Types of Tests and Testing

1. Supervised By:
Dr. Hind AL-Fadda

2. Kinds of tests and testing
Arthur Hughes

3. Testing plays a crucial role in teaching and learning
English.The effect of testing on teaching and learning is
known as backwash, and can be harmful or beneficial.

4. What is a test?

5. What is a test?
A test or exam is an assessment
intended to measure a test-taker's
knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical
fitness, or classification in many
other topics (e.g., beliefs).

6. What is a test?
A test or exam is an assessment
intended to measure a test-taker's
knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical
fitness, or classification in many
other topics (e.g., beliefs).

7. Testing is not the only way in which information about
people language ability can be gathered , it’s just one
form of assessment.

8. Testing is not the only way in which information about
people language ability can be gathered , it’s just one
form of assessment.
Assessment

9. Testing is not the only way in which information about
people language ability can be gathered , it’s just one
form of assessment.
Assessment

10. Testing is not the only way in which information about
people language ability can be gathered , it’s just one
form of assessment.
Assessment

11. Testing is not the only way in which information about
people language ability can be gathered , it’s just one
form of assessment.
Assessment
is used it to check the
progress of students, to see
how far they have mastered
what they should have
learned, and then use this
information to modify the
future teaching plans.

12. Testing is not the only way in which information about
people language ability can be gathered , it’s just one
form of assessment.
Assessment
is used it to check the is used at the end of
progress of students, to see term, semester, or year
how far they have mastered in order to measure
what they should have what has been achieved
learned, and then use this by groups and by
information to modify the individuals.
future teaching plans.

13. Test or testing system should:

14. Test or testing system should:
consistently provide accurate
measures of precisely the
abilities in which we
are interested.

15. Test or testing system should:
consistently provide accurate
measures of precisely the
abilities in which we
are interested.
have a beneficial effect on teaching.

16. Test or testing system should:
consistently provide accurate
measures of precisely the
abilities in which we
are interested.
have a beneficial effect on teaching.
be economical in terms of time and
money.

17. The Purposes of Testing

18. The Purposes of Testing
To measure language proficiency.

19. The Purposes of Testing
To measure language proficiency.
To discover how successful students have been in
achieving the objectives of a course of study.

20. The Purposes of Testing
To measure language proficiency.
To discover how successful students have been in
achieving the objectives of a course of study.
To diagnose students’ strengths and weaknesses, to
identify what they know and what they don’t know.

21. The Purposes of Testing
To measure language proficiency.
To discover how successful students have been in
achieving the objectives of a course of study.
To diagnose students’ strengths and weaknesses, to
identify what they know and what they don’t know.
To assist placement of students by identifying the stage
or part of a teaching program most appropriate to
their ability.

22. Assessment “Rumors”

23. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is all about test-giving.

24. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is all about test-giving.
Truth: Test-giving is only one of many ways to
assess learning (e.g: discussions, drawing
sketches to illustrate, and role-plays).

25. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is all about test-giving.
Truth: Test-giving is only one of many ways to
assess learning (e.g: discussions, drawing
sketches to illustrate, and role-plays).
Rumor: Assessment is about finding weaknesses.

26. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is all about test-giving.
Truth: Test-giving is only one of many ways to
assess learning (e.g: discussions, drawing
sketches to illustrate, and role-plays).
Rumor: Assessment is about finding weaknesses.
Truth: Assessment can be used also to accentuate
student positives.

27. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is all about test-giving.
Truth: Test-giving is only one of many ways to
assess learning (e.g: discussions, drawing
sketches to illustrate, and role-plays).
Rumor: Assessment is about finding weaknesses.
Truth: Assessment can be used also to accentuate
student positives.
Rumor: Assessment is only for the teacher.

28. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is all about test-giving.
Truth: Test-giving is only one of many ways to
assess learning (e.g: discussions, drawing
sketches to illustrate, and role-plays).
Rumor: Assessment is about finding weaknesses.
Truth: Assessment can be used also to accentuate
student positives.
Rumor: Assessment is only for the teacher.
Truth: Assessment can be used to teach
students how to succeed.

29. Assessment “Rumors”

30. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is an end in itself.

31. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is an end in itself.
Truth: Assessment is not an end in itself, but
the beginning of better instruction.

32. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is an end in itself.
Truth: Assessment is not an end in itself, but
the beginning of better instruction.
Rumor: Assessment is separate from curriculum.

33. Assessment “Rumors”
Rumor: Assessment is an end in itself.
Truth: Assessment is not an end in itself, but
the beginning of better instruction.
Rumor: Assessment is separate from curriculum.
Truth: Assessment is part of the curriculum
design process and both of them are closely
tied to learning goals .

40. Kinds of tests

41. Kinds of tests

42. Kinds of tests

43. Proficiency Test
Achievement Test
Diagnostic Test
Placement Test

44. Proficiency Tests

45. Proficiency Tests
They are designed to measure people’s ability in
language, regardless of any training they may have had in
that language.

