THE ESSAY-TRANSLATION THE STRUCTURALIST APPROACH THE INTEGRATIVE APPROACH THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

APPROACH
Characteristics Is referred to as the pre- Is characterized by the view that This approach involves the testing of The communicative approach to language
scientific stage of language language learning is chiefly concerned language in context and is thus testing is sometimes linked t the integrative
testing. with the systematic acquisition of a set concerned primarily with meaning approach.
of habits. and the total communicative effect of Communicative tests should be based on
discourse. precise and detailed specifications of the
needs of the learners for whom they are
constructed.

Main points Measure the learner’s mastery of the Integrative tests are concerned with a Language “use” is often emphasized to the
Subjective judgment of separate elements of the target global view of proficiency. exclusion of language “usage”. “Usage” is
teacher is important. language: phonology, vocabulary and concerned with how people actually use
grammar. language for a multitude of different
purposes while “usage” concerns the formal
patterns of language.

Tests Consist of essay writing,
translation and grammatical
analysis.
Tests also have a heavy
literary and cultural bias.
Psychometrics have been able to show Tests are designed to assess the Communicative tests are concerned primarily
clearly that such traditional learner’s ability to use two or more with how language is used in communication,
examinations as essay writing are skills simultaneously. to incorporate tasks which approximate as
highly subjective and unreliable. Integrative tests are best closely as possible to those facing the
There is still limited use for multiple- characterized by the use of cloze students in real life.
choice items. testing and of dictation. Some tests of communicative nature include
the testing of usage and also assess ability to
handle the formal patterns of the target
language.

Skills No special skill The skills of listening, speaking, reading Integrative tests no seek to separate The attempt to measure different language
and writing are also separated from language skills into neat divisions in skills in communicative tests is based on a
one another as much as possible order to improve test reliability. view of language referred to as the divisibility
because is considered essential to test hypothesis.
one thing at a time.