LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT: TESTING GRAMMAR and VOCABULARY

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TESTING GRAMMAR and VOCABULARY

1.    Testing Grammar

 Why test grammar?

It could not only teachers but also learners; so that they could take responsibility for filling the existing gaps them.

 Writing specification

Specifications for a placement test will normally include all of the structures identified in this way, as well as, perhaps those structures the command of which is taken for granted in even lower classes.

 Sampling

This will reflect an attempt to give the test content validity by selecting widely from the structures specified.

 Writing Items

It is important for the text of the item to be written in grammatically correct and natural language.

 Gap filling

In each item should have just one correct response.

 Paraphrase

Paraphrase items require the students to write a sentence equivalent in meaning to one that is given. It is helpful to give part of the paraphrase in order to restrict the students to the grammatical structure being tested.

 Completion

It can be used to test a variety of structures.

 Multiple choices

The reason for being careful about using multiple choices such as times that when gap filling will not test what we want it to test.

 Scoring production and grammar test

The important thing when scoring other types of item is to be clear about what each item is testing and to award points for that only.

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2.        Testing Vocabulary

   Why test vocabulary?

It is used to support the inclusion of a grammar section (though vocabulary has its special sampling problems)

   Writing specification

We have suggested that a vocabulary placement test will be in essence a proficiency test. The usual way to specify the lexical items that may be tested in a proficiency test is to make reference to one of the published word list that indicate the frequency with which the words have been found to be used.

   Sampling

Words can be grouped according to their frequency and usefulness. It can be taken at random, with more being selected from the groups containing the more frequent and useful words.

   Writing items

-          Test recognition ability

This is one testing problem for which multiple choice can be recommended without too many reservations.

-          Recognize synonyms

The writer of this item has probably chosen make answer in the similar meaning.

-          Recognize definition

It is said that test-takers who are uncertain of which option is correct will tend to choose the one which is noticeably different from the others.

-          Recognize appropriate word for context

Context, rather than a definition or a synonym, can be used to test knowledge of a lexical item.

   Testing production ability

The testing of vocabulary productively is so difficult that it is practically never attempted in proficiency tests. Information on receptive ability is regarded as sufficient.

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-          Pictures

The main difficulty in testing productive lexical ability is the need to limit candidate to the candidate to the (usually one) lexical item that we have in mind, while using only simple vocabulary ourselves. One way round this is to use pictures.

-          Definition

Not all items can be identified uniquely from a definition nor can all words be defined entirely in words more common or simpler than themselves.

-          Gap filling

This can take the form of one or more sentences with a single word missing.