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Test Design

The document outlines essential features of test design for language teachers, including test formats, scoring methods, and testing techniques. It categorizes tests into closed-ended, open-ended, and restricted-response formats, each with distinct characteristics and scoring methods. Additionally, it discusses the importance of considering subject matter, purpose, and student ability when designing assessments.

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19 views

Test Design

The document outlines essential features of test design for language teachers, including test formats, scoring methods, and testing techniques. It categorizes tests into closed-ended, open-ended, and restricted-response formats, each with distinct characteristics and scoring methods. Additionally, it discusses the importance of considering subject matter, purpose, and student ability when designing assessments.

Uploaded by

mikakun220023330
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Test Design and Assessment

Compiled By

Asst. Prof. Narmeen Mahmood

Test Design

Language teachers need to acquaint themselves with a number of features


before starting writing tests.

1. Test format.
2. Test scoring.
3. Testing techniques.
ONE: Test Format: According to their format, tests are classified into three
categories:

1. Closed-ended tests.
2. Open-ended tests.
3. Restricted -response tests.

1. Closed –ended test: It is a type of test with predetermined answers.


It assesses recognition rather than production. In a closed-ended test, the testee
does not create modify or develop the information. S/he selects the options that
the teacher puts before him/her, like: multiple choice questions, true /false,
matching, etc.

Note: This test format is easier to mark but difficult to construct

2. Open-ended Tests: They are also called subjective questions. Open –ended
tests imply two things: the student decides what to include and what to
exclude in his/her answer. In this type, students are likely to supply the answer
and it requires more writing than reading. Essay writing and composition are
the best examples.

3. Restricted -Response Test: Restricted -response tests are designed to elicit


answers which maybe marked more or less objectively. These are short answer
questions that require more production than recognition as compared with
objective items. Examples about restricted response questions are definitions,
completion items, or transformation items. In these questions, there is still an
element of objectivity in marking them.
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Note: In production tests, students write the answer.

Note: In recognition tests, students select the answer.

 Coombe et al. (2010) classify test format into: selection or supply. This is
classification is similar to the previous one.

1. Selection items: students select the right answer from a number of presented
options, like: True/ False, Matching, or Multiple- choice (Note: it is similar to
the closed-ended test).

2. Supply items: students must supply the right answer .For example, short
answer or completion, cloze, gap fill and essay questions.

Note: both restricted response test and open- ended test are considered types
of supply tests.

The process of choosing the right method of testing is governed by number of


considerations:

1. Subject matter
2. Purpose
3. Age
4. Ability
5. Time
6. Test Scoring

Test scoring: The process of scoring involves giving numerical scores to the
students’ performance. Tests (test items) can be classified by the way they are
scored into:

1. Objective tests
2. Subjective tests
3. Semi-objective tests

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1. Objective tests: Objective tests are those that require a specific answer.
An objective test usually has only one potential correct answer and there
is no option to give your own opinion. Scoring is based on following an
answer key. It requires no experts’ judgment, specialist knowledge or
subjectivity on the part of the marker (Coombe et al., 2010).
 Characteristics of Objective Tests
1. Objective items have the following characteristics:
2. Are usually short answer-closed response items.
3. Test recognition rather than production.
4. Are quick and easy to grade.
5. Are difficult to write well.
6. If there are enough of them, they are quite reliable.
7. Have a few response options.
8. They test areas of language like, grammar and vocabulary
(Coombe et al., 2010).

Note: the workload of the teacher takes place before the test administration.

 Techniques of Objective Tests


1. Multiple –choice
2. True/ False
3. Matching
4. Rearranging
5. Gap filling
6. Odd one out
7. Labeling
8. Grid
9. Transcoding

2. Subjective tests: Subjective tests allow a student to organize an original


answer, using their own words. To score subjective tests, examiners must have
knowledge of the content area being tested.

 Characteristics of Subjective Tests


1. Require the students to produce longer, more open-ended responses.
2. The emphasis is on production.
3. Easier to write but difficult and time consuming to mark.
4. Students are required to come up with an answer rather than select it
from a list of alternatives.

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5. Are open –ended, so a lot of variations are possible in responses.
6. Reliability of subjective tests can sometime be problematic because they
require human scoring.

Note: The workload of the teacher takes place after the test administration.

Note: Reliability (refers to the consistency of test scores, which simply


means that a test would offer similar results if it was given at another time).

 Techniques of Subjective Tests


1. Extended writing
2. Composition
3. Letter writing
4. Essay writing

3. Semi-objective tests: Semi — objective tests are fundamentally short


questions that require more than just recognition as compared with objective
items. They are considered the most promising forms for measuring,
understanding, reasoning, creative thinking and problem solving.

 Characteristics of semi-objective tests


1. Combine some of the virtues of both closed-ended and open ended
questions.
2. They are short and highly structured.
3. They provide the testee with the opportunity to compose his answers.
 Techniques of semi-objective tests
1. Transformation
2. Completion
3. Cloze
4. Short answer questions
5. Gap-filling (with no options)

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Format Closed–ended Restricted Open –ended tests
tests response tests

Scoring Objective Semi-objective Subjective Questions


Questions Questions

Testing Multiple-choice Transformation Extended writing

techniques
True-false Completion Composition

Matching Cloze Letter writing

Rearranging Short answer questions

Gap-filling Gap-filling (with


no options)

Odd-one -out

Labeling

Grid

Transcoding

Note the material of this lecture is based on : "A Language Teacher's Guide to Assessment" by
Prof. Najat al-Juboury, 2014, and A Practical Guide to Assessing English Language Learners by
Christine Coombe, Keith Folse, and Nancy Hubley, 2010.

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