Unit 18. Assessment Types and Tasks

What are assessment types and tasks?
Assessment means judging learners’ performance by

collecting information about it. We assess learners for
different reasons, using different methods to do so.
Assessment tasks are the tasks we use for assessing
learners. We can assess learners formally
or informally.
• Formal assessment is when we assess learners

through tests or exams and give their work a mark
or a grade.
• Informal assessment is when we observe learners

to see how well they are doing something and
then often give them comments on their
performance.
FORMAL ASSESSMENT
• Evaluation, Tests and

Exams
• Assessment Tasks
FORMAL ASSESSMENT
Evaluation, Tests and Exams

SUMMAT IVE ASSESSMENT
• Diagnostic Test
• Placement Test
• Progress Test
• Summative Test / Achievement Test
• Proficiency Test
• Continuous Assessment (Portfolio)
FORMAL ASSESSMENT
Diagnostic Test 1. This type of test is used during a course in order to assess the learning up to a
particular point in the course.
Placement Test
2. This type of test is used to see how well students have learned the language
and skills taught in class. These tests are often at the end of term or end of the
year and test the main points of what has been taught in that time.
Progress Test 3. This type of test is often used at the beginning of a course in a language school
in order to identify a student’s level of language and find the best class for them.
4. This type of test is used to identify problems that students have with language
Achievement Test or skills. The teacher tries to find out what language problems students have. It
helps the teacher to plan what to teach in future.
Proficiency Test
5. This type of test is used to see how good students are at using the language.
The contents of this type of test are not chosen according to what has been
taught, but according to what is needed for a particular purpose.
FORMAL ASSESSMENT
Progress Test
1. This type of test is used during a course in order to assess the learning up to a particular point in the
course.
Achievement Test
2. This type of test is used to see how well students have learned the language and skills taught in class.
These tests are often at the end of term or end of the year and test the main points of what has been
taught in that time.
Placement Test
3. This type of test is often used at the beginning of a course in a language school in order to identify a
student’s level of language and find the best class for them.
FORMAL ASSESSMENT
Diagnostic Test
4. This type of test is used to identify problems that students have with language or skills. The teacher
tries to find out what language problems students have. It helps the teacher to plan what to teach in
future.
Proficiency Test
5. This type of test is used to see how good students are at using the language. The contents of this
type of test are not chosen according to what has been taught, but according to what is needed for a
particular purpose.
FORMAL ASSESSMENT
Assessment Tasks
There are many different tasks a teacher can use to assess her learners, e.g. multiple-choice
questions, interviews, gap-fill (filling in gaps in sentences or texts), table completion for listening,
or reading for specific information. The tasks a teacher chooses to use for formal assessment
depend on what aspect of language or skills the teacher wants to assess.
Assessment tasks are often described as objective and subjective. The difference between
objective and subjective tasks is how much the marker needs to use their own judgement to
mark the right answer. In an objective task the marker does not have to judge whether an
answer is right or wrong, or how right or how wrong the answer is, because there is only one
answer. Multiple-choice, true/false, gap-fills and matching tasks are all examples of objective
tasks.
In a subjective task the marker needs to use their judgment to decide if an answer is right or
how right it is. Examples of subjective tasks are role-plays, essays, interviews, group discussions,
compositions.
FORMAL ASSESSMENT
Assessment
Tasks
INFORMAL ASSESSMENT
Unlike formal assessment, informal assessment does not use assessment tasks and is
rarely used to give the learner a grade, as that is not the purpose of informal
assessment.
It is also generally less reliable or accurate than formal assessment. Informal assessment
can be carried out by the teacher or the learners. When carried out by the teacher it
usually involves the teacher observing the learners or particular learners to find out
more about their level, attitudes or learner characteristics.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• Teacher’s Observations
• Self-assessment.
• Peer assessment.
INFORMAL ASSESSMENT
Self Assessment
When students decide for themselves if they think their progress or language use is good or not.
Peer Assessment
When students give feedback on each others’ language, work, learning strategies, performance.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
When a teacher is assessing informally or using formal subjective tests they
often use assessment criteria to help with the assessment. These are the general
features of a skill which can be used as a basis for judging students’ performance. For
example, speaking involves the subskills of:
•fluency
•using language accurately
•using language appropriately
•interactive strategies
•pronunciation
•vocabulary range
•discourse organisation.

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What are assessment types and tasks?

Assessment means judging learners’ performance by

• Formal assessment is when we assess learners

• Informal assessment is when we observe learners

• Evaluation, Tests and

Evaluation, Tests and Exams

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