1. UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE LA SANTISIMA CONCEPCION
TASK 3
SPEAKING TEST DESIGN
EDUCATION FACULTY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
ASSESSMENT
ROXANNA CORREA PEREZ
LUIS FUENTES CID
GABRIEL JARA MUÑOZ
CONCEPCION, 2013

2. 1. Test Specifications
Test’s Purpose
The purpose of this test is to evaluate students’ achievement of the current course goal
regarding giving directions in real life context.
Description of the Examinees
The examinees are students between fourteen and fifteen years old, currently enrolled
in a Public-Subsidized School coursing first year of high-school, in which English is
taught as a foreign language.
Test Level
Their level of English is categorized as Lower-Intermediate, even though they have
been exposed to the language for five years or so, their speaking skills are not well-
developed due to the lack of practice and emphasis in the school.
Definition of the Construct
The test aims to assess the ability to give and ask for directions in English orally, using
the learned structures seen in class in a real life situation context. The test includes
individual-interlocutor (test-administrator) interaction, discussion stage and a pair
(classmate-classmate) social interaction (role-play); Therefore tasks in which they have
to apply their knowledge (such as looking to a map and asking and giving directions)
would be suitable for the test in order for them to put their knowledge into practice.
Taking this into consideration a “good” or “excellent” performance from part of the
students would be the correct use and application of the structures when they face a
real life situation, minding pronunciation, intonation, stress and grammatical structures,
leaving out the pragmatics competences possibly involved in the test.

3. Number of Section/Papers
The test consists mainly of three sections. The first includes images with different
places around the city in which the students (individually) have to say to the test-
administrator what do they do there. The second section is a discussion whether they
have those places in their city and finally a role play in which students interact by asking
and giving directions.
Time for each section
Individual question(s): 2 minutes per Student.
Discussion question: 4 minute both students.
Role-play task: 5 minutes.
(This can vary according to the performance of the students. If there is no interaction
the interlocutor can guide the task(s) so students can produce)
Weighting for each section
Individual questions, Discussion question, and Role-Play activity are evaluated
according to the rubric which gives the points to the overall performance of the students.
Total Score: twenty four points.
Target language situation
The target language corresponds to the chunks of language seen in classes regarding
“Giving Directions”.
E.g. “turn right”, “turn left”, “go straight along”, vocabulary about the city.
Text type
Images.
Text length
Number of pictures.

4. Language Skills to be tested
Speaking
Language elements to be tested
The main focus would be on the following elements:
● Fluency
● Grammar
● Pronunciation
● Vocabulary
Test tasks
The test consists upon three tasks.
First: Question and Answer
Second: Discussion/Conversation
Third: Role-Play
Test Methods
The test method is constructed in three parts or three tasks, being the first one a one to
one student-interlocutor interaction in which the student answer a question regarding a
picture, followed by the second part in which the interlocutor promotes the dialogue
between the students in a discussion about different places and finally a role-play
activity in which students simulate a real life situation.
Rubrics
See appendix pg. 3
Criteria for marking
The criteria for this test focus mainly in six aspects:
Grammar (adequate use of structures)
Pronunciation
Vocabulary (concepts and expressions seen in class)

5. Comprehension (understanding of questions)
Fluency
Interaction (in terms of a balanced conversation; both participants take equal part
in the interaction)
Description of typical performance at each level
Indicators of these aspects are described in the rubric, with the many variations of
proficiency levels (needs improvement, satisfactory, good and excellent)
Description of what candidates at each level can do in the real world
Indicators of these aspects
Sample papers
See appendix page 1.
Sample of Student’ performance on task
See appendix page 3.

6. 2. Eliciting Evidence
Tasks Types
Task 1:
Student A:
Student B:
Task Orientation
Opened: Teacher asks questions to the students and they have to answer according to
what they think. Students are given some information about what they have to talk when
giving the speaking test by they are able to talk and communicate as they wish, by
using words and tenses they decide to use.
Interactional Relationship
One-Way Interactional: Teachers asks and student responds. The learner is asked to
communicate opinions and views to the teacher, the teacher may ask for clarification
question
Goal Orientation
There is: There is communicative purpose, they have to respond to the teacher who
might ask a second question depending upon the answers.
Interlocutor Status and Familiarity
Low:
Student- Student (know)
Students- Teacher (know)
Topics
Places around the city.
Look at the picture and answer the following questions.
What can you see in the picture? What do people usually
so in that place?
Look at the picture and answer the following questions.
What can you see in the picture? What do people usually
so in that place?

