Grammar
be-statements, y/n, iwq 10 10 10 11 16 w5 w5 w5 w9 12 13 13 13 16 w7 w7 w7 17 19% 5.7 6
a/an 19 19 19 19 26 w10 w11 w11 8 9% 2.7 3
possessive nouns-'s and s' 22 22 22 22 26 w12 w12 w13 8 9% 2.7 3
present-statements, y/n, iwq 28 28 28 28 36 w16 w16 w16 31 31 31 31 36 w18 w18 w18 16 18% 5.3 5
frequency adverbs 39 39 39 39 46 w22 w22 w22 8 9% 2.7 3
clauses with until, before, after 42 42 42 42 46 w25 w25 7 8% 2.3 2
there is/there are with some, any, several, a lot, many 48 48 49 49 w28 w28
6 7% 2.0 2
should 51 51 51 51 w30 w30 w30 7 8% 2.3 2
present progressive vs simple present and vs simple present 59 59 59 59 62 63 63 63 w34 w34 w35 w36 w37
13 14% 4.3 4
90
Vocabulary
useful questions 9 9 16 w4 w4 5 7% 0.7
ordinal numbers 12 12 16 w7 w7 w7 w9 7 10% 1.0 1
occupations 18 18 18 18 26 w10 w10 7 10% 1.0 1
family members 20 20 20 26 w11 w11 6 9% 0.9 1
free time activities 30 31 36 w17 w20 w21 6 9% 0.9 1
personality adjectives 32 33 33 36 w19 w19 w20 7 10% 1.0 1
telling time 38 38 38 46 w22 w22 6 9% 0.9 1
prep of time 41 41 41 46 w23 w23 w24 7 10% 1.0 1
places and attractions in a city 49 49 w28 w28 w29 5 7% 0.7 1
locations and directions 52 52 w31 w31 w31 5 7% 0.7 1
lifestyle adjectives 58 58 w34 w34 4 6% 0.6
a green lifestyle 62 62 62 w36 w36 5 7% 0.7 1
70
Reading
*recognizing cognates 8 w4
celebrity bio 21 21 21
*recognizing cognates 29 29 w17 w17
a magazine article 38 38
*Reading for the main idea 50 50 50 w29
Reading personal profiles 58 58
Writing
completing a form 8
*understanding the mechanics 23 23 w13 w13
about self and interests 33 33 33 33
*understanding the mechanics 43 43 43 43 43 w25 w25
Writing an e-mail 53 53
*writing simple sentences 63 63 63 w37
Listening
voicemail message 13 13
*for specific info 20 21 21 w12 w12
a radio show 30 30 30
*for specific information 40 40 40 w23 w23 w23
Listening to a news report 48 48 48
*listening for numerical information 60 60 60 60 w35
Speaking
*using polite language 11 11 w6 w6
talking about family 23 23 23
*asking for opinions 32 32 32 w19
about interesting activities 41 41 41
*Repeating directions to check understanding 53 53 w31 w31
Talking to an old friend 61 61
Audio/Video
• Use your webcam. If it gets too slow, I’ll disable you.
• If you want to say anything, raise your hand (on the screen-‐-‐between list of parAcipants and chat). I’ll give you the mike.
• Try to use the chat, except for long quesAons.
What is an exam secAon?
• A certain number of items testing the same skill / aspect
• To be communicative, they should be written as a conversation, note, letter, or some “real” type of discourse
• Isolated sentences are difficult to contextualize and don’t represent real communication
Determining secAons
• You can combine point values within the same aspect.
• You can divide point values between two sections
• You shouldn’t combine point values across aspects / skills…the testing methods are different.
Combining point values within the same aspect.
Vocabulary (8 points) • Family relationships 2.5 • Describing people 0.5 • say tell ask 1 • Phrasal verbs 2 • Every day expressions 2
Dividing point values between two sections
Vocabulary (8 points) • Family relaAonships 2.5 • Describing people 0.5 • say tell ask 1 • Phrasal verbs 2 • Every day expressions 2
Accuracy and Fluency
• Fluency (Communication) – The ability to produce written and / or
spoken language with ease – Communicate ideas effectively
• Accuracy – Ability to produce grammatically
correct sentences
ProducAon and RecogniAon
• Production – Student writes more than one word – Can be creative / involves more “mental” work – More than one answer may be possible
• Recognition – Student recognizes correct answer – Not creative – Only one correct answer
ObjecAve and SubjecAve SecAons
• Objective – There is only one answer – Anyone can correct the exam – No surprises – No argument from students
• Subjective – There is more than one possible answer – Corrector must be trained and experienced – There can be surprises – Students can protest grading
I. It is 48 B. C. Julius Caesar is in Alexandria, Egypt. He‘s at a hotel. Complete the conversation. ( 5pts, 1 ea)Clerk: Good afternoon.Caesar: Good afternoon. I’d like a room.Clerk: Fine. (1) ________________________?Caesar: Caesar.Clerk: (2) _____________________________?Caesar: C-A-E-S-A-R.
