英语阅读测试testing-reading

1、Chapter Six Testing of ReadingI. the nature of the reading skillsExtracting the required information from a written text as efficiently as possible.1. the purpose of readinga) Reading for survivalb) Reading for learningc) Reading for pleasure2. Four kinds of reading activitiesa) Extensive reading me

2、ans reading in quantity and in order to gain a general understanding of what is read. It is intended to develop good reading habits, to build up knowledge of vocabulary and structure, and to encourage a liking for reading.b) Intensive reading is generally at a lower speed, and requires a higher degr

3、ee of understanding than extensive reading.c) Skimming a type of rapid reading which is used when the reader wants to get the main idea or ideas from a passage. For example a reader may skim-read a chapter to find out if the writer approves or disapproves of something.d) Scanning a type of speed rea

4、ding technique which is used when the reader wants to locate a particular piece of information without necessarily understanding the rest of a text or passage. For example, the reader may read through a chapter of a book as rapidly as possible in order to find out information about a particular date

5、, such as when someone was born.3. Types of textThese might include: textbook, novel, magazine, newspaper (tabloid or quality), academic journal, letter, timetable, poem, instructions for using appliances and machinery, directory extracts, public notices, etc. They might be further specified, for ex

6、ample newspaper report, newspaper advertisement, newspaper editorial.II Reading abilitySome of the specific skills involved in reading which are collected from Heaton (1991):1. - recognize words and word groups, associating sounds with their corresponding graphic symbols;2. -deduce the meaning of wo

7、rds;a) Understanding word formation (roots, affixation, derivation and compounding);b) Contextual clues (e.g. One of the members of the group exposed the plot, and the police were soon able to arrest the leaders.);3. -understand explicitly stated information (e.g. I wish Ann had come. Ann didnt come

8、 -hence my wish).;4. -understand relations within the sentence, especiallya) Elements of sentence structureb) Negationc) Fronting and themed) Complex embedding;5. -understand relations between parts of a text through both lexical devices (e.g. repetition, synonyms, antithesis) and grammatical cohesi

9、ve devices, especially anaphoric and cataphoric reference (e.g. he, they, it; the former, the latter) and connectives (e.g. since, after, because, although, however, in addition);6. -perceive temporal and spatial relationships and also sequences of ideas;7. -understand conceptual meaning, especially

10、a) Quantity and amountb) Definiteness and indefinitenessc) Comparison and degreed) Means and instrumente) Cause, result, purpose, reason, condition, addition, contrast, concession;8. -anticipate and predict what will come next in the text;9. -identify the main idea and other salient features in a te

11、xt;10. -generalize and draw conclusion;11. -understand information not explicitly stated bya) making inferences (i.e. reading between the lines)b) understanding figurative language;12. -skim and scan (looking for the general meaning and reading for specific information);13. -read critically;14. adop

12、t a flexible approach and vary reading strategies according to the type of material being read and the purpose for which it is being read.Reading skills can be classified into three types:Macro skills: 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14;Micro skills: 2, 5;Grammatical and lexical knowledge: 1, 4.III S

13、electing textsSuccessful choice of texts depends ultimately on experience, judgment, and a certain amount of common sense. It is possible to offer useful advice:1. Keep specifications constantly in mind and try to select as representative a sample as possible. Do not repeatedly select texts of a par

14、ticular kind simply because they readily available.2. Choose texts of appropriate length. Scanning may call for passages of up to 2000 words or more. Detailed reading can be tested using passages of just a few sentences.3. In order to obtain acceptable reliability, include as many passages as possib

15、le in a test, thereby giving candidates a good number of fresh starts. Considerations of practicality will inevitably impose constraints on this, especially where scanning or skimming is to be tested.4. In order to test scanning, look for passages which contain plenty of discrete pieces of informati

16、on.5. Choose texts which will interest candidates but which will not overexcite or disturb them.6. Avoid texts made up of information which may be part of candidates general knowledge. It may be difficult not to write items to which correct responses are available to some candidates without reading

