The document discusses various methods for testing writing skills, including composition writing, grading compositions, and objective tests of mechanics and punctuation. It covers testing at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. It also addresses considerations in designing writing tests, such as providing realistic topics, setting the composition, and treating written errors in scoring. Different types of controlled writing are proposed, including using notes, completing sentences, rewriting paragraphs, and forming paragraphs from sentences.

3. Tests of writing skill Conceptual and judgement Grammatical and rhetorical

13. Type 2: Letter- writing Ex: 100wood Lane London NW2 1 st June Dear Jon, I wish to complain about the noise which has come from your home late every night this week. While I realize that you must practice your trumpet some time, I feel you ought to do it at a more suitable time. Ten o’clock in the evening is rather late to star playing. Even if you could play well, the noise would still be unbearable at that time. I hope that in future you will be a little more considerate of the feeling of others. Yours sincerely, W. Woody. Now write a reply to this letter. You do not play the trumpet but on two or three occasions recently you have played some trumpet music on your record player. You did not play the record loudly- certainly not as loudly as Mr. Woody’s television. You want to tell him this but you do not want to become enemies so you must reasonably polite in your letter. The amount of information to which the students must reply should be limited. If this is not done, scoring can become extremely difficult.

14. Type 3 : Information conveyed in the form of a simple graph or histogram: Ex : Use the chart together with the information below to give a brief survey of the causes of accidents on Link Road between 1977 and 1987 1977-78 : road not in great use 1978-79 :nearby road closed: road now in great use 1979-80 : bus stop moved 100 yards 1980-81:no changes 1981-82:sign: Beware animals 1982-83:no parking signs ( etc.) Provides a suitable stimulus for writing. But, suitable only for more advanced students .

15. Type 4: using pictures and diagrams - an excellent device for providing both a purpose and content for writing; not only providing sts with the basic material for their composition but also stimulating their imaginative powers. - serving as stimuli for descriptions of objects, people, places and processes as well as those involving the writing of directions, instructions, classifications, comparisons and narratives. Ex: the illustration of two aircraft can be used as a basic for fairly detailed comparison in a test. Boeing 747 length:70.51m light deck wing span:59.64m width of cabin:6.1m no. of passengers: 300- 500 maximum cruising speed:978km/h 4 turbojet engines Anglo- French Concorde length: 62.17m wing span:25.60m no. of passengers: 100-144 maximum cruising speed:2333km/h

16. - Purpose: to test students’ ability to describe shapes and linear forms , as none of them will have any knowledge of the technical terms required for reference to each picture. It is a researching test of students’ descriptive writing ability. -It is suitable only for fairly advanced students. Ex: The pictures below are arranged from the oldest to the most recent. Use them to comment on developments in traditional ao dai of Viet Nam Type 5: Descriptive writing

20. Writing tests Subjective test Objective test Free writing Controlled writing

21. Objective test Mechanics Style Register Punctuation Spelling

22. Style Register Variation in a person’s writing ( level of formality, from casual to formal) The topic discussed Persons addressed The location… A speech variety used by a particular group of people Colloquialisms Slang Legal language The language used by educated writers of English Same occupation Same interest Restaurant: humorous, casual Seminar: analytic, formal Field of discourse Manner of discourse Mode of discourse Subject matter: wife, children, father, boss.. Colloquial, humorous, casual, formal.. Personal letters, biography,…

24. Register Notes: - The use of correct register denotes the ability to write for a specific purpose with a specific audience in mind. - Confusion and embarrassment result from the use of inappropriate registers.

25. Register - Type 1 If possible, replace each underlined word with a much more suitable word. It has now been made out beyond any doubt whatsoever that the nicotine contained in tobacco smoke is poisonous. One minute drop of pure nicotine plunged into the bloodstream of a rat is sufficient to kill it. It has also been proved that the nicotine contained in tobacco smoke sends up the pulse rate and the blood pressure. made out (proved); plunged (injected); sends up (increases)

26. Register - Type 2 Word level Sentence level Match each word in List A with a word in List B List A List B dosh copper entrain police officer hospitalize money

27. Controlled Writing Advantages Disadvantages Control students’ freedom of expression in their written work Increase the reliability of the scoring Cause some inhibition for certain students

28. Types of Controlled Writing Type 1: Using the notes, write a similar paragraph Type 2: Using the notes, complete the sentences Type 3: Rewrite the paragraph Type 4: Form a paragraph from the finished sentences. Type 5: Finish incomplete sentences or ideas in any appropriate way Type 6: Write a sentence to precede the statement

29. Type 1 : Using the notes, write a similar paragraph Although dogs are only animals, they are very useful and help people a lot. For example, certain dogs help farmers to look after their sheep. Some dogs are useful for hunting and others help to secure people. Although – horses – animals, - useful – a lot. For example, - horses – people – cattle. Some horses – hunting – pull things.

30. Type 2 : Using the notes, complete the sentences. Pay careful attention to the verbs underlined and insert all missing words. The oblique line (/) are used to divide the notes into sections. Read the example carefully before you start. Example: Parachute jump from aeroplanes and balloons/be very popular sport/many parts of the world. Parachute jumping from aeroplanes and balloons is a be very popular sport in many parts of the world. Greatest height/from which parachute jump ever make / be over 31,000 meters./1960/doctor in United State Air Force/ jump from basket of balloon/and fall nearly 26,000 meters/before open parachute.

32. Example for Type 3 A young man who refused to give his name dived into the river yesterday morning to save a twelve-year-old boy. The boy, who run away after being rescued, had been swimming in the river and had caught his foot between two concrete posts under the bridge. He shouted out for help. … . Test (i) Rewrite this story but imagine that you are actually watching everything that is happening. Begin: There is a small boy swimming…. Test (ii) Rewrite this story as told by (a) the young man who saved the boy and (b) the boy who was saved. Test (iii) Write this story as if you were giving evidence at a police station.

33. Type 4: Form a paragraph from the finished sentences using the joining words given. Each Olympic Games opens. An athlete appears. He holds a torch. It has been carrying from Mount Olympus in Greece. before (-ing) which who where Each Olympic Games opens. There is an athlete who holds a torch which has been carrying from Mount Olympus in Greece appears. - Leave the testees free to join the sentences in the way they consider appropriate. - Since such tests are very subjective and require a lot of time to score, it is better not to provide the testees with linkers but let them free to solve problem in their own way.

36. TREATMENT OF WRITTEN ERRORS Native speakers (not teacher) scoring written work by its degree of intelligibility rather than by the errors. Native speaking teachers evaluating written work by the number and types of errors. Non-native speaking teachers penalizing students for what they consider "basic errors” (e.g.: “ He go”)

38. TREATMENT OF WRITTEN ERRORS Local errors Global errors misuse of articles omission of prepositions lack of subject and verb agreement incorrect position of adverbs cause only minor trouble and confusion in a particular clause or sentence without hindering the reader’s comprehension of the sentence misuse of connectives the omission, misuse and unnecessary insertion of relative pronouns involve the overall structure of a sentence and result in misunderstanding or even failure to understand the message which is being conveyed