· Lesson 8 - Evaluation & Testing

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Introduction
In this unit, we will look at different ways of evaluating students’
levels and progress, as well as some of the standard external exams
that you may need to prepare your students.

If you give ongoing feedback, especially if you make the feedback

procedure openly, you will be successful in providing the students
with the information they need to evaluate their level and progress.

Sometimes, however, it is useful to arrange for more formal means of

feedback to take place, and it may be compulsory for the institution
that you are working in.

Testing students before, during, and after a course is extremely

important for many reasons:
Testing:

· Helps you accurately place the students in the appropriate class

level.
· Allows the teacher to evaluate and monitor the students’
progress.
· Helps the students to evaluate their own progress.
· Allows the school to evaluate and monitor the teacher.
· Lets the parents see how their children are progressing.
· Encourages/forces the students to study/review their course
work.
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Tests & Testing

Many teachers prefer to give regular but short tests and then a more extended, formal test
every term. If the students are following a course leading to an external examination, they
are usually eager to do practice tests to get some idea of how close they are to the required
standard and also to get used to the structure of the examination.

Often, this decision will be dictated by the school. If not, then you will have to decide.

Another test that students might take is an achievement test, which is usually an internal test
given at the end of a course e.g., at the end of the school year.

Another option is a proficiency test, which is not course-related but claims to measure
proficiency in English at particular levels, such as the Common European Framework
Levels, which were mentioned in unit 1.

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Tutorials

These can take place with the whole group or with individual students. It is unlikely that you
will have time to conduct different tutorials for every lesson. Still, it might be useful to spend
some time, perhaps the last ten minutes at the end of the week, reviewing the work done,
discussing the aims of the lessons, how well the students performed the tasks, whether
there are any problems, etc.

Evaluation by the students

It can be handy to ask the students to evaluate their course (not the personalities of the
teachers) using a questionnaire or guided discussion. For example, students can be
questioned on how they feel that they are getting enough grammar if the balance of skills
work is right if they think the task is too easy, too difficult, or just right.

The results of the survey can then be discussed, and future lessons considered in the light
of students´ comments. This process promotes genuine interaction, develops a much
greater awareness among students of what is happening in the classroom, and helps you
understand better how they react to what you do. If the students´ English is too weak for this
kind of discussion, in monolingual classes, it is worth doing it in the students´ mother tongue
if possible.

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Placement tests

These tests are designed to enable teachers to place new students into the correct class
according to their language ability. Most schools conduct this type of testing by multiple-
choice questions (to check their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary) and an oral
interview to make sure the student is also able to communicate and participate at the
required level.

These kinds of tests usually start with relatively simple questions and become progressively
more difficult. This should allow the teacher to gauge the language level of the student. In
the written part of the test, it is useful also to include a few general questions that require
more expansive answers, as this will provide more information about the written fluency
level.

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Example of a Placement Test

Here is an example of a written placement test:

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS PLACEMENT TEST

SECTION 1

Please select the correct answer to the following:

1. People ____________ that Italians love to talk a lot.

a) tell b) say c) speak d) are telling

2. Samuel Becket ____________ born in Dublin in 1906.

a) is b) was c) has been d) during

3. The Republic of Ireland has been independent ____________ over seventy years.
a) is b) since c) for d) during

4. Australia ____________ its bicentenary in 1988.

a) celebrated b) has celebrated c) had celebrated d) celebrates

5. Many of our students go to the training centre ____ foot.

a) on b) to c) by d) at

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6. If I ____________ my life to live over, as the song goes, I would do it all over again.
a) have b) had c) would have d) have had

7. “Ah yes”, said the old man. “If I’d had time I ____________ the world.”
a) would see b) saw c) would have seen d) have seen

8. People should get full and truthful ____________ from the media.
a) information b) informations c) informs d) informatics

9. “Is there ____________ there?” said the traveller, knocking on the moonlit door.
a) somebody b) anybody c) a body d) someone

10. We should all work __________ to save our planet from destruction.
a) hard b) hardly c) hardest d) the hardest

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SECTION 2

Please complete the following:

11. I haven’t spoken _____________ ages.

12. I couldn’t understand what he was talking _____________.

13. Where does she come _____________ ?

14. My friends _____________ me it was a good film last night.

15. I always _____________ the same mistakes when I speak English quickly.

16. He can’t do that _____________ himself. He needs assistance.

17. The next train should arrive _____________ a few minutes

18. I met her many years _____________.

19. The word for TWO WEEKS is a _____________.

20. I’m looking _____________ to meeting you.

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SECTION 3

Have you ever been to an English-speaking country before?

If so, please give brief details. If not, write about a travel experience that you have had:

SECTION 4

And finally, please continue the following in no less than fifty words.
"I need to improve my knowledge of English because..."

