Telegram : Miseu

2021 th
4 Stage
A Language Teacher's Guide To

Assessment
By : Nejat Ahmed Hussein
Prepared By : Ammar Yousif

University of Thi-Qar
College of Education for Human Sciences
 Chapter five | Techniques for testing usage & use

1. Multiple choice completion items

This test format has been favoured by many examiners for years but it is not considered valid
nowadays since it isolates grammatical items from any real context.
Example: Write the number of item and the letter of the word which best completes each
sentence. .‫ األجوبة ع أمثلة التمارين في جميع الجابترات للتوضيح فقط‬: ‫مالحظة مهمة‬
1.…….. are you going? to school. A. When B. Where C. What D. How

2. Supplying-type items

Example: Complete the following sentences by supplying the correct form of the verb
between brackets.
1. I haven't seen him since he (leave) school. (left).

3. Completion (word formation or inflection).

Example: From the word in capital form a word that fits suitably in the blank space.
1. Thousands of people have been made ……... by the war. (HOME) ➔ homeless
4. Completion

This format is more of a semantic test than a structural one. It tests the student's active control of
sentence structure.

Example: Complete the following sentences with suitable words.

1. If I had a camera, ………. of this beautiful sight. ➔ I would take a photograph.

5. Transformation

Is preferable to multiple choice items because it tests a wide range of structures with no need for
supplying alternatives.

Example 1: Finish each of the following in such a way that it means exactly the same as the
sentence before it.
1. Where is the post office? John asked. John asked ………… ➔ where the post office was.
Example 2: Write a new sentence similar in meaning to the original sentence.
1. She couldn't type very fast. (Use: able)
5. Rearrangement

Example: Complete each sentence by putting the words in the right order.

1. went, yesterday, film, John, see, to, and, a, evening ➔ John and I went to see a film yesterday
evening.

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6. Error recognition

Sometimes students are given incorrect sentences then they are required to recognize the source
of error by selecting the part that contains the error to construct this type of test the teacher can
take advantage of the type of errors students made in their writing compositions and in their
speaking.

This type of test is closely related to those skills required when students check , proof-read an
answer, article or composition they have just written.

Example: Each sentence contains three words or phrases underlined and marked A, B and C.
Write the letter of the incorrect word or phrase.

1. Susan likes tennis so I do.

A B C

7. Modified cloze test

Individual grammatical items are tested in a connected text. Gaps are left to the testee to complete
by using on word only.

Example: Fill in each blank with one suitable word.

‫ثم تكتب أي قطعة قصيرة وتترك فيها فراغات بدون أعطاء أختيارات أو أسقاطات ألن هو يكلك بالسؤال أملئ الفراغات‬
.‫بالكلمات المناسبة‬
Note …. The cloze test is he use of pictures or non-language signs.
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Chapter six | Techniques for testing vocabulary items

1. Multiple choice items

a. Multiple-choice completion .‫موجود شرحه بالفصل الخامس نفس منطوق السؤال وتكتب أمثلة‬

b. Multiple-choice synonyms

Example: Write the number of item and the Letter of the option that is closest in meaning
to the underlined word (or words) in each sentence.

1. A man was murdered last night. A.killed B.called C.moved D.stopped

c. Multiple-choice antonyms
Example: Write the number of the sentence and the letter of the word that gives the
(opposite meaning) to the underlined word.

1. She lives in a modern house A.old B.beautiful C.new D.nice

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2. Matching items

This technique is used tor testing synonyms , antonyms, definitions, collocations and the like.

Example: Write the number in column A and the letter in column B which matches it.

a , ‫ كلمات مطابقة ألهن بس تكتبهن ع شكل حروف‬b ‫ والثاني‬1,2,3 …. ‫ كلمات وترقمهن‬a ‫تكتب جدول بيه عمودين األول‬
.‫ يعني المزاوجة ألي أخذناها بالسادس األبتدائي‬b ….

3.Word sets

This format is used for measuring student's Familiarity with a range of associations.
Example: Put the following words in the correct columns.

