Mid-course assessment Task Define what kind of tests are described here

Mid-course assessment
Task 1. Define what kind of tests are described here: proficiency; achievement; diagnostic; placement

1. Proficiency tests are designed to measure people's ability in a language, regardless of any training they may have had in that language. It is based on a specification of what candidates have to be able to do in the language in order to be considered proficient.

2.Placement test are intended to provide information that will help to set students at the stage (or in the part) of the teaching programme most appropriate to their abilities. Typically they are used to assign students to classes at different levels.

3. Diagnostic tests are used to identify learners' strengths and weaknesses. They are intended primarily to ascertain what learning still needs to take place.

4. Achievement tests are directly, related to language , courses, their purpose being to establish how successful individual students, groups of students, or the courses themselves have been in achieving objectives.

Task 2. Find an example for the specific characteristics of PROFICIENCY TEST:

a) An example of this would be a test designed to discover whether someone can function successfully as a United Nations translator. Another example would be a test used to determine whether a student's English is good enough to follow a course of study at a British university.

b) They are administered at the end or a course of study. They may be written and administered by ministries of education, official examining boards, or by members of teaching institutions. Clearly the content of these tests must be related to the courses with which they are concerned.

c) We may be able to go further, and analyse samples of a persons performance in writing or speaking in order to create profiles of the student's ability with respect to such categories as 'grammatical accuracy' or 'linguistic appropriacy'.

d) They can be bought, but this is to be recommended only when the institution concerned is sure that the test being considered suits its particular teaching programme.

Task 3. Choose the best answer:

1. Some tasks are like tasks we use outside the classroom to communicate, e.g. a conversation, an interview, a letter, reading a leaflet for prices. These tasks test communication skills. Some tasks, e.g. gap-fill, test the … of language use. We do not use them to communicate, and they do not test communication skills.

a) appropriacy b) accuracy c) fluency d) interaction.

2. A … for example, tests spelling, handwriting, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary, organisation of ideas and fluency of writing

a) gap-fill b) choosing between pairs of sounds c) multiple choice d) composition

3. The reason for using … assessment is to help learners to understand their language use and performance better, and so become more autonomous.

a) self-assessment b) formative assessment c) summative assessment

Task 4. Choose the right word.

1. Speaking Assessment: Grammar and Vocabulary

Words to be used: accurate, appropriate, effective, range

A) Grammar and vocabulary refers to how well you are able to use a range of grammatical structures and vocabulary when expressing yourself.

B) It also describes how accurate your use of English is.

C) The language you use also has to be appropriate to the tasks you are asked to do.

D) With all this taken into consideration, you will be assessed on how effective your use of English is.

2. Choose the right word. Speaking Assessment: Discourse Management

Word to be used: relevant, extent, complexity, coherently

A) This section describes how well you are able to express thoughts and ideas coherently or clearly, linking your contributions logically during monologues or dialogues.

B) Your utterances, or things you say should be expressed with a level of complexity and fluency appropriate for the level of your exam.

C) This criteria also describes the extent of your contributions, which means you say enough, but not too little or too much when appropriate.

D) During a conversation or discussion your contributions should be relevant or to the point.

3. Choose the right word. Speaking Assessment: Pronunciation

Word to be used: intonation, rhythm, sounds, stress

A) Pronunciation describes how well your utterances are comprehensible to the listener. You will be assessed on things such as stress, which means how well you pronounce strong and weak syllables within individual words.

B) It also relates to rhythm, which is your ability to connect words together naturally with stress on appropriate words.

C) Your use of intonation should be possible to express a range of attitudes and meanings.

D) You should also be able to pronounce individual sounds (for example consonant clusters, vowels and dipthongs) effectively.

4. Choose the right word. Speaking Assessment: Interactive Communication

Word to be used: hesitation, initiate, repair, turn taking

A) This criteria relates to your ability to get dialogues started that is ........ communication.

B) It also describes how well you respond appropriately to utterances without too much .........

C) It covers how good you are at ........ during conversations or discussions.

D) Finally, it relates to your ability to ........ conversation when the unexpected happen such as interrupting, gaining control or .....

Task 5. Choose the right answer that characterizes the word feedback.

a) The reason for using feedback is to help learners to understand their language use and performance better, and so become more autonomous.

b) Informal assessment is often followed up by feedback to the learners on the suggestions for how to improve.

c) We use the information from formative assessment to decide if we need to continue teaching this area or not, and to give learners reactions on their strengths and difficulties in learning in this area.

Task 6. Match the tasks (1-4) to the types of assessment (a-d):

1. Listening hard to the learners communicating at the end of the lesson to see how well they are using the targets. b) informal, summative testing;

2. An end-of-week written test to see what needs recycling. c) formal, formative testing;

3. Setting an end-of-course examination to see who goes up to the next level. a) formal, summative testing;

4. Stopping in the middle of a lesson and getting the learners to tell you what they have learned so far.

d) informal, formative testing;

Task 7. Choose the best answer: true-false, multiple-choice, short answer, matching;

1. “An exam question in which students must uniquely associate prompts and options is called a
matching question.” Students respond to questions by pairing each of a set of stems (e.g., definitions) with one of the choices provided on the exam.

2. short answer questions are typically composed of a brief prompt that demands a written answer that varies in length from one or two words to a few sentences. They are most often used to test basic knowledge of key facts and terms.

3. multiple-choice questions are composed of one question (stem) with possible answers, including the correct answer and several incorrect answers.

4. true-false are only composed of a statement. Students respond to the questions by indicating whether the statement is correct or incorrect.