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Progress & Diagnostic Tests

Progress tests should be used periodically to gauge what language has been remembered
or acquired and what language has been forgotten. These tests are useful to let teachers
and students know what language items need more work. Such tests also tend to encourage
students to review and revise, which is never a bad thing!

Progress tests should include a balance of all four skills (reading, writing, speaking, and
listening) as well as grammar and vocabulary that have been covered. Please note that
progress tests should only include language items covered within the prescribed period.

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Some schools keep progress tests on file to match topics and language from the course
books in use. Otherwise, progress tests can often be taken from the relevant teacher’s
manual. If neither of these options is available, the teacher will have to devise a test.
Activities for tests can often be unused exercises taken from the workbook or other resource
books.

Many teachers are not in favor of formal testing, as it is often more of a test of memory than
actual knowledge. Such teachers believe that as they see the students regularly, they can
measure their progress through ongoing observation in the classroom. Even if you agree
with this viewpoint, it is a fact that most schools will require you to test the students as well
as formally.

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Diagnostic tests

Diagnostic tests are similar in content to placement tests and are sometimes more
extensive. They are given at the start of the course to see what the students already know
and to help the teacher prepare lessons and materials that will enable students to work on
the areas of difficulty identified by the test.

Practice tests

Practice tests should follow the format and structure of the external examination. Some of
the most common external exams are given on the following page.

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TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language

This is an American English exam that is required by most US universities for admission
purposes if the prospective student is a non-native speaker of English. This test is virtually
all multiple choice (writing paper excepted) and covers grammar, vocabulary, reading,
writing, listening, and speaking.

The TOEFL exam is one test for all levels, either on paper or Internet-based.
A student doesn’t pass or fail, but gets a final score, which equates to his/her level. The
score that universities require varies, but the score requirements range from 133 to 250
(Internet-based) or 450 to 600 (paper-based).

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Cambridge Exams

There are a number of different categories of Cambridge exams:

General English Tests

KET (Key English Test)

An elementary level exam, testing the students’ ability to deal with basic written and spoken
communications.

PET (Preliminary English Test)

An intermediate level exam, testing their ability to cope with everyday written
and spoken communications.

FCE (First Certificate in English)

An upper intermediate level exam, designed for students who can deal confidently with a
range of written and spoken communications.

CAE (Certificate in Advanced English)

An advanced exam, for a student who can communicate with confidence in English for work
or study purposes. Often the minimum entrance level to UK universities for non-native
speakers of English.

CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English)

A very advanced level exam, for students who have achieved a high level of language skills
and are able to function effectively in almost any English speaking context.

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Skills-based assessment

CELS (Certificates in English Language Skills)

These certificates provide modular assessment of English language skills and are intended
for students who don’t need to achieve the same level across all four skills (listening,
reading, writing, speaking).

Certificates in ESOL Skills for Life

These certificates provide flexible assessment of ESOL learners in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland and are fully based on the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum.

Business English

BEC (Business English Certificates)

A suite of three exams, designed to test English language ability used in the context of
business, designed for students who are learning English in preparation for a career in
business.

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BULATS (Business Language Testing Service)
A multilingual assessment service for companies that require a rapid, accurate means of
assessing language skills in English, French, German and Spanish.

Academic English

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

The ideal test if a student needs to study or work where English is the language of
communication, IELTS is recognized by universities and colleges, employers, immigration
authorities, and professional bodies.

There are many other external examinations. Some focus on testing integrated skills, as in
the Edexcel London Tests of English, while others focus on just one skill, such as the Trinity
exams in spoken English. Other examinations which are conducted on a wide scale
internationally are the University of Michigan Proficiency in English examination and the
Pitman (London) examinations in all four skills.

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Conclusion

It is often appropriate to give tests at different stages of a course; at the start, your students
may be given a placement test to assist the formation of groups of students at the same
level, or a diagnostic test, which is designed to tell you and the students what they do and
don’t know at the beginning of a course.

Teachers often give a periodic progress test on the work covered. This can be in the form of
a formal written test or a more informal group activity, even a game, as long as it gives
information to both you and the student as to how they are progressing. These tests may be
every week, month, term, or after a certain amount of the course book has been covered.

You may sometimes hear of radical teachers or academics proclaiming that test/exams
place too much pressure on students to do well and also pressure teachers into doctoring
exam papers or pre-teaching tests to produce favorable results. This is just a poor excuse
from poor teachers who either don’t want to be held accountable or are looking for a
manageable workload.

Whatever your view, continuous testing is one of the main components essential to the
teaching and learning process.

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Instructions:
Well done. You have just completed Lesson 8 of your TEFL course.
Please now return to your TEFL home page to register for the Lesson 8 Quiz and assignment.

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