This document discusses challenges in testing productive language skills, specifically writing and speaking. For writing tests, it addresses issues like time constraints, plagiarism, complexity of instructions, and difficulty assessing multiple writing skills. It suggests making writing tests realistic, valid by focusing only on writing ability, and fairly marked with clear expectations. For speaking tests, it notes difficulties standardizing individual oral exams and determining examiners' roles. The document concludes by having participants watch an example oral exam and discuss considerations for their own speaking tests.

1. KAYSERI, 29-31 JANUARY 2014
Tests of productive skills
developing tests for Writing and Speaking

3. Aims of the session
! Good news about productive skills
! Testing writing
! challenges
! Testing speaking

4. productive skills can be
tested directly
language performance = language production

5. Testing writing

6. 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?

7. Challenges in testing writing
In class ! Takes forever
Out of class ! Ctrl + C, Ctr + V
Complex instructions ! Reading comprehension?
Several stages of skill ! Different ways to test
Many factors to assess ! Assessment focus?
Product or process? ! How to test separately?

8. Testing writing
! Make writing tests
! real
! valid
! fairly marked

9. Testing writing
Who?
What?
Why?
How?
WRITING

10. 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.

11. Making writing tests real
! tasks that we can reasonably expect our
learners to perform in real life

12. Making writing tests valid
! more separate tasks ! more reliable !
more valid BUT less practical?

13. Making writing tests valid
! test only writing
ability...
... and nothing else

14. Making writing tests valid
... which tests
Task
Write a conversation ! creativity
you have with a friend ! imagination
about the holiday you
plan to have together. ! ability to write a
dialogue

15. Making writing tests valid
... which tests
Task
! writing for speaking
You spend a year
abroad. While you are ! ability to talk
there, you are asked
publicly (indirectly)
to talk to some young
! something that
people about life in
doesn’t involve
your country. Write
writing in real life
down what you would
say to them.

16. 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

17. 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

18. Making writing tests valid
! Avoid testing reading comprehension !
keep input / tax parameters to the necessary
minimum

19. 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!

20. Making writing tests fairly
marked
key
points
aim
achieved
style and
register
clarity

21. Testing speaking

22. What do we mean by
‚speaking’?
production?
interaction?

23. 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)

24. 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.

25. Thank you!
zoltan.rezmuves@digimedia.hu
consonantvoiced.blogspot.com