Basic Testing Basic Testing TechniquesTechniques

Presented by:Dr. Mamdoah M. Subahi

What is the meaning of Test ?

With your group think With your group think please what do we mean please what do we mean by the word Test?by the word Test?

The word Test means:

To evaluate formally and informally.

Tests are: means of providing both teacher and learner with feed back.

What is the importance of tests?

In your opinion why do you think

tests are important?

There are many reasons that make tests important:

1- School administration promote or fail students in the light of their performance on formal tests.

2- Teachers judge their teaching methods, techniques, and activities according to the students’ results in different tests.

-Why tests are Why tests are importantimportant?

3- Students know their points of weakness and strength. Then, they work on avoiding their point of weakness.

4- The curriculum designer decide how to develop their materials.

Why tests are Why tests are important?important?

5- Tests results give 5- Tests results give parents a clear picture parents a clear picture of their children’s levels.of their children’s levels.

What do we need to test?

As a competent teacher As a competent teacher will you tell me what will you tell me what language areas do you language areas do you need to test?need to test?

There are two major There are two major language areas to be language areas to be

tested:tested:

1- 1- Language skillsLanguage skills: here you : here you are testing: are testing: listening, listening, speaking, reading and writing.speaking, reading and writing.

2- 2- Language componentsLanguage components: here : here you are testing: you are testing: pronunciation, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, grammar spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuationand punctuation.

What are some of test types?

-With your group will you think of as many test types as you can?

-And try to tell some of each type’s advantages and disadvantages.

1- True / False type:

With your group please, think:

- What is true and false test?

- What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this type?

1- True / False type

Students read or listen to a text, then they respond by saying or writing True (T) or False (F).

E.g. : There are 5 books on the table.

T. : There are 7 books on the table. S. : False.

-Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages: - easy to prepare. - easy to score.

Disadvantages: - 50% guessing 50% guessing chance.chance.

- little writing - little writing involvedinvolved.

2- Multiple-choice type:

With your group please, think:- What is multiple-choice test?- What are some of the

advantages and disadvantages of this type?

2- Multiple-choice type: The students read a text and

respond to a question related to it by selecting from 3, 4 or 5 options:

e.g. : A person who sells meat is a ……

a- carpenter b- butcher c- driver d- baker

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:Advantages: - easy to score. - covers a big number of the

presented items. - Disadvantages:Disadvantages: -Guessing

chances are still there (the more options the less guessing).

- selecting suitable options is sometimes difficult.

3- Essay (open-ended) questions

Please, think with your group what is meant by essay (open-ended) questions?

3- Essay (open-ended) 3- Essay (open-ended) questionsquestions

Students are given a Wh- question that can be answered in one or more sentences.

E.g. What is your favorite subject?

Describe your family.

Advantages and Advantages and disadvantagesdisadvantages

Advantages:Advantages: gives chance for self-expression. reflects student’s proficiency in many

different language components and skills.

Disadvantages:Disadvantages: Difficult to score objectively. Allows students to use options, thus

avoiding the point being tested.

4- Completion

Please, think with your group what is meant by completion questions?

Don’t forget the advantages and disadvantages.

4- Completion4- Completion Students are asked to complete one

or more sentences by inserting words in spaces. The ended words may or may not be provided at the head of the test.

E.g. : Books are made of ………. E.g. : ( day – tomorrow – month ) Monday is the third ……… of the week. January is a ……………

--Advantages and Advantages and disadvantages of disadvantages of

completioncompletion

Advantages: focuses on a specific word or

structure. Easy to score. Disadvantages: reflects only a limited ability. Tests recognition rather than

production.

5 -Matching

Please, think with your group what is meant by matching questions?

Don’t forget the advantages and disadvantages.

5- Matching:5- Matching: Matching: students are given two

columns: A and B. They have to join an item in column B with the item it corresponds with in column A.

e.g. : A B (1) hurried ( ) liked (2) cried ( ) not interesting (3) enjoyed ( ) shouted ( ) went quickly

5- Matching

Another alternative is that students can match a group of words or sentences with a group of pictures:

e.g.: 5 pictures with 6 words they

match them.

Advantages and disadvantages of

matching

Advantages: Easy to score. Word and sentences matching are

easy to prepare. Disadvantages: Chance for guessing. Sometimes it is difficult to draw

pictures

6 -Changing a table or a map into a text

Students are given a table or a map to ‘read’. Then they use the information in any of them in writing a text.

E.g. this table tells you about some people. Make sentences, for example:

Osama s a businessman. He lives in Jeddah.

Table:

Name Job Living Osama businessman Jeddah Sami engineer Dhahran Sara nurse Riyadh Kamal tourist guide Abha

Advantages and Disadvantages of changing

table or a map.

Advantages:Advantages: Provides guided writing Provides guided writing

practice.practice. Easy to score.Easy to score. Disadvantages:Disadvantages: Sometimes difficult to design.Sometimes difficult to design.

7- Filling a table or a map from a running text.

Students read a text, then insert information form it into an accompanying table or map.

