This document discusses challenges in testing oral ability and proposes solutions. It notes that oral tests must use representative tasks that elicit a valid sample of a candidate's oral skills. Three testing formats are proposed: interviews, interactions between candidates, and responses to audio/video stimuli. For interviews, the document recommends using a variety of question types, pictures, role plays, interpretations, and prepared monologues to elicit different language functions. It also provides tips for structuring tests, such as allowing sufficient time, avoiding reminders it is a test, and ensuring scorers are well-trained to reliably score responses. The goal is for oral tests to accurately measure a candidate's true oral communication abilities.

1. TESTING ORAL ABILITY
Paola Enríquez D.
3.17.14

2. ORAL ABILITY
Interact successfully
Comprehension
Production

3. PROBLEM IN TESTING ORAL ABILITY
Representative sample of oral
tasks
Elicit behavior which truly
represents the candidate’s ability
Score validly and reliably

4. REPRESENTATIVE TASKS

5. Specify all possible
content
Functions
•Expressing, directing, describing,
eliciting, narration, reporting
Skills
• Informational, interactional,
in managing interactions
Types of text
Addressees
Topics
Dialect, Accent, Style
Include a representative
sample of the specified
content
Content validity
People will be better at
some tasks than at others

7. ELICIT A VALID SAMPLE OF ORAL
ABILITY

8. Choose the appropriate techniques
Formats
Interview
Interaction
with fellow
candidates
Responses
to
audio/video
recorded
stimuli

9. Format 1 - Interview
Traditional
form
Relationship
tester-
candidate
One style of speech
is elicited

10. Questions and requests for information
Try Avoid

11. Pictures
 Elicit
descriptions

12. Role play
 Elicit other
language
functions
Does it really elicit
natural language?

13. Interpreting
 Test production
and
comprehension
What do you think?
Is it always feasible?

14. Prepared monologue
 Should be used
only when the
candidate
needs the
ability to make
prepared
presentations

15. Reading aloud
 Should be used
only when the
reading ability
is a course
objective

16. Format 2 – Interaction with fellow
candidates
- Elicit language
appropriate to
exchanges between
equals
- Better
performance
- More confidence
The performance of
one candidate is likely
to be affected by that
of the others
- Avoid more than
groups of two people
- Pairs should be
carefully matched

17. Discussion Role play

18. Format 3 – Responses to audio/video
recordings
- Uniformity of
elicitation
- Everybody
receives the
same
information
Inflexible

19. Described
situations
Remarks in
isolation to
respond to
Simulated
conversation
You are walking through town one day
and you meet two friends who you
were sure had gone to live in the USA.
What do you say?
The candidate hears,
‘I’m afraid I haven’t
managed to fix that
cassette player of
your yet. Sorry’.
The candidate is given
information about a play which
they are supposed to want to
see, but not by themselves.
The candidate is told to talk to
a friend, Ann, on the
telephone, and ask her to go to
the theatre. The candidate
hears a what Ann would say in
the conversation.

20. Plan & structure the testing carefully
Time of the test: as
long as feasible
Have a pattern to
follow
Give as many “fresh
starts” as possible
Avoid reminding
candidates they are
in a test
Use second tester
for interviews
Set tasks & topics
that cause no
difficulty in the
candidates’ first
language
Carry out the test in
a quiet room
Put the candidates
at their ease so that
the can show what
they are capable of
Collect enough
relevant
information
Do not talk too
much
Select interviewers
carefully & train
them

21. ENSURE VALID AND RELIABLE
SCORING

22. Create
appropriate
scales for scoring
Calibrate the
scale to be used
Trains scorers
Follow acceptable
scoring
procedures
http://www.slideshare.net/rect/how-to-test-oral-production

23. American Foreign Service Institute

25. References
 Hughes, Arthur. Testing for Language Teachers.