‫تكتب جدول بيه مجموعة من األعمدة وتكتب بيه كلمات رئيسية وتخلي كلمات مرتبطة بيها فوق مثال تكتب مالبس بالجدول‬
‫) أو أطعمة والكلمات المرتبطة بيها فوق مثال‬.. ‫ بنطلون وهكذا‬, ‫ قميص‬, ‫وتخلي فوق الكلمات المرتبطة بيها مثال (ربطة العنق‬
.‫) وهنا الطالب من يريد يحل يخلي كل كلمة مرتبطة وي الكلمات الرئيسية الموجودة بالجدول‬... ‫ بيتزا وهكذا‬, ‫ خبز‬, ‫(جبن‬

4. Completion items (gap filling)

The lack of context of the former type is felt to be a drawback as a large part of lexical meaning
comes from the context.

Gap - filling format for testing vocabulary is generally preferable particularly when based on
connected text rather than single sentences in word sets.
.‫ الجواب باللون األحمر أعاله‬/ ‫ شنو الفرق بين مجاميع الكلمات وملئ الفراغات أو ليش يفضل عليه ؟‬/ ‫س‬
Example: Write the number of the blank spaces and the words you choose from below to fill
in the gaps in the following passage.

‫تكتب أي قطعة قصيرة وتخلي بيها فراغات مرقمة وتخلي فوق الكلمات المناسبة الي راح يخليهن الطالب بالفراغ يعني‬
.‫أسقاطات‬

Q1) Why vocabulary is important? What are the main reasons?

First, they represent one of the principle components of language.

Second, the testing of individual vocabulary items enables the tester to include a large number of
items in the limited time available for any test.

Third, the testing of individual items allows for greater objectivity in marking which provides a
balance for the more subjective assessment involved in marking pieces of connected writing.

Q2) What are the Kinds of vocabulary?

a. Active vocabulary: Is tested as part of integrated skills in the connected writing or speaking
questions whereas.
b. Passive Vocabulary: Is tested in the comprehension questions The vocabulary items are usually
drawn directly from the textbook used in class.
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 Chapter seven | Techniques for assessing reading comprehension

1. Multiple - choice items

Example: Read the following passage then write the number of the item and the letter of
the correct answer.

‫ والطالب‬a,b,c ‫تكتب قطعة قصيرة ثم أسئلة عليها وكل سؤال تخلي بيها ثالث أو أربع أختيارات بيهن الجواب ع شكل أحرف‬
.‫يختار الجواب الصحيح‬

2. True / false items

This format is a widely used test of reading comprehension True / false items can be constructed
and marked easily and quickly, however the main disadvantage is that this type of test encourages
guessing. One solution is to include a third alternative in addition the true or false ones.

Example: Read the following passage then write "True if the sentence in True and False 'if
it is not true and' not stated if you have no information.

.‫تكتب قطعة قصيرة ثم أسئلة عليها والطالب يختار الجواب أما صح أو خطأ‬
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3. Matching items

Example: Read the passage then match the numbers in the first list with the letters in the
second.

‫ وتخلي بيه كلمات‬second list ‫ والثاني‬1,2,3 …. ‫ تخلي بيه كلمات وترقمهن‬first list ‫ األول‬, ‫تكتب جدول بيه عمودين‬
.‫ يعني المزاوجة وهذا الموضوع أخذناه بالفصل الخامس‬a , b …. ‫مطابقة ألهن بس تكتبهن ع شكل حروف‬

4. Rearrangement of jumbled text

Example: Read the paragraphs quickly and decide which paragraphs go with which text. Then
put them in the right order.

.‫ وتطلب من الطالب أن يفعل كما موجود في السؤال أعاله‬a,b,c …. ‫تكتب مجموعة من الفقرات بالحروف‬

5. Cloze test

.‫شرحه موجود بالفصل الخامس‬

6. Short - answer questions

The students may be asked to produce a short phrase or a sentence. Answers, then, are assessed
for the accuracy and relevance of the information supplied.
Example: Read the passage carefully, then answer the questions.

.‫تكتب قطعة قصيرة ثم أسئلة عليها والطالب يجاوب ع األسئلة بحسب الشرح المذكور في القطعة‬
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7. Completion

.‫شرحه موجود بالفصل الخامس‬

8. Transcoding

For high-level of level of language mastery, students are asked to transcode or label information
taken from a text.