Clerk: (3) __________________________?Caesar: Julius.Clerk: (4) ___________________________?Caesar: Rome.Clerk: (5) ___________________________?Caesar: No, I’m not on vacation. It’s a business trip.
• Grammar / Vocabulary / Functions?
• Accuracy or fluency?
• Production or recognition?
• Subjective or objective?
III. They continue talking. Circle the correct sentences to complete the conversation. ( 3 pts, .5 each)Caesar: Where do you work?Cleopatra: I work for the people of Egypt at the palace.
Caesar: (1) (a) Really? (b) OK. (c) No, you don’t.
(2) (a) Where do you work? (b) What do you do there? (c) Where do you do?Cleopatra: I help people and I look beautiful.
Caesar: (3) (a) How do you work? (b) What do you live? (c) How do you spend your day?Cleopatra: I work in the palace.
Caesar: (4) (a) What do you like? (b) How do you like your job? (c) How do you do?
Cleopatra: (5) (a) I love it. (b) I don’t do it. (c) It’s at work.
(6) (a) It’s boring. (b) It’s great. (c) It’s late.
• Grammar / Vocabulary / Functions?
• Accuracy or fluency?
• Production or recognition?
• Subjective or objective?
IV. Now Cleo has some questions for Julius. Write the correct present tense forms of the verbs inparentheses. NEG. = Negative. ( 4 points, .5 each)Cleopatra: Tell me about you. What (1) ________ you _________ (do)?
Caesar: I (2) ______________ (work) for Rome. I (3) ______________ (represent) the
Senate and I work with Mark Anthony. He (4) ______________ (do) the difficult
work.
He (5)______________ (like) politics. I (6) ______________ (like-NEG.) politics.
I’m a general. I love to conquer nations. Mark Anthony (7) ____________ ( go-
NEG.) to war
very often. He (8) _______________ (like-NEG.) it.
• Grammar / Vocabulary / Functions?
• Accuracy or fluency?
• Production or recognition?
• Subjective or objective?
V. Julius wants to buy some things. Cleo goes to the hotel store with him. Complete the conversation.Use the words in parentheses. NEG. = Negative. ( 7 points, 1 each)Caesar: Look (1) _______________________________ (earrings), Cleo.
Cleopatra: (2) _________________________ (which)? Those red ones? They’re very big.
Caesar: No, (3) _______________________________ (yellow).
Cleopatra: Oh, I don’t like them. (4) ________________________ (yellow/good color-NEG.)
for me.
Caesar: I (5) _______________________________ (prefer/green)
Cleopatra: Excuse me, Miss. (6) _______________________________ (how much)?Salesperson: They’re 50 pieces of gold.
Caesar: 50!!! (7) _______________________________ (expensive).
• Grammar / Vocabulary / Functions?
• Accuracy or fluency?
• Production or recognition?
• Subjective or objective?
VII. Write the correct words from the box. You can repeat words. ( 6 points, .5 each)which nicer how much good those ones one nice what kind better that thisCaesar: (1) _______________ bracelet over there is nice.
Cleopatra: (2) _______________ (3) _______________?Caesar: The bracelet on that table.
Cleopatra: I prefer the (4) _______________ on (5) _______________ table here. It’s moreattractive. Hmmm. There’s no price tag.
Caesar: Excuse me, (6) _______________ is (7) _______________ bracelet here?
Clerk: It’s 100 pieces of gold. (8) _______________ big ones over there are cheaper.
Caesar: (9) ___________________ of metal is it?Clerk: It’s silver.Cleopatra: Silver is (10) _______________ than gold.Caesar: I don’t know. I like gold (11) __________________. Give me a gold (12)
____________.
• Grammar / Vocabulary / Functions?
• Accuracy or fluency?
• Production or recognition?
• Subjective or objective?
VIII. Julius invites Cleo dancing. Put this conversation in order. Write the sentences. ( 5 pts,1 ea)Yes, I like dancing a lot. What time should we leave?Thanks, I’d love to. Do you like to dance, Cleo?Would you like to go to a disco with me tonight.Caesar: (1) _____________________________________________________________?
Cleopatra: (2) _____________________________________________________________.
Caesar: (3) _____________________________________________________________?
Cleopatra: (4) _____________________________________________________________.
(5) _____________________________________________________________?Caesar: I’ll pick you up at 10.
• Grammar / Vocabulary / Functions?
• Accuracy or fluency?
• Production or recognition?
• Subjective or objective?
Point Values
• Give more points to… – Production items
• Give fewer points to… – Recognition items
• Give partial credit in – Fluency / Production sections
• Use fractions only if users are matematical
Cloze-‐type secAons • Write words or phrases from a box
• Write the correct forms of verbs, comparaAves, etc.
