Assessment and Testing

Assessment is a broader term that refers to the ongoing process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting information
to understand and improve a learner’s progress, skills, and performance via multiple methods and tools. The purpose
of assessment is not just to evaluate but also to guide instruction, identify strengths and weaknesses, and support
decision-making for both students and educators. It is continuous, formative, diagnostic and holistic. Example: A
teacher observes a student’s participation during class discussions, reviews their assignments over time, and provides
feedback to improve writing skills.

Testing is a specific type of assessment that usually refers to a formal, structured method of evaluating a student’s
knowledge or skills at a particular point in time, and provide a quantifiable result, such as a score or grade. It is
typically more limited in scope and purpose than assessment. It is formal, summative, and time-bound. Example:
A final exam given at the end of a semester to measure how much the student has learned and assign a grade.
In summary, assessment is an ongoing process that provides insights and guidance for learning, while testing is a
formal method used to measure specific knowledge or skills at a particular time.

AIMS OF TESTS
There are six main reasons for testing which give rise to four categories of tests:
1. To determine readiness for instruction
Some tests aim at distinguishing between learners who are prepared for instruction and those who are not. Based on
the results of such tests, learners will either pass or fail, but the degree of success or failure in not important. This is
exactly the aim of entrance tests which are administered prior to registration for a course.
2. To place learners in appropriate classes
These tests aim at placing students in the right class in a school. They are usually based on syllabuses and materials
the students will follow and use once their level has been decided on. They test various levels of proficiency such as
grammar and vocabulary and assess students' productive and receptive skills. There is no pass or fail system as all the
learners will pass them.
3. To diagnose specific strengths and weaknesses
Differently from placement tests, designed to assess a student's English is in relation to a previously agreed system
of levels, diagnostic tests can be used to expose learners' difficulties, gaps in their knowledge, and skill deficiencies
during a course. Thus when the problems are known, something can be done about them.
4. To measure the extent of learners' achievement
This type of tests is designed to measure learners' language and skill progress in relation to the syllabus they have
been following. The aim is finding out to which extent the learners have achieved the set objectives of the course.
The marks given reveal the success or failure of the learners to achieve those objectives.
5. To measure the effectiveness of instruction
They do not evaluate the learners, but through them it is possible to evaluate the efficiency of the teaching-learning
process in terms of the teachers' competence, materials and methods efficiency and the teaching/learning
environment in general.
6. To measure aptitude for learning
They aim at assessing the learners' potential in learning. They apply to special cases of young learners with problems
of learning in order to find out whether they can learn or to discover the talents of gifted learners.

CATEGORIES OF TESTS
Tests can be categorized based on their purpose as follows:
1. Diagnostic Tests identify learners' strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in knowledge before instruction. They are used
at the beginning of a course or unit. Example: A grammar diagnostic test to determine which aspects of grammar
need more focus.
2. Placement Tests assign learners to appropriate levels or groups based on their current abilities. They are used
before joining a program or class. Example: A language placement test to sort students into beginner, intermediate, or
advanced levels.
3. Achievement Tests measure learners' progress or mastery of material taught in a specific course or curriculum.
They are used at the end of a course, term, or unit. Example: A final exam in an English course covering all the units
taught.
4. Proficiency Tests assess overall language or skill proficiency, independent of a specific course or curriculum.
They are used for certification, job applications, or university admissions. Example: TOEFL, IELTS, or CEFR exams
for assessing general English proficiency.
5. Aptitude Tests predict a learner’s ability to succeed in a specific field or skill. They are used during admission or
recruitment processes. Example: Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) to predict success in language learning.
6. Formative Tests provide ongoing feedback to improve learning and teaching during the instructional process.
They are used continuously throughout a course. Example: Weekly quizzes to monitor progress in vocabulary
acquisition.
7. Summative Tests evaluate overall achievement at the end of an instructional period. They are used at the
conclusion of a course or program. Example: End-of-year standardized exams.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TEST