Example: Find words in the previous text to complete the diagrams and label (‫)عنوان القطعة‬

‫تكتب قطعة عن موضوع معين مثال عن الشجرة وترسم الهم رسم بيه تأشيرات وتطلب من الطالب أن يفعلوا كما موجود في‬
.‫السؤال أعاله‬
Q1) What are the cognitive skills that process information?

1. An ability to comprehend the whole despite lack of or incomplete comprehension of some parts.
2. An ability to give close attention and follow step by step detail.
3. An ability to skim and reject the irrelevant.
4. An ability to scan to obtain specifically required information.
5. An ability to use language cues to help in comprehension.
6. An ability to draw correct conclusions.
7. An ability to see the relationship of parts to the whole.
8. An ability to transcode information, i.e. translate it from one medium to another.

The comprehension test aims to sample a competence in these skills.

Q2) What are the requirements for choosing a text?

1. The text has to be kept brief; yet there should be sufficient content to yield live or six
comprehension items.
2. The text should not deal with information that is universally known otherwise, the testees may
be able to answer the questions correctly without referring to the text.
3. Texts that deal with series of events or including two or more people or objects are more
suitable to testing purposes.
4. The text should not be loaded with extremely difficult lexical items or complex syntactical
structures. Such texts have to be adapted to suit the testees level.

Q3) What are the suggestions for items writing?

1. Answering the questions should involve interpretation of the text, not merely word matching
between the words in the items and the text.
2. The questions should be kept grammatically and lexically as simple as possible since we are
concerned with the interpretation of the text, not with questions that are asked about it.

The choice of the format may be determined by the type of the text (whether descriptive,
narrative, sequencing like). And the set of comprehension skills involved in assessing.

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 Chapter eight | Techniques for testing composition

A. Guided composition

1. Parallel passages

The student is given a short text and then he is required to write a similar test, using the words provided.
Example: Read the following paragraph and then write a similar paragraph based on the
information given.

.‫تكتب بركراف للطالب وجواه مجموعة من الكلمات وتطلب منه أن يفعل كما موضح أعاله‬

2. Completion

Example: Complete the following passage by choosing a appropriate words to replace the
numbers from the list given below.

‫تكتب أي قطعة قصيرة وتخلي بيها فراغات مرقمة وتخلي جواهن نقاط كل كل نقطة بيها ثالث كلمات وتطلب من الطالب أن‬
.‫يفعل كما موضح أعاله‬

3. Passage transposition

Students have to change a written passage for example, to change a passage from the present
continuous to the past, or from the singular to the plural, or from the passive to active etc.
..... ‫تكتب قطعة للطالب (مثال عن أحمد) وتطلب منه يكتبها عن نفسه وهكذا‬

4. Problem solving

Is considered a modern technique of assessing students writing ability through problem solving task.

5. Pictures

Composition writing may be based on a picture or a series of pictures. Pictures can provide. The
testee with the basic material for his composition as well as stimulating his imagination and
encouraging him to progress in his writing.
.) ‫ (ما أشوفه مهم‬.... ‫تعطي للطالب مجموعة من الصور وتطلب منه كتابة قصة ع ضوء الصور وهكذا‬

6. Letter writing

Writing personal letters or postcards : Is another technique of writing. Much care must be taken
with the layout as well as the content.
Example: Write a postcard to your friend. Say what you have seen and what you have done
during your stay In Baghdad.

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B. Free composition

Is used with advanced the choice of composition topics is important... The testee should have no
trouble in handling the task because the testees efforts during the test should be directed towards
how to express themselves rather than what to write about.
.‫تعطي للطالب مجموعة من المواضيع وتطلب منه أن يختار موضوع واحد ويكتب عنه‬
Marking the composition
The chief objections to composition questions is on grounds of unreliability. Two markers may
differ greatly in respect of spread of marks. Nevertheless, composition. Is still widely used as a
means of measuring the writing skills.
The two principal marking schemes are known by the term's general impression and analytic.

a. The impression method

This method implies an overall global judgment of the work as a whole. It is simpler than the
analytical marking.

b. The analytical method

This method is ideally suited to the classroom situation. It depends on a marking scheme which
has been carefully drawn by the marker or body of markers. It consists t an attempt to separate the
various features of composition for scoring composition for purposes. The following is one
example of such an analytical scheme.
Mechanics refers to punctuation and spelling fluency to style and ease of communication and
Relevance to the content in relation to the task demanded of the testee.

