Shaping the Way WE Teach English

Practical Tips and Techniques in Testing

Language(ESL) SubSkills
(1)Effects of using Tests and Characteristics of a good test
(2) Exploring alternatives in individual and group testing;
Vocabulary, Grammar and Pronunciation. (3) Pros and
Cons of types of test items (4) Active Guidelines to make
Progress and Achievement Tests for ESL learners

Ali Reza Razavi

April 2014
MA. TESOL- The University of Nottingham (UNMC)
[email protected]
[email protected]
https://nottingham-my.academia.edu/rezarizvi/
Discussion Questions

Activity 1) Think about the following questions and how they relate to your own experiences of
teaching and testing your learners:

a- Which of the 6 following types of language testing are used in the school / academy/
center you teach?

 Placement tests: are given to learners at the beginning of a new course and aim
to determine the range of language learners know and can use.
 Diagnostic tests: are designed to provide information about individual learners’
strengths and weaknesses in specific areas of the language system.
 Progress tests: are given to learners during a course to see how far their
language ability has developed.
 Achievement tests: are given to learners at the end of the course and are based on
what they have studied during the course.
 External proficiency examinations: may be produced by the Ministry of
Education in a particular country, or by an organization which sets language
examinations internationally.
 Portfolio assessment: It provides evidence of student effort and helps students
become more autonomous, self-monitor their own learning and can foster student
reflection.

b- Which of the 4 types of test do you think you might need to develop for your
learners?

Activity 2) Read these comments on how tests affect learning and teaching and compare them
to you and your learners’ experiences.

I. Doing well in tests helps my learners feel good about their English and
motivates them to learn more.
II. When my learners make mistakes in tests, it shows me which things I
need to revise with them in future lessons.
III. My learners hate tests. They get very nervous and the atmosphere in the
class changes.
IV. Lots of my learners only really start to work well when they know they’ve
got to do a test soon.
V. Tests often concentrate too much on accuracy rather than on fluency or
communication skills.
VI. Feedbacks from tests can help learners see what areas they need to focus
on.

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 2

 VII. Learners need to practise the test types that they will be given. If they do
not understand the test format they will not be able to demonstrate what
they know.
VIII. external examinations make us waste time practising silly exam questions.
It would be more useful to be talking or reading than practising exam
techniques.
IX. If tests are too difficult, learners will become demotivated.

Activity 3) How do you judge the effectiveness of any test? Any Criteria against to be measured?
Hint: You may ponder in mind range of language subskills (i.e. Grammar, Vocabulary, etc.)

E.g. Analytical Profile

Criteria Score

 Pronunciation
 Fluency
 Use of vocabulary
 Use of grammar
 Etc.

Tip: One of the things that preoccupies test designers and teachers alike is what has been called
the ‘ washback’ or ‘backwash effect.’

 This refers to the fact that since teachers quite reasonably want their students to pass the
tests and exams they are going to take, their teaching becomes dominated by the test and,
especially, by the items that are in it.
 Where non-exam teachers might use a range of different activities, exam teachers suffering
from the washback effect might stick rigidly to exam-format activities. In such situation, the
format of the exam is determing the format of the lessons.
 So, it’s important to build variety and fun into an exam course as it is to drive students
towards the goal of passing their exam( Burgess and Head, 2005)

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 3

Active Guidelines to make Progress and Achievement Tests for
ESL learners
a. Test what you have taught: what you have previuosly taught and can expect your
learners to know. New vocabulary or new grammatical structure should not appear for the
first time in a test.

b. Test what is useful (e.g. if your learners have studied asking for things in a shop
using ‘could I have …please?, tell them to ‘ask for an apple in a shop’ rather then tell
them to ‘Write a request using ‘could’.)

c. Tests all four language skills

d. Tell your learners ‘when’ and ‘what’

e. Make sure the instruction are clear

f. Make good use of available study materials (e.g. course materials / Self-
study materials)

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 4

Activity 4) Which of the following types of test have you been practising or used
previously to evaluate English Language Skills / Sub-skills? How effective have they
been in assessing ESL Learners?
 Dictation: testing Listening and Writing skills.

