3. Testing reading.

What kinds of texts to use? Should reflect the age of learners, their level of proficiency

and course objectives.

At the elementary level: signs, notices, simple texts.

Intermediate: messages, letters, advertisements, magazines, reports, articles.

Advanced – academic, literary texts, newspaper, magazine, articles.

Which ability to test?

Elementary students – to show ability to skim factual texts for gist and to scan them for specific information.

Intermediate – to identify the text type, to recognize attitudes, emotions expressed by the writer, to see what the writer’s purpose is and understand the text structure.

Advanced – to decide whether a text is based on fact or opinion, to select information and use it to perform a task, to infer meaning from context, to appreciate style.

Guidelines for text selection

1. How is the text structured? Is it logical and clear?

2. What is the language level of the text (vocabulary, grammar)?

3. Will this text interest the students?

4. Does it fall within their realm of experience?

5. Is there a balance of old and new information?

6. Is there a balance of abstract and concrete information? Is it appropriate for the level of students?

7. What audience was the text written for? Is it similar to the students?

8. What is the intended function of the text (argumentative, instructional etc)? Is it appropriate for the students?

9. Are the charts, diagrams or pictures helpful or distracting? Are there too many or too few of them?

10. Is the layout or typeface easy to read?

11. Is the text long enough or too long?

Guidelines for item design (test format selection)

1. It is better to select tests that can be marked objectively.

2. Use a variety of item types (not only true/false and multiple choice).

3. Short answer questions should be used if range of possible answers is small and can be specified exhaustively in the key.

4. It must not be possible to complete any item without reading the text.

5. Items should be independent.

6. If the students have to list items, they must be told how many items they are expected to list.

7. Deleted words should be those which carry significant meaning rather than simple syntactic meaning. They should be reconstructed.

8. Summary completion items should require the students to understand the text rather than simply spot key words.

Types of reading comprehension questions.

• Main idea questions

• Factual questions

• Inference questions

• Analogy questions

• Written expression questions (what does they in line 7 refer to?)

• Organization questions

• Follow on questions

• Viewpoint questions

Possible task formats

• True/false

• Multiple choice

• Matching

• Information transfer (trace the route, complete the table, draw a diagram etc)

• Labeling

• Sequencing (texts, pictures)

• Short answer questions

• Problem-solving (from the following information work out people’s names)

• Identify topic (match the title with the text)

• Linking

• Identify linking words in the text

• Cloze ( together with vocabulary skills)

• C-tests

• Summary (together with writing skills)

Advantages and disadvantages of each technique will be analysed at your practical lessons.

LECTURE 4

1. Testing writing.

2. Testing speaking.

3. Independent external testing.