Q1) What are the main areas of writing skills test?

1. The mechanics of writing (i.e., cursive handwriting, spelling and punctuation).

2. Composition writing.

Cursive handwriting tests : Assess control of the alphabet or characters of the target language.

Q2) What are the features through which the learner's ability to write handwriting is assessed?

1. Proper spacing.
2. Correct size of the letters.
3. Proper alignment, i.e., writing on a base line.
4. Legibility-ease of reading because of writing carefully and clearly. 5. Cleanlines.

Spelling | Dictation : Is still an essential method of testing mastery of writing skill. Dictation
provides a measure of overall language proficiency.

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Q3) What are the types of dictations?

a. Partial dictation: Where the student is given a printed passage with some words or Phrases
deleted. As the passage is read, the students fill in the blanks. This type is preferable because it
takes less time to administer and the teacher tests the chosen words.

b. Full dictation: Requires the students to write out the whole passage. This type is somewhat
longer to administer and score but it provides a more valid measure of overall language ability.

Dictations, which are given primarily to test mastery of the writing skill, are usually based on
prepared selection chosen from the student's textbooks or readers. .
Dictations used to evaluate general proficiency are taken from texts that are unfamiliar to the
students.

Q4) What are the effective dictation administrating techniques?

1. The whole passage is read at normal speed. Students listen but not write.
2. The passage is read a phrase at a time with pausing during which the students write down what
they hear.
3. The teacher repeats each phrase twice, giving the punctuation marks.
4. The passage is read again at normal speed.
5. The students are given a few minutes for final revision.
6. The teacher should never repeat a particular word or phrase at student’s request.

Scoring he dictation
The most common scoring system is the following:
1. Point off to reach incorrect or omitted word.
2. ½ Point off for each recognizable word with a spelling error.

Generally, a recurring word consistently misspelled count as only one error.

Completion: Is another format for testing spelling.

Example: Complete the following words by writing the missing letters.

Ask, asking, run , …….ing

Punctuation: A wide range of punctuation marks can be covered by supplying the students with
a passage with no punctuation and ask them to put in the punctuation marks and capital letters.

Example: Write out the following sentences, putting in all the punctuation marks and capital
letters:

1. he asked me where are you going

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Composition writing

Composition questions, which require continuous writing, attempt to discover competence in the
production of written English.

Composition is a task that involves. the learner in writing grammatically correct sentences and
linking these sentences to form a continuous piece of writing which expresses the writer's
thoughts on a certain topic for a certain purpose.

Chapter nine | Techniques for oral assessing skills

1. The dialogue

The examiner may choose one of two methods known as (a) examiner/student or (b)
student/student.

2. Interview

The oral interview offers a realistic means of assessing the total oral skills in a natural speech
situation. Opponents of this technique, however argue that the situation is artificial, The student is
usually tense. Scoring is highly subjective. In spite of these drawbacks the oral interview when
used together with other sub-tests do form a comprehensive oral test.

Group interview: Is nowadays strongly, recommended although it is treated as an option, The

Increased amount of 'student talking time generated, and reduction in teacher talking time mean
that a group interview involving two or three students can be accomplished relatively quickly, It-
does not need to take longer : than a single examiner/student interview. The he examiner is, then
able to concentrate more on example:

3. Picture - based questions

Pictures provide a realistic context for a brief and structured conversational exchange.

4. Situations

The student may be told about a certain situation to which he is expected to make 'suitable
Response.

5. Reading aloud

The examiner chooses a suitable passage from the textbook or a simplified reader and give it to the
student to read The testee usually has a few minutes in which to study the text before being acquired
to read it aloud.

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Speaking: Is a complex skill requiring the simultaneous use of a number of different abilities. It is
necessary to distinguish between acquiring control of elements of language (pronunciation,
vocabulary and grammatical patterns.

Oral assessment, therefore, should cover not only accurate language but also fluency (i.e. ease and
speed of the flow of speech) together with Comprehension of what is being said.

Q1) What are the general characteristics of an oral assessment?

1. The tests are very time-consuming.

2. They are integrative tests.
3. They are on the whole subjectively scored.
4. There are serious doubts about their reliability.
5. They are considered valid tests.

