3.3 tests of productive skills: workshop cts-academic

Tests of productive skills developing tests for Writing and Speaking

KAYSERI, 29-31 JANUARY 2014

Aims of the session

! Good news about productive skills ! Testing writing

! challenges

! Testing speaking

productive skills can be tested directly

language performance = language production

Testing writing

“

”

the best way to test people’s writing ability is to get them to write

Hughes: Language Testing for Teachers (CUP, 1989, 2003)

... or is it?

Challenges in testing writing

In class

Out of class

Complex instructions

Several stages of skill

Many factors to assess

Product or process?

!  Takes forever

!  Ctrl + C, Ctr + V

!  Reading comprehension?

!  Different ways to test

!  Assessment focus?

!  How to test separately?

Testing writing

! Make writing tests ! real

! valid ! fairly marked

Testing writing

WRITING

Why?

Who? What?

How?

Making writing tests real

GROUPWORK: What writing tasks would you set for the following learners? A. A group of young engineering graduates starting out in their careers.

B. A mixed group of teenagers aged 17 – some may want to go on to university, some will start work.

C. A group of bank employees working in the customer services department.

D. A group of intermediate learners of various ages (15 to 65) at a private language school, preparing for a Cambridge examination.

Making writing tests real

!  tasks that we can reasonably expect our learners to perform in real life

Making writing tests valid

! more separate tasks ! more reliable ! more valid BUT less practical?

Making writing tests valid

!  test only writing ability...

... and nothing else

Making writing tests valid

Task Write a conversation you have with a friend about the holiday you plan to have together.

... which tests ! creativity !  imagination ! ability to write a

dialogue

Making writing tests valid

Task You spend a year abroad. While you are there, you are asked to talk to some young people about life in your country. Write down what you would say to them.

... which tests ! writing for speaking ! ability to talk

publicly (indirectly) ! something that

doesn’t involve writing in real life

Making writing tests valid

Task ‚A rolling stone gathers no moss’. Discuss.

... which tests ! knowledge of

idiomatic language !  interpretation skills ! cultural awareness !  ... not sure what

exactly

Making writing tests valid

Task Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of progressive taxation.

... which tests ! general knowledge

about a specialist subject

! specialist language ! ability to write a

dialogue

Making writing tests valid

! Avoid testing reading comprehension ! keep input / tax parameters to the necessary minimum

Making writing tests fairly marked ! Tasks should be well-defined

! clear what is expected

! key points to include listed ! extent specified

! task outline, input, notes kept to a necessary minimum

! Output texts should be long enough to provide information on learner performance

! Use appropriate scales ! Communicate expectations!

Making writing tests fairly marked

key points

aim achieved

style and register clarity

Testing speaking

What do we mean by ‚speaking’?

production?

interaction?

Challenges in testing speaking

! cannot test all learners in a class at once ! examiner’s role: active participant? passive

listener? !  testing in pairs or groups: do learners

mutually influence each other’s performance?

! procedure: need to standardise instructional / task framing language

! one-off, cannot be re-checked (unless recorded)

A speaking test

1.  Watch a video from PET Result Teacher’s DVD (OUP, 2010) with an example of a Cambridge oral test.

2.  Take notes about learning points for your own speaking tests.

3.  Discuss your notes in groups. 4.  Give feedback to the rest of the training

class.

Thank you! zoltan.rezmuves@digimedia.hu

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