17、the passage.7. Assuming that it is only reading ability which is being tested, do not choose texts which are too culturally laden.8. Do not use texts which students have already read (or even close approximations to them).IV Writing items1. Possible techniquesIt is important that the techniques used

18、 should interfere as little as possible with the reading itself, and that they should not add a significantly difficult task on top of reading. This is one reason for being wary of requiring candidates to write answers, particularly in the language of the text. They may read perfectly well but diffi

19、culties in writing may prevent them demonstrating this. Possible solutions to this problem include:Multiple choice or True/false The candidate provides evidence of successful reading by making a mark against one out of a number of alternatives. This is true whether the alternative responses are writ

20、ten or take the form of illustrations.The following multiple choice is used frequently for the initial stages of reading:Choose the picture (A, B, C, or D) which the following sentence describes:The man with a dog was attacked in the street by a woman.Unique answer or short answerWhen there is only

21、one possible correct response. This might be a single word or number, or something slightly longer (for example China; China and Japan; 157). The item may take the form of a question, for example:In which city do the people described in the Urban Villagers live?Or it may require completion of a sent

22、ence, for example:was the man responsible for the first steam railway.When unique answer items are not possible, short answer items may be used. Thus:According to the author, what does the increase in divorce rates show about peoples expectations of marriage and marriage partners?Would expect an ans

23、wer like:They (expectations) are greater (than in the past).Though this technique meets the criteria laid down above, and is to be recommended, its use is necessarily limited.Summary clozeA reading passage is summarized by the tester, and then gaps are left in the summary for completion by the candi

24、date. This is really an extension of short answer technique and shares its qualities. It permits the setting of several reliable but relevant items on a relatively short passage.Information transferOne way of minimizing demands on candidates writing ability is to require them to show successful comp

25、letion of a reading task by supplying simple information in a table, following a route on a map, labeling a picture, and so on. The following example is from the test of Chinese junior middle school.任务型阅读Jim was a bookseller. He didnt like paying for anything. One day, a big box of books fell on his

26、 foot. “Go to see the doctor,” said his wife. “No,” he said, “Ill wait until the doctor comes to the shop next time, then Ill ask him about my foot. If I go to see him, Ill have to pay him.”The next day, the doctor came to the shop and bought some books. When Jim was getting them ready, he told the

27、doctor about his bad foot. The doctor looked at it. “Yes,” said the doctor, “you must put that foot in hot water every night.”“How much?” said the doctor.“Two pounds,” answered Jim.“Good,” said the doctor. “I shall not pay you anything.”“Why?” asked Jim in surprise.“I told you about your foot,” said

28、 the doctor. “I want two pounds for that. Goodbye.”根据短文内容，补全表格信息。Place1 People2 , 3 , 4 MessageJims foot 5 .The doctor 6 some books.They paid 7 to each other.Identifying order of events, topics, or argumentsThe candidate can be required to number the events, as follows in an example:In what order do

29、es the writer do the following in her article? To answer this, put the number 1 in the answer column next to the one that appears first, and so on.a. She gives some of the history of migraine. b. She recommends specific drugs.c. She recommends a herbal cure.d. She describes migraine attacks.e. She g

30、ives general advice to migraine sufferers.2. Practical advice on item writingA. In a scanning test, present items in the order in which the answers can be found in the text. Not to do this introduces too much random variation and so lowers the tests reliability.B. Do not write items for which the co

31、rrect response can be found without understanding the text. Such items usually involve simply matching a string of words in the question with the same string in the text.C. Do not include items that some candidates are likely to be able to answer without reading the text.V A note on scoringIt is wor

32、th adding here that in a reading test, errors of grammar, spelling or punctuation should not be penalized, provided that it is clear that the candidate has successfully performed the reading task which the item set. The function of a reading test is to test reading ability. To test productive skills