46. Achievement
Tests

47. Achievement
Tests
They are directly related to language courses.

48. Achievement
Tests
They are directly related to language courses.

49. Achievement Tests

50. Achievement Tests

51. Achievement Tests
Final Progress
Achievement Achievement
Tests Tests

52. Final Achievement Tests

53. Final Achievement Tests
* They are administered at the end of a course of a
study.
* They may be written by ministries of education,
official examining boards, or by members of
teaching institutions.
* It should be based on syllabus content approach.

54. Final Achievement Tests
* They are administered at the end of a course of a
study.
* They may be written by ministries of education,
official examining boards, or by members of
teaching institutions.
* It should be based on syllabus content approach.
* Disadvantage:If the syllabus is badly designed, or
the books and other materials are badly chosen, the
results of a test can be misleading.

55. Progress Achievement Tests

56. Progress Achievement Tests
* They are intended to measure the progress that
students are making.
* These tests should relate to objectives, since
progress is towards the achievement of course
objectives.

57. Progress Achievement Tests
* They are intended to measure the progress that
students are making.
* These tests should relate to objectives, since
progress is towards the achievement of course
objectives.
In addition to more formal
achievement tests, teachers should
feel free to set their own pop quizzes.

58. Diagnostic
Tests
* They are used to identify learners’ strengths and
weaknesses.
* They are intended primarily to ascertain what learning
still needs to take place.

59. Placement Tests

60. Placement Tests
* They are intended to provide information that will help
students at the stage of the teaching program most
appropriate to their abilities.
* They are used to assign students to classes at different
levels.

61. Activity - 1

62. Direct Indirect
Testing Testing

63. Direct Indirect
Testing Testing
*It requires the candidate
to perform precisely the
skill that we wish to
measure.
* It is easier to carry out
when it is intended to
measure the productive
skills of speaking and
writing.

64. Direct Indirect
Testing Testing
*It requires the candidate
to perform precisely the *It attempts to
skill that we wish to measure the
measure. abilities that
* It is easier to carry out underline the
when it is intended to skills in which
measure the productive we are
skills of speaking and interested .
writing.

65. Direct testing has a number
of attractions:

66. Direct testing has a number
of attractions:
First: It is relatively straightforward to create the conditions
which will elicit the behavior on which to base our
judgements.
Secondly: The assessment and interpretation of students’
performance is also quite straightforward, especially in the
case of the productive skills.
Thirdly: Since practice for the test involves practice of the skills

67. Direct testing has a number
of attractions:
First: It is relatively straightforward to create the conditions
which will elicit the behavior on which to base our
judgements.
Secondly: The assessment and interpretation of students’
performance is also quite straightforward, especially in the
case of the productive skills.
Thirdly: Since practice for the test involves practice of the skills
Semi-direct Testing where candidates for example respond to
tape-recorded stimuli, with their own responses being
recorded and later scored.

68. Discrete
Integrative
point
Testing
Testing

69. Discrete
Integrative
point
Testing
Testing
Testing of one
element at a
time, item by
item.

70. Discrete
Integrative
point
Testing
Testing
Testing of one It requires the
element at a candidates to
time, item by combine many
item. language
elements in the
completion of a
task.

71. Discrete
Integrative
point
Testing
Testing
Testing of one It requires the
element at a candidates to
time, item by combine many
item. language
elements in the
completion of a
task.

72. Discrete
Integrative
point
Testing
Testing
Testing of one It requires the
element at a candidates to
time, item by combine many
item. language
elements in the
*Discrete point tests indirect. completion of a
*Integrative tests direct. task.

73. Norm- Criterion-
referenced referenced
Testing Testing

74. Norm- Criterion-
referenced referenced
Testing Testing
It relates one candidate’s
performance to that of
other candidates.

75. Norm- Criterion-
referenced referenced
Testing Testing
It relates one candidate’s Tests are designed to know
performance to that of what he can actually do in
other candidates. the language.

76. Objective Subjective
Testing Testing

77. Objective Subjective
Testing Testing
* If no judgement
is required on the
part of the scorer.
* Example: short
answers for
questions in
reading passage.

78. Objective Subjective
Testing Testing
* If no judgement * If judgement is
is required on the required on the
part of the scorer. part of the
scorer.
* Example: short
* Example:
answers for
scoring of a
questions in
reading passage. composition.

79. Computer Adaptive Testing

80. Computer Adaptive Testing

81. Computer Adaptive Testing

82. Communicative
Language Testing

83. Communicative
Language Testing

84. Activity - 2

86. References
Al-Mutawa, Najat and Taiseer Al-Kailani (1989). Methods of
Teaching English to Arab Students. Longman, London
Hughes, A. (2003). Testing for language teachers. University
Press, Cambridge.
Tomlinson, C. (2008). Learning to Love Assessment.
Informative Assessment, 65(4), 8-13.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_(assessment)