E.g. : Read the following passage carefully and fill in the table at the bottom of the page:

1- Saturday: The tourists will

arrive at King A. Aziz International air port at eleven thirty at night. Jamal will meet them at the airport. He will take them to their hotel by bus.

2- Monday: In the morning,

Jamal will take them to the sea. They will go by taxi. In the afternoon, they will visit Al- Balad Area. At nine o’clock, they will go to a Chinese restaurant.

DayMorningAfternoon

Evening

Saturday

Monday

Advantages and Disadvantages of filling table or a map from a

running text.

Advantages: Useful for checking

comprehension.

Disadvantages: Sometimes difficult to

design.

8- Correction Students are asked to correct a wrong

word between brackets or in a sentence, also, punctuation errors.

E.g.1- Write the verb in brackets in the correct form:

Yesterday I (go) to Jeddah. E.g. 2- Correct the spelling mistakes in

this sentence: Cabages and tomatos are vegetables.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Correction

Advantages: Advantages: Focuses on specific point. Easy to correct. Disadvantages:Disadvantages: Gives limited language practice. Students are exposed to the wrong

forms and spellings.

9- Dictation Students listen to the teacher or to a

tape and do one or more of the following activities:

- write exactly what the teacher says. - fill a table from the text they listen to. - answer questions depending on the

text they listen to. They also can fill in missing letters.

Advantages and Disadvantages of dictation.

Advantages: Advantages: Tests listening comprehension, writing,

vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. Easy to prepare and to score. Advantages:Advantages: The teacher may not be a good model. Suitable tapes are not always available.

10- Cloze Test:

Students are given a text of some sentences. The first and the last sentences in the text are left complete. Starting from the second sentence, every fifth word is deleted. Students are asked to restore these words or their equivalents.

Examples of cloze testExamples of cloze test::

Oil is very important in the Oil is very important in the modern word. Many things are modern word. Many things are made made ofof oil. Petrol for planes is oil. Petrol for planes is extractedextracted from oil. Some from oil. Some trains, lorries trains, lorries andand Ships run on Ships run on oil. Most plastics are made oil. Most plastics are made of of oiloil. .

Advantages and Disadvantages of cloze test.

Advantages:Advantages: A global test. Easy to score and to prepare. Disadvantages:Disadvantages: Sometimes it is difficult to evaluate

the equivalents.

11-Re-arrangement ( put in order):

Students are given a sentence with jumbled words and they have to arrange – to put them in order- to from a meaningful sentence. They may be given a number of jumbled sentences and ask them to arrange them to form a meaningful paragraph.

examples of rearrangement:

E.g. 1- Write the following words in the right order to form a good meaningful sentence:

will – get – tomorrow – six thirty – Ahmad- up - at

E.g. 2- write the following sentences in the correct order to from a good story:

e.g. 2- of arrangements: - The fox saw the crow on a tree,

with a piece of meat n its mouth. - The fox was very clever and said," I

have heard that you sing very well’. - A fox was walking through a wood. The fox caught the meat and ate it. The crow opened its mouth to sing a

song. The fox was very hungry.

Advantages and Disadvantages of rearrangement:

Advantages:Advantages: A sort of controlled writing. Develops students’ awareness of

sentence and paragraph structure. Disadvantages:Disadvantages: Gives a chance for guessing. Limits students’ creativity.

12- Paragraph writing by using key words (guided

paragraph) Students are guided to write a

paragraph by giving them helping lexical items and connectors.

E.g.: Write a paragraph of (5) sentences using the following words:

(car – hit – boy) (The boy - fell off – bike) (lady – run to – boy) (Ambulance- stopped) ( boy – carried – hospital)

Advantages and Disadvantages of guided

paragraph writing.

Advantages:Advantages: Gives a sort of controlled writing as

a step towards free writing. Minimizes students’ errors. Disadvantages:Disadvantages: Limits students’ creativity.

13- Oral Testing The teacher needs to evaluate the

students’ oral skills, i.e. listening and speaking. The teacher can use one of the following test types:

A- Oral reading: Teacher gives a vocabulary list or text to students and asks each of them to read aloud. Teacher tapes students’ readings and scores them using specific check list.

E.g. Read the following words aloud: Birthday – China – Europe – big – mosque-

tin

Oral Testing

B- Controlled interview: Teacher asks students a question that requires a long response. Teacher tape-records the responses and scores them using a specific check list. The interview can be done individually or in groups with one or more raters.

Oral Testing

Picture description: Teacher gives students a picture and asks them to describe it. Students’ talk is tape-recorded and then scored by one or more raters using a check list.

E.g.: Look at the picture and describe what you see:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Oral

Testing

Advantages: Advantages: Tests students’ information and

ability to transmit such information.

Disadvantages:Disadvantages: Sometimes time consuming.

Final HintsFinal Hints Try to be creative and helpful Try to be creative and helpful

to your students.to your students. Do not forget through smile Do not forget through smile

you can reach their hearts if you can reach their hearts if you do so you will reach their you do so you will reach their minds.minds.

Remember exams are mean Remember exams are mean they are not target. they are not target.