 Gap-filling tests: a text in which individual words are missing.

 Multiple-Choice Questions: testing individual language items: Grammar, Vocabulary,

Listening or Reading comprehension.

 Word order / sentence re-ordering: putting the words into random orders makes
the learners think about sentence construction and relationship between words, phrases
and clauses.

 Sentence completion: complete sentences with an appropriate word or phrase.

Learners can be given a choice of answers or a prompt.

 Sentence transformation and Paraphrase:

- the learner has to complete a second sentence so hat it means the same as a sentence n
e.g. The man bit the dog.
The dog------------------ the man.
Doctor:’ You need to go to the hospital.’
The Doctor said that -------------------.

- Paraphrase : A common test item asks learners to re-write sentences in a slightly

different form, retaining the exact meaning of the original.

e.g. I’m sorry that I didn’t get her an anniversary present.

I wish ------------------------------------------------------------- .

 C-tests: the second half of every word is missing. Learners have to complete the words.

- e.g. C-test give learners more clues about the words they have to write. It i-----
therefore poss--------- to mi---------- out a wi--------------- variety o---------- different kin---
---- of wor-------.

Tip: choosing which kind of tests to use depends on the learners’ age, language
ability and skills being taught.

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 5

The purpose of vocabulary tests is to measure the comprehension and production of words
used in speaking and writing. A good vocabulary test type is Multiple-Choice Completion because
it makes an EFL learners depend on context clues and sentence meaning.

Activity 5) Each of the following MCQs has a key point to discuss and you are supposed to work
in pairs to check whether followings are poorly written or no correction needed . Justify your
reason!

1. She quickly --------------- her lunch.

a. drank √ b. ate c. drove d. slept

2. “I want to paint, too.”

“All right. Use that -------------over there.”
√a. brush b. pencil c. broom d. spoon

3. Some people ------------------ disapproval by holding their nose between their thumb
and forefinger.
a.interrogate b. philosophize √c. communicate d. investigate

4. Frank is very ------------------; he says, ‘ Break a mirror, and you’ll have bad luck.”
a.ambitious b. optimistic c. courteous √d. superstitious

5. She had to help the ---------------------- old man up the stairs.

√a.weak b. slowly c. try d. wisdom

6. She needs to get up earlier so she’s buying an ---------------------- clock.

a.time √ b. alarm c. watch d. bell

7. They needed lots of training to operate such ---------------- equipment.

a.easy √ b. sophisticated c. blue d. wise

8. She sent the ----------------------- yesterday.

√a.letter b. gift c. friend d. book

9. Example: They drove to work in their new -------------------.

a.house √ b. car c. office d. street

10. Definition.

To ------------------ someone means to save him or her from danger.

a.praise b. injure √ c. rescue d. announce

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 6

 11. Phrase completion.
a. Idioms.

The committee ------------------- choosing you as president.

√a.wound up b. buttoned down c. wiped out d. sat in

b. Appropriateness to context.

The newspaper says, “ a two-year-old girl ------------------- today when struck by a bus.

a.kicked the bucket b. was eradicated √ c. was killed d. depared

12. Phrasal context (not sentence completion)

------------------- his fingernails.

a.tailored b. reduced c. remodeled √d. manicured

13. Multiple-choice cloze.

After the capture of Troy, Ulysses set out for his ( a.neighborhood b. continent
√c. homeland d. street) many miles away. But so many strange …

14. Multiple-choice paraphrase.

- He was irate when he heard about the new plans.

a.interested b. surprised √c. angry d. sad

- My sister is a pilot. She can ------------------.

a.help sick people b. make clothes √c. fly an airplane d. teach students at school

-He just hit his shin.