7. Task 2;
Task Orientation
Opened: There is a situation and students are free to discuss which is the better choice,
there is a final decision to take. Students are able to talk and communicate as they
wish, by using words and tenses they decide to use.
Interactional Relationship
Interactional: Two ways interaction: There is an interaction between both students with
no intervention from the teacher.
Goal Orientation
Students have to speak with each other, so the communication process happens. There
is communicative purpose, a decision that has to be taken.
Interlocutor Status and Familiarity
Low:
Student- Student (know)
Students- Teacher (know)
Topics
Places around the city.
Continuing with the same pictures, take a look at them again and discuss the
following situation with your classmate. (Teacher can guide the discussion of
necessary).
Imagine that you’re taking a foreigner friend for a tour around the city. Which
place do you think is the best option?

8. Task 3:
Task Orientation
Students are presented some information they must use when speaking but they can
use some different words, synonyms, tenses that they have seen in classes such as
“turn-left, right; go straight along…”
Interactional Relationship
Interactional: Two ways interactional: The two students interact between the 2 test
takers. There is no intervention of a third person in terms of communication.
Goal Orientation
There is: The communication process occurs by simulating a real life context situation.
Interlocutor Status and Familiarity
Low:
Student- Student (know)
Students- Teacher (know)
Topics
Places around the city.
Now you and your classmate are having a meeting in the city for your foreigner
friend. However, one of you got lost and can’t find the way to get to the place
you guys agreed to meet. Decide which student will be the lost person. Imagine
that you’re having a phone conversation and the lost person is asking for
directions to get to the place.

9. References
Luoma, S. Assessing Speaking. 2004. Cambridge University Press, pg. 141
RCampus. Retrieved (2013, June, 5th
) from
http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=yes&code=L47B46&

10. English Speaking Test
Luis Fuentes Cid - Gabriel Jara Muñoz
Name: __________________________ Grade: ____________Date:_____________
Unit: Places around the City. Obtained Score: _________ Total Score: _________
Mark: __________________
Student A:
Look at the picture and answer the following questions. What can you see in the
picture? What do people usually so in that place?

11. Student B:
Look at the picture and answer the following questions. What can you see in the
picture? What do people usually so in that place?
Student A and B
Take a look at the pictures again and discuss the following situation with your
classmate.
Imagine that you’re taking a foreigner friend for a tour around the city. Which
place do you think is the best option?

12. Students A and B
Now you and your classmate are having a meeting in the city for your foreigner friend.
However, one of you got lost and can’t find the way to get to the place you guys agreed to
meet. Decide which student will be the lost person. Imagine that you’re having a phone
conversation and the lost person is asking for directions to get to the place.

13. Sample of Rubric

14. Sample of Students’ Performance on task.

16. Improved tasks
Task 1:
Task 2:
Task 3:
Images to support tasks:
Look at the picture and please answer the following questions.
What can you see in the picture? What is it?
(Teacher can lead to the answer if students do not answer)
What do people usually so in that place?
Do they eat? Do they dance? Do they buy things?
(Teacher can lead to the answer if students do not answer)
Take a look at the pictures again and discuss the following situation with your
classmate. (Teacher can guide the discussion of necessary).
Imagine that you’re taking a foreigner friend/a friend from another country for a tour
around the city. This friend is new and wants to know Concepcion. Which place do
you think is the best option for him to visit? Do you think is better to go to the cinema
or to the library?
Please discuss with your classmate.
(If necessary teacher can guide the discussion)
Now you and your classmate are having a meeting in the city for your foreigner friend/ friend
from another country. However, one of you got lost and can’t find the way to get to the
place agreed to meet!
Decide which student will be the lost person. (Teacher can make this decision)
Imagine that you’re having a phone conversation and the lost person is asking for
directions to get to the place.
Student A calls and asks.
Student B answers and gives directions.