Oral assessment: Is based upon personal interaction between the examiner and the examinee at a
particular place and at a particular time. When arranging the oral interaction, the examiner has to
establish a friendly, encouraging atmosphere. The student must be put at ease. The questions must
be asked in a friendly way.

Q2) What are the stages of the oral assessment divisions in general?

1. Warm up - To make acquaintance of each student and encourage him to perform well by
starting asking him some social questions about his health and studies and the like.
2. Main task - To present some tasks to the student and assess his oral ability to comprehend and
respond in English.
3. Round up - To tie up an end by encouraging the student to contribute his own individual views
on the topics discussed and giving him the feeling that the interview Was a pleasant experience
for both him and the examiner.

Q3) What is the oral assessment method?

1. Direct speaking tests - Including the procedures in which the examinee is asked to engage in
face-to-face communicative exchange with the examiner.
2. Indirect tests - Which do not acquire any active speech production on the examinee's part.
3. Semi-direct tests - Which although elicit active speech by the examinee, do this by means of
pictures, printed materials or tape-recordings.

The straightforward oral interview: Is a direct test. The interviewer is controlling and
structuring the conversation so as to elicit particular structures or functions.

Note … The paper-and-pencil tests of pronunciation and listening comprehension tasks are indirect
tests of speaking ability. The highly structured speech samples by means of visual, recorded or
printed stimuli are semi direct tests.

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Q4) What activities are including in the comprehensive and balanced examination of oral
production at the intermediate and secondary levels?

a. Dialogue. b. General conversation. c. Reading. d. Pronunciation.

Q5) What are the techniques used to assess the above activities?

1. The dialogue (teacher/student or student/student).

2. Interview.
3. Picture-based questions.
4. Situations.
5. A short passage for reading aloud.
6. Sound discrimination and sound production.

The latter two techniques might be together since the reading test evaluates correct pronunciation
of single words as well as handling. Stress, intonation and rhythm.

Paper and pencil technique

These tests are to be regarded as an awareness of sound/symbol correspondence rather than tests
of pronunciation. It should be noted that students need to have training to answer the following
questions during the course before testing them.
Assessment
It has generally been recognized that the best way to test oral skills is to have the testee speak., The
following may be taken as a basis for assessment.

Q6) What are criteria or basic for assessment oral skills?

a. Accuracy: The level of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.

b. Appropriacy: the use of language broadly appropriate to what the speaker means to say.

c. Fluency: The ease and speed in speaking.

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‫ال تنسوني ووالدي بالدعاء‬

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 Chapter ten | Techniques for testing aural skills

1. Phoneme Discrimination Tests

The examiner pronounce pairs of words and asks the examines to indicate whether they are the
same or different.
Example: If the two words you hear in each pair are the same encircle (s) and if they are
different encircle (D). The examinee The examinee paper
1. two too 1. S D
2. sheep ship 2. S D

2. Multiple Choice Items

The examinees hear a short question or a statement once without seeing it. Then they choose the
answer from among the writing options on their question papers.

3. Picture Tests

To eliminate reading which is considered a drawback of the previous format pictorial stimuli are
preferable for elementary stages of learning. All kinds of shapes and forms can be used for aural
compression.

4. Recorded Texts

For more advanced students authentic simulated recorded text can be used, followed by questions
of varying techniques like multiple choice true/false, or gap filling. The use of recorded materials
enables the examiner to test authentic spoken English in a variety of realistic techniques.
Aural assessment: Is still little used in school examinations- This is surprising when one
considers how much listening, is done in daily life.

Q1) What are the listening and understanding skills of spoken English for students?

1. The ability to identify words from a blur of speech.

2. Recognizing the significance of stress and intonation.
3. Retaining what is heard long enough for the message to be understood in entirety.
4. Anticipating or predicting what is likely to be heard in a given situation.

Q2) What are the broad categories of aural assessment division? or What does the include?

1. Tests of phoneme discrimination as well as stress and intonation.

2. Tests of aural comprehension.
Phoneme discrimination tests: Are very useful on the elementary and intermediate levels of
instructions, particularly as measures of achievements in foreign language courses which
emphasize drills on phonemic distinctions. At the high intermediate (secondary) and advanced
levels, the main concern is measuring general comprehension of complete utterances sequences of
utterances.

‫ال تنسوني ووالدي بالدعاء‬

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