√a.leg b. cousin c. fender d. fruit

-He plans to purchase some candy for his mother.

a.make √b. buy c. sell d. steal

-His remorse was great indeed.

a.wealth √ b. sadness c. strength d. power

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 7

 -That boy is very unusual; he’s a genious.
a.can see the future b. has received much money √ c. has unusual mental,
inventive, and creative ability d. has a terrible illness

15. Idioms and other phrases.

The salesman seemed quite down and out.

√a.poor b. disappointed c. lost d. angry

16. Phrasal context.

A considerate little lady.

a. worried b. tired c. happy √d. kind

17. Reading passage context. ( vocabulary questions can be included with reading
comprehension questions.)

Just then we saw him run out of the side door. As he turned the corner, a slip of
paper fluttered to the ground … with that paper, the police were able to trace the
man’s whereabouts.

-In this passage, trace means -------------.

a.copy b. enter √c. locate d. eliminate

18. Related-word identification. ( these questions do not use synonyms; they use
examples and nonexamples of the key-word.)

-He eats lots of vegetables.

a.bananas b. peaches c. oranges √d. carrots

19. Unrelated-word identification.

-He lives in a big house.

a.attic √b. car c. basement d. bedroom

20. Simple completion. ( word-formation items require students to fill in missing parts
of words that appear in sentences. These missing parts are usually prefixes and
suffixes- for example-the –ful in thankful.)
a. My teach --er---- is very helpful.
b. Did she teach --X--- you anything?

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 8

 21. Stem-first procedure. ( an advantages is that many words need spelling changes
when suffixes are added.)

-She has a -----Beautiful---------- new dress. (beauty)

22. Phrasal context. ( grammatical clues are sometimes given to less advanced
students.)

-An ------in---------- convenient delay.

23. Compounds.

- He found the bedroom, but he couldn’t open the door to the clothes --closet---.

24. Inflectional cloze or Cloze tests.

-Every motorist will tell you that radar is used most -un---fairly by the police to
catch drivers who are accidental-ly--- going a little fast--er--- than speed limit.

Tip. Distractor Preparation: there are two ways to choose distractors. Experienced teachers often
create their own. They can do so because they have developed a ‘feel’ for the language that is
appropriate for their learners. But there is a second and equally good way. That is to use students
errors as distractors.

Multiple-Choice Completion
Advantages / Pros Limitations / Cons

a. It helps students see the full I. It’s rather difficult to prepare good
meaning of words by providing sentence contexts that clearly show
natural context. the meaning of the word being
b. It’s a good influence on instruction; tested.
discourages word-list
memorization. II. It’s easy for students to cheat by
c. Scoring is esay and consistent. copying what others have circled.
d. It’s sensitive measure of
achievement.

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 9

The Grammar tests are designed to measure student proficiency in matters ranging from
inflections (bottle_ bottles, bake- baked) to syntax (i.e the relationship of words in a sentence; word
order, use of negative, question forms, and connectives.)

Activity 6) Each of the following MCQs has a key point to consider and you are supposed to
work in pairs to check whether followings are poorly written or no correction needed . Justify your
reason!

25. --------------- the ones who know the answers

√a.They are b. There c. They’re d. Their
26. You can get it from the lady ------------- hesold it to.
a.which b. who √c. whom d. why
27. If I had a new fur coat, ------------------------------.
a. I showed it to everyone √ b. I’d show it to everyone c. I ‘ve shown it to
everyone d. I’ll show it to everyone
28. They just bought ----------------------- furniture.
a. a few b. several √c. some d. with

29. Space Saver ( simply puts distractors inside the stem).

e.g. Tom lives ( a. at √b. on c. in d. ------) Center Street.

30. Dialog context.

e.g. “Did she ask you to go with her?

“No, she asked someone -------------- instead.”

√a.else b. another c. other d. -----------

31. Error identification. ( It does not require students to complete a sentence, instead,
they have to find the part containing error.)

e.g. One of the girls lost her wallet and doesn’t have some money for the game.

