Oral language testing at tay nguyen university  (Page 40/53)

3. Did the test results reflect accurately how my students have been responding in class and in their assigned work?’

5.1.2 practical applications to the operationalization process of speaking tests for first-year students

The following two recommendations hopefully help the test writers to visualize how to write a speaking test for TNU language students in general and for first-year students in particular.

5.1.2.1 suggested tasks in the tlu domain for inclusion in speaking tests for first-year students

One of the important steps in test development, as described in 2.3.1 (Chapter 2), is identification of tasks in the TLU domain for selection of actual test tasks included in a test. TLU tasks must be selected based on the teaching content, yet at TNU each teacher in charge of speaking skill training has used their own teaching materials. No speaking skill syllabus or teaching material has been officially approved; a syllabus for this skill is now under development and revision. Therefore, TLU tasks can not be typically chosen from all the materials unofficially in use, and all the following suggested TLU tasks, adapted from a course book named ‘English for International Communication’ by Richards (2002), are intended to partially help the author to design two sample speaking tests for first-year students or for elementary and post-elementary levels in the level scale suggested in 5.1.1.1. TLU tasks are suggested as follows:

• Introducing oneself or someone
• Exchanging personal information
• Describing school and house
• Talking about families and family members
• Describing family life
• Talking about daily activities
• Talking about likes and dislikes
• Buying and selling things, Talking about prices, ordering a meal
• Asking about and describing locations of places
• Asking about and describing people’s appearance
• Asking about and describing objects
• Making invitations and excuses, accepting and refusing invitations
• Talking abilities
• Talking about past experiences and events
• Making comparisons
• Asking for and giving advice
• Asking for and giving suggestions
• Taking and leaving messages
• Describing changes
• Talking about plans for the future

5.1.2.2 two sample achievement speaking tests for first-year students

The two achievement speaking tests designed below are based on the blueprint suggested in 5.1.1.2

Sample achievement speaking test for first-year students – Term 1

Task 1: Conversation between the assessor and each student about personal information.

Purpose of the task:

to assess the students’ ability to interact in typical daily situations

Specified components of speaking ability to be tested:

The ability to talk about themselves and use social language in common interactions

The place where the task occurs:

In the classroom

Expected duration of task performance:

About 2 minutes

Specific and understandable instructions:

Each student starts the dialogue with the assessors. The assessors ask each student questions about himself/herself and about his/her family.

Areas of linguistic, pragmatic and topical knowledge adequate