mixed-ability classes. In this very specific context, Broughton et
al. (1980) contend that: There will certainly be a large block in the middle of
the ability range who can be separated off as a group for some parts of the
lesson, or for some lessons, and will form a more homogenous teaching
group. If this strategy is adopted, the poor ones and the better ones must
receive their due time and attention. (Broughton et al. 1980, p. 189)

8. Discrete-Point Test
The discrete-point test, also called discrete-item test, is a language test
which measures knowledge of individual language items, such as a grammar
test which has different sections on tenses, adverbs and prepositions.
Discrete-point tests are based on the theory that language consists of different
parts such as speech sounds, grammar and vocabulary, and different skills
such as listening, speaking, reading and writing.
What all of these example items have in common is that they usually
isolate an aspect of the language from the broader context. For example, a
simple spelling test is highly focused on the orthographic characteristics of
the language. True/false can be used to assess knowledge of various grammar
rules etc.
The primary criticism of discrete-point testing was its discreteness. Many
believe that language is wholistic and that in the real world students will
never have to deal with language in such an isolated way. This led to the
development of integrative language testing methods.