A B √C D

32. Option form ( MCQS with only two options that can be easily adapted from
exercises in your textbook).

e.g. Directions : Complete the following sentences with “do” or “ make.”

1. He ------made------------ a lot of money last year.

2. I always -----do----------- my best.

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 10

 33. The inflection form. ( these vary from simple comparatives to verb tense
questions.)

e.g. He is the ----tallest-----------------(tall) person in the class.

e.g. They ---were-------------(be) in Colorado last week.
e.g. “What Tom doing now?” Oh, he -----is singing-----------( sing).”

34. The Free-Response Form. ( It illustrates how that common terminology can
occasionally be used.)

e.g. Directions: Write in the missing part of the two-word verb.

Example: “What time did he get ---up-------- this morning?”

e.g. Directions: Write in a two-word verb that has the same meaning as the key
word.
Example: “ Jack ---got up-------------(arose) later than usual.”

35. Cloze procedure. ( One way is simply to delete prepositions, or you could delete
some other grammar items that has been studied, or take out function words ;
pronoun, articles, determiners, auxiliary verbs, prepositions, and conjuctions.

e.g. “ We lost two super stars in 1997. Neither man’s admirers have ------------- able
to understand the -------------- of the other one. -------------- this tells us something --------
the difference between the -------------------- that the two singers ------------------.”

e.g. Every day thousands of people jog. Why has jogging-running slowly for long
distances- become so poular? Donal Robbins, who is forty-two years old ---------(1)
works in an office, began jogging------------(2) few years ago because he felt ------------(3)
was too fat. At first he ---------------(4) only run about 100 yards, and ------------(5) took
him almost three months to --------------(6) able to run a full mile. --------------(7) two
years later, he ran in ----------------(8) eastern marathon race-over twenty-six miles.

Tip. Pros and Cons of adapting the Cloze to test Grammar

Advantages Limitations
 It is easy to prepare and quite easy to score.  It is not a sensitive measure of short –term
 It is a good measure of integrative English gains.
skills.  It is difficult for teachers who are non-native
 Standard cloze is good measure of overall English speakers to choose acceptable
ability in English. equivalent words.

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 11

The Pronunciation Test presents a variety of ways to evaluate learners production and
identification of sounds, stress pattern, and intonation of English.

Activity 7) Each of the following Technique has a key point to consider and you are supposed to
work in pairs to check whether followings are poorly written or no correction needed . Justify your
reason!

36. Hearing Identification. ( the ability to hear and identify various sounds; auditory
perception, is a listening skill, but good pronounciation depends on how well we
hear what is spoken.)

e.g. Use of visuals in testing can emphasize the differences in meaning between words
which sound similar.

e.g. Students listen to two short sentences and decide if they are the same or different.
Here, students circle ‘S’ for “Same” and “ D” for “difference”.

Example: “ what a big mouth” / “ What a big mouse”

e.g. ( students hear) “ He bought a new cab.” (students read)

a. animal b. hat √ c. car

e.g. ( students hear) “ I feel sick.” (students read)

a. Did you? √ b. Do you? c. Will you?

e.g. ( students hear) “ Jack just walked into the store.” (students read)

a. It wasn’t Mary. b. He didn’t run. √c. He didn’t walk out of it.

37. Substitution drill ( the Cue word can be spoken or written for your learners).

e.g. Grapes aren’t cheap now. (Figs) /gz/

e.g. He doesn’t have to leave yet. (His brother) /ð/

38. Sentence completion. (This can be cued with pictures.)

e.g. Pencils use lead, but pens use ----------- / ŋ / [ink]
e.g. The Iranians flag is Green , -----------, and red. / hw, w / [white]

39. Sound-symbol. ( the students read the item silently and circle the right answer.)

e.g. Which vowel sound is different? A. go √B. Got C. Close D. Smoke

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 12

Harold S. Madsen, 1983, Techniques in Testing, Oxford University Press. Page 13