In order to judge the effectiveness of any test, it is sensible to establish some criteria against which the test can be
measured.
1. Validity
A test is valid if it tests what it is supposed to test. For example, a grammar test should assess grammar, not reading
comprehension or general knowledge.
Validity is divided into:
a- Face validity: A particular kind of validity is ' face validity'. This means that the test should look, on the 'face' of
it, as if it is valid. A test which consists of only three multiple choice items would not convince students of its face
validity.
b. Content validity: A test has content validity if it samples adequately the content of the subject matter. The test has
to be adequate in terms of number and importance of the points it covers in relation to the course.
The number of points covered by the test has to correspond to an acceptable percentage of the course.
c. Construct validity: A test has construct validity if its results align with those obtained in other established tests.
This type of validity is applicable to new tests.
2. Reliability
A good test should give consistent results over time and across different groups of test-takers. For example, if the same
group of students took the same test twice within two days they should get the same results on each occasion. Reliability
is related to two aspects :
 Consistency in the scores in the sense that the scores are the same if the test is given any day of the week and
the conditions in which it was given are normal.
 Consistency in terms of the scorer in the sense that the scores are approximately the same if the test is scored
by different scorers independently.
Reliability is often affected by the test conditions, students’ motivation to take this particular test, illness or personal
problems, adequacy of sampling of the tasks. But, more importantly reliability can be enhanced by making the test
questions/instructions absolutely clear and unambiguous
3 Practicality :A test is practical when it is easy to design (within the available resources e.g. cost-effective materials),
administer (all the conditions necessary for it are existent), and easy to score (within the possible time and capacity of
the scorer).
4. Difficulty
The test questions should be appropriate in difficulty, neither too hard, nor too easy. Moreover, the questions should
be progressive in difficulty in order to reduce stress and tension.

TYPES OF LANGUAGE TESTS

Tests can be categorized based on the format of questions or the response types they require. Here are the main types:

1. Objective Tests
Objective tests have predetermined correct answers, allowing for consistent and automated scoring. They primarily
assess recognition, recall, and comprehension. Examples are
 a) Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs): A question with several answer options, one of which is correct.
b) True/False Questions: Statements that learners mark as either true or false.
c) Matching Questions: Learners match items in one column with related items in another.
d) Fill-in-the-Blank Questions: Learners complete sentences by filling in missing words.
e) Binary-choice questions – Yes/no, right/wrong, correct/incorrect format.
f) Supply-Type Tests: Learners provide brief responses such as a word, phrase, or sentence.
(gap-fill exercises, sentence completion, reordering/sequencing jumbled words or sentences, error detection
and correction, changing sentence structures (e.g., active to passive)...
Advantages of Objective Tests
✔ Quick and easy to score, ensuring fairness.
✔ Highly reliable due to fixed answers.
✔ Can cover a broad range of material efficiently.
Disadvantages of Objective Tests
✘ May encourage guessing rather than deep understanding.
✘ Often fail to measure productive language skills (writing and speaking).

2. Subjective Tests
Subjective tests require students to generate responses that are evaluated based on content, coherence, and language
use. Scoring is based on human judgment rather than fixed answers. Examples are
a. Essay/Paragraph writing (argumentative, descriptive, expository, narrative, etc.)
b. Open-ended questions: Require explanations or justifications.
c. Dictation exercises: Assess listening and writing skills.
d. Oral Tests: Oral interviews, picture description, storytelling, role-playing, summarizing, presentations and
speeches, group projects and collaborative tasks...
Advantages of Subjective Tests:
✔ Measure productive skills like writing and speaking.
✔ Encourage creativity and higher-order thinking.
✔ Reflect real-world language use.
Disadvantages of Subjective Tests:
✘ Time-consuming to grade.
✘ Scoring can be subjective and inconsistent.
✘ Responses may be influenced by students' personal style rather than just language knowledge.

DESIGNING CLASS TESTS

Teachers should design tests with careful attention to what their particular class has been learning. No test will be
effectively constructed if the teacher designing it does not have a clear picture of what the students may realistically
be expected to know.
The test constructor should decide which skills and competences are to be tested and what are the best ways to test
these particular abilities and not something else. The teacher should also make sure that the test reflects adequately
the objectives of the course and the amount of time spent on practice of the various skills, and that the test items for
each skill reflect the way in which this skill was presented and practiced in class.
In addition to the above recommendations, teachers should ask themselves the following questions:
1. What is the test’s purpose? (proficiency, diagnostic, placement, achievement).
2. What is the test’s Objective? (Identify the skills, knowledge, or behaviors you want to assess).
3. Which test format to choose? (Multiple-choice, true/false, matching…).
4. Are the instructions in the test so clear that the students cannot possibly misunderstand what they are
expected to do?
5. Is the test so constructed that the student begins with easier items and proceeds to the more difficult?
6. Do the items test ability to use the language rather than mere knowledge about the language?
7. Does the test concentrate exclusively on bits of information, or is some opportunity provided for the student
to put it together or to see authentic language material as a meaningful whole?
 8. How are the items going to be score?
Designing a test involves careful planning to ensure it is valid, reliable, and practical.