33、 at the same time (which is what happens when grammar etc. are taken into account) simply makes the measurement of reading ability less accurate.Chapter Seven Testing of WritingI The writing skills (Heaton, J. B. Writing English Language Test, 2000)The writing skills are complex and sometimes diffic

34、ult to teach, requiring mastery not only of grammatical and rhetorical devices but also of conceptual and judgemental elements. The following analysis attempts to group the many and varied skills necessary for writing good prose into five general components or main areas.-Language use: the ability t

35、o write correct and appropriate sentences;-Mechanical skills: the ability to use correctly those conventions peculiar to the written language e.g. punctuation, spelling, capitalization;-Treatment of content: the ability to think creatively and develop thoughts, excluding all irrelevant information;-

36、Stylistic skills: the ability to manipulate sentences and paragraphs, and use language effectively;-Judgement skills: the ability to write in an appropriate manner for a particular purpose with a particular audience in mind, together with an ability to select, organize and order relevant information

37、.Of far greater importance in the teaching and testing of writing are those skills involving the use of judgement. The ability to write for a particular audience using the most appropriate kind of language is essential for both native-speaking and foreign student alike. The use of correct registers

38、becomes an important skill at advanced levels of writing. Failure to use the correct register frequently results in incongruities and embarrassment. Whereas native speaker learn to make distinctions of register intuitively, students of foreign languages usually experience problems in mastering this

39、complex area of language. The various kinds of register include colloquialisms, slang, jargon, archaic words, legal language, standard English, business English, the language used by educated writers of English, etc. The purpose of writing will also help to establish a particular register: for examp

40、le, is the student writing to entertain, inform, or explain?A piece of continuous writing may take the form of a narrative, description, survey, record, report, discussion, or argument. In addition to the subject and the format, the actual audience (e.g. an examiner, a teacher, a student, a friend)

41、will also determine which of the various register is to be used. II Testing composition writingA successful candidate will have passed an examination designed to test ability to produce a selection of the following types of writing:Basic Level: Letter; Postcard; Diary entry; FormsIntermediate Level:

42、 As Basic Level, Plus Guide; Set of InstructionAdvanced Level: As Intermediate Level, plus Newspaper report; NotesThe candidates performance will have met the following minimum criteria:Basic Level: No confusing errors of grammar or vocabulary; a piece of writing legible and readily intelligible; ab

43、le to produce simple unsophisticated sentences.Intermediate Level: Accurate grammar, vocabulary and spelling, though possibly with some mistakes which do not destroy communication; handwriting generally legible; expression clear and appropriate, using a fair range of language; able to link themes an

44、d points coherently.Advanced Level: Extremely high standards of grammar, vocabulary and spelling; easily legible handwriting; no obvious limitations on range of language candidate is able to use accurately and appropriately; ability to produce organized, coherent writing, displaying considerable sop

45、histication.III Setting the tasks3.1. Four principles:1. Specifying all appropriate tasks and selecting a sample2. Obtaining samples that properly represent each candidates abilitya) Set as many tasks as is feasible.b) Test only writing ability, and nothing else.c) Restrict candidates.3. Setting tas

46、ks which can be reliably scored4. Obtaining reliable scoring of writing3.2. How to write up test specifications for writing tests (Page 101)3.3 Test tasks (Page 104)3.4 Grading the compositionThe process of scoring can be either holistic or analytic:Holistic scoring (often referred to as impressioni

47、stic scoring) involves the assignment of a single score to a piece of writing on the basis of an overall impression of it. This kind of scoring has the advantage of being very rapid. Experienced scorers can judge a one-page piece of writing in just a couple of minutes or even less (scorers of the ne

48、w TOEFL Test of Written English will apparently have just one and a half minutes for each scoring of a composition).This means that it is possible for each piece of work to be scored more than once, which is fortunate, since it is also necessary! Harris (1968) refers to research in which, when each

49、student wrote one 20-minute composition, scored only once, the reliability coefficient was only 0.25. If well conceived and well organized, holistic scoring in which each students work is scored by