DELTA Module 1 Exam - Testing Terminology
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1. Advantages 1. Meets learners expectations - it's often what
of Tests they are used to and expect. Thus they see the
relevance.
2. It informs the teacher of teaching practices.
3. Less record-keeping than continuous
assessment.
4. A concrete record of student performance
rather than an impression based on informal
assessment.
2. Analytical D: Dividing skills into various components and
Scale awarding marks for each category.
EG: Component: Range and Accuracy of
Grammar.
FP: Used for speaking and writing assessments.
3. Barrier D: Designed to differentiate students in their
Tests ability and therefore suitability for a particular
course.
EG: SAT tests in the USA.
FP: A certain score is often needed on these tests
for course entry.
4. Can-Do D: Descriptors reflecting language use/ability
Statements rather than what learners simply 'know' about a
language.
EG: I can express myself fluently and
spontaneously in social situations without much
obvious searching for words.
FP: Used to dictate levels and ability for levels at
many language teaching organizations.
5. Closed D: Requires learners to provide a specific piece of
Question information for completion.
Type EG: Sentence matching multiple choice.
6. Cloze Test D: A test where words are deleted from a text at
regular intervals leaving blanks for the learner to
fill.
EG: Use of English Paper CAE.
FP: Originally every 7th word was deleted.
7. Concurrent D: When the test and the criteria are established
Validity at the same time.
EG: 30 minutes for a speaking test to allow
enough time to cover all speaking skills listed in
the criteria.
FP: Establishes a pace for the test.
8. Content D: The degree to which a test is a representative
Validity sample of the content of whatever objectives or
specifications the test was originally designed to
measure - a test testing what it is supposed to
test.
EG: Teacher-made progress test.
FP: Helps avoid testing only what is easy to test.
Focuses on what is important to test.
9. Content D: The contents are a representative sample
Validity of the language, skills and structures with
which it is meant to be concerned.
EG: End of unit test in a course book covering
unit grammar point(s).
FP: Content depends on the purpose of the
test.
10. Diagnostic D: Used to identify a learner's strengths and
Test weaknesses at the beginning of a course.
EG: Writing task for EAP - Letter of
introduction to the teacher.
FP: Informs the teacher of what learning
needs to take place.
11. Direct Test D: Requires the taker to perform precisely
the skill the test wishes to measure.
EG: Speaking skills: An interview or role-play.
FP: Cannot be used to measure integrated
skills.
12. Disadvantages 1. Difficult to make tests reliable - they are
of Tests usually designed for a specific class by
teachers.
2. Many tests are flawed as they are written
by teachers who have little specialist
knowledge or experience with test design.
3. Learners can have 'off days' so the test
may not reflect true ability.
4. Some learners never perform well on tests
- it's not a full picture of their
work/skills/ability.
5. Tests may create negative backwash and
thus teachers do not focus on learners'
needs.
6. Learners may only focus on final test if that
is what counts.
13. Discrete Item D: Tests the knowledge of individual
Test language items at one time.
EG: Gap-fill for dependent prepositions.
FP: Usually objective tests/scoring - only one
correct answer.
14. Face Validity D: A test has this if it looks like and tests what
it is meant to.
EG: A pronunciation test without a speaking
element lacks this.
FP: It doesn't guarantee reliability.
15. Formal D: There are specific occasions for testing and
Assessment specific tasks which are assessed.
EG: DELTA Module 1 Exam
FP: Scored on a predetermined mark
scheme.
16. Formative D: Used to check on the progress of learners to 25. Placement D: Provides information that will help place and
(Progress) see how far they have mastered what has been Test assign students to a level.
Test taught on the course. EG: ILA test at the British Council
EG: Progress/Unit tests in Cutting Edge course FP: Usually includes a grammar, reading,
books. vocabulary, writing and speaking component.
FP: Informs both the teacher and learner of 26. Pos/Neg D: The effect of testing on teaching and learning
further learning needs and consolidation
Backwash - teaching primarily to a test. The teacher's
before moving on with the course.
(Washback) methodology is to teach to the test.
17. Holistic D: Uses specified descriptors for marking. EG: Exam preparation courses
Scale EG: Band descriptors. FP: A diagnostic test can never have negative
________.
18. Holistic D: Where a single score is assigned to writing or
Two types of _______: overt and covert
Scoring speaking based on a global impressionistic
assessment of the learner's performance. 27. Predictive D: The degree to which a test can provide
EG: IELTS band descriptors for speaking and Validity information on a candidate's future ability and
writing. performance.
FP: Subjective - the marker uses their own EG: Academic IELTS
judgement. FP: Can be skewed by intended course of study
- an FCE test cannot accurately predict how well
19. Indirect D: attempts to test the abilities that underlie a
a medical student will perform at medical school.
Test certain skill in which the tester is interested.
EG: Asking learners to identify inappropriate 28. Proficiency D: Focuses on what learners are capable of
formal language in a range of examples. Test doing in a foreign language regardless of the
teaching program; used to assess whether test-
20. Informal D: Assessing on the basis of the teacher's
takers meet a general standard.
Assessment impression of what the learner does or doesn't
EG: CAE Exam
do in class or in homework assignments.
FP: Often set by external exam bodies.
EG: Ability to understand instructions given in
class. 29. Scorer D: Different markers or scorers giving the same
FP: Very subjective. Reliability marks to the same test.
EG: Multiple choice tests where there is only one
21. Integrative D: Requires the taker to combine many
correct answer.
Tests different language elements to complete the
FP: To improve this, criteria is useful as are
test/tasks.
standardization/norming meetings.
EG: TOEFL Test
FP: Often disregarded by linguists as being 30. Subjective D: Scoring which includes the personal
most useful only for advanced learners. Marking judgement of the marker.
EG: Speaking tests for Cambridge Main Suite
22. Norm D: Marking that assesses one candidate's
Exams
Referencing performance in relation to the cohorts
FP: Time consuming to mark.
performance in that specific test.
EG: DELTA Module 1 Exam 31. Summative D: Given at the end of a course to see how much
(Final) Test has been learned; establishes to what extent
23. Objective D: Does not include the personal judgement of
the course objectives have been met.
Marking the marker.
EG: Final exam
EG: A discrete item test.
FP: Directly related to language course taken.
FP: Quick to mark.
32. Test D: If the same students with the same
24. Open D: Questions that put fewer restrictions on the
Reliability knowledge level took the same test at a different
Question learner; can choose the items with which they
time, the results would more or less be the
Type complete the test.
same.
EG: Writing tasks for Cambridge Main Suite
EG: CPE Test
Exams
FP: The closer the results the more ______ the
FP: Rubrics may specify certain criteria but
test is said to be.
takers still have a choice in which language
items to use for the task.