• Even Complete the ConversaAon
True Cloze A cloze test is a special type of fill-in
exercise where, for example, every 5th word in a paragraph of about 150 words is deleted. (It could be every 6th word, or every 7th word, and so on.)
Boxes • In these secAons, students are given a text with certain words omiYed
• The omiYed words / phrases (and perhaps some distractors) are put in a box at the top or side of the text
• More difficult if extra opAons are supplied • The student completes the “Cloze” exercise with the words presented
• Can be used with grammar, vocabulary or funcAons (chunks)
VII. Write the correct words from the box. You can repeat words. ( 6 points, .5 each) which nicer how much good those ones one nice what kind better that this Caesar: (1) _______________ bracelet over there is nice.
Cleopatra: (2) _______________ (3) _______________? Caesar: The bracelet on that table.
Cleopatra: I prefer the (4) _______________ on (5) _______________ table here. It’s more attractive. Hmmm. There’s no price tag.
Caesar: Excuse me, (6) _______________ is (7) _______________ bracelet here?
Clerk: It’s 100 pieces of gold. (8) _______________ big ones over there are cheaper.
Caesar: (9) ___________________ of metal is it? Clerk: It’s silver. Cleopatra: Silver is (10) _______________ than gold. Caesar: I don’t know. I like gold (11) __________________. Give me a gold (12)
____________.
Fill in the blank A set of sentences or a text which has blanks in it for the
students to complete with the correct or appropriate word. Example: He walked _____ school.
He ______ (walk) to school.
Fill-‐in-‐the blank exercises are a good way of reinforcing new grammar and vocabulary.
Also called: fill-‐in the gap, fill-‐in
IV. Now Cleo has some questions for Julius. Write the correct present tense forms of the verbs inparentheses. NEG. = Negative. ( 4 points, .5 each)Cleopatra: Tell me about you. What (1) ________ you _________ (do)?
Caesar: I (2) ______________ (work) for Rome. I (3) ______________ (represent) the
Senate and I work with Mark Anthony. He (4) ______________ (do) the difficult
work.
He (5)______________ (like) politics. I (6) ______________ (like-NEG.) politics.
I’m a general. I love to conquer nations. Mark Anthony (7) ____________ ( go-
NEG.) to war
very often. He (8) _______________ (like-NEG.) it.
Ordering: text and sentence • WriAng a text in order (paragraph, story, conversaAon) – evaluates the student’s ability to recognize discourse cues (pronouns, connectors, chunks, etc.)
• WriAng a sentence in the correct order – evaluates a students knowledge of syntax, which is considered part of grammar.
cream / I / ice / like
VIII. Julius invites Cleo dancing. Put this conversation in order. Write the sentences. ( 5 pts,1 ea)Yes, I like dancing a lot. What time should we leave?Thanks, I’d love to. Do you like to dance, Cleo?Would you like to go to a disco with me tonight.Caesar: (1) _____________________________________________________________?
Cleopatra: (2) _____________________________________________________________.
Caesar: (3) _____________________________________________________________?
Cleopatra: (4) _____________________________________________________________.
(5) _____________________________________________________________?Caesar: I’ll pick you up at 10.
TesAng Reading and Listening
• Three formats are commonly used: – T/ F – Multiple Choice (also used in grammar/
vocabulary and functions) – Answer questions with full sentences or
short answers
True / False Advantages: • Can test large amounts of content
– Students can answer 3-4 questions per minute
Disadvantages: • They are easy
– Students have a 50-50 chance of getting the right answer by guessing
– It is difficult to discriminate between students that know the material and students who don't
• Need a large number of items for high reliability
Designing Test Questions, Grayson H. Walker Teaching Resource Center, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/Assessment/test-questions.html
Tips for Wri1ng Good True/False items
• Avoid double negatives. • Avoid long/complex sentences. • Use specific determinants with caution:
– never, only, all, none, always, could, might, can, may, sometimes, generally, some, few.
• Use only one central idea in each item; don't emphasize the trivial.
• Don't lift items straight from the text. • Make more false than true (60/40).
– (Students are more likely to answer true.)
HOW TO “SAVE” A T/F SECTION…
• Add a third option – “Not mentioned”
• OR
• Have student correct F answers
• But only if students have practiced this version in the textbook
MulAple Choice • Parts of question
– Stem – Options – Distractors
1. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX?
a. YYYYYYYYY
b. ZZZZZZZZ
c. AAAAAAAA
{{Correct answer
Stems 1. Before writing, identify the one point to be
tested by that item. 2. The stem should either be an incomplete
statement or a direct question 3. Don’t include words that do not contribute
to the basis for choosing among the options. For example,
The American flag has three colors. One of them is (1) red (2) green (3) black
vs. One of the colors of the American flag is (1)
red (2) green (3) black
Kehoe, Jerard. WriAng MulAple-‐Choice Test Items. ERIC/AE Digest Series EDO-‐TM-‐95-‐3, October 1995. hYp://www.ericdigests.org/1997-‐1/test.html
4. Include as much information in the stem and as little in the options as possible.
5. Restrict the use of negatives in the stem. Negatives in the stem usually require that the answer be a false statement.
6. Avoid irrelevant clues to the correct option. Grammatical construction
OpAons (Kehoe) 1. Use three or four options. 2. Construct distractors that are
comparable in --length --complexity --grammatical form
3. After the options are written, vary the location of the answer randomly.
Ordering MulAple Choice Items
Numerical a. 1939 b. 1940 c. 1941 d. 1942
Burton, Steven J. Richard R. Sudweeks, Paul F. Merrill, Bud Wood. How to Prepare Better Multiple-Choice Test Items: Guidelines for University Faculty, Brigham Young University Testing Services and The Department of Instructional Science. 1991. http://testing.byu.edu/info/handbooks/betteritems.pdf
Sequential a. Heating ice from -100°C to
0°C. b. Melting ice at 0°C. c. Heating water from 0°C to
100°C. d. Evaporating water at
100°C. e. Heating steam from 100°C
to 200°C. AlphabeAcal
a. Changing a from .01 to .05. b. Decreasing the degrees of freedom. c. Increasing the spread of the exam scores. d. Reducing the size of the treatment effect.
Aier the opAons are wriYen, vary the locaAon of the answer randomly.
1. California: a. Contains the tallest mountain in the
United States b. Has an eagle on its state flag. c. Is the second largest state in terms of area. *d. Was the location of the Gold Rush of 1849. 2. If the pressure of a certain amount of gas is
held constant, what will happen if its volume is increased?
a. The temperature of the gas will decrease. *b. The temperature of the gas will increase. c. The temperature of the gas will remain the
same.
3. Suppose you are a mathematics professor who wants to determine whether or not your teaching of the unit on probability has had a significant effect on your students. You decide to analyze their scores from a test they took before the instruction and their scores from another exam taken after the instruction. Which of the following t-tests is appropriate to use in this situation?
*a. Dependent samples. b. Heterogeneous samples. c. Homogeneous samples. d. Independent samples. 4. The term hypothesis, as used in research, as defined as: a. A conception or proposition formed by speculation or deduction or by
abstraction and generalization from facts, explaining or relating an observed set of facts, given probability by experimental evidence or by factual or conceptual analysis but not conclusively established or accepted.
b. A statement of an order or relation of phenomena that so far as is known is invariable under the given conditions, formulated on the basis of conclusive evidence or tests and universally accepted, that has been tested and proven to conform to facts.
*c. A proposition tentatively assumed in order to draw out its logical or empirical consequences and so test its accord with facts that are known or may be determined, of such a nature as to be either proved or disproved by comparison with observed facts.
5. How long does an annual plant generally live?
*a. It dies after the first year. b. It lives for many years. c. It lives for more than one year. *d. It needs to be replanted each year. 6. A word used to describe a noun is
called an: *a. Adjective. b. Conjunction. c. Pronoun. d. Verb.
7. Which of the following would do the most to promote the application of nuclear discoveries to medicine?
a. Trained radioactive therapy specialists. *b. Developing standardized techniques for treatment of patients. c. Do not place restrictions on the use of radioactive substances. d. If the average doctor is trained to apply radioactive treatments. 8. You have just spent ten minutes trying to teach one of your new
employees how to change a typewriter ribbon. The employee is still having a great deal of difficulty changing the ribbon, even though you have always found it simple to do. At this point, you should:
a. Tell the employee to ask an experienced employee working nearby to change the ribbon in the future.
b. Tell the employee that you never found this difficult, and ask what he or she finds difficult about it.
*c. Review each of the steps you have already explained, and determine whether the employee understands them.
d. Tell the employee that you will continue teaching him or her later, because you are becoming irritable.
9. Which of the following is the best indication of high morale in a supervisor’s unit?
a. The employees are rarely required to work overtime.
*b. The employees are willing to give first priority to attaining group objectives, subordinating any personal desires they may have.
c. The supervisor enjoys staying late to plan the next day.
d. The unit gives expensive birthday presents to each other.
Answering quesAons
• Hard text, easy quesAons // Easy text, hard quesAons
• Beginning levels—short answers…a few words • Higher levels– can be longer or require some synthesis and opinion
• A good kind of acAvity for higher points
Point Values
If opAons are 1 or 2 points per item in a secAon: 1 point-‐Box, cloze, T/F, mulAple choice (recogniAon) 2 points-‐complex cloze (verb tense plus word order for example), quesAons (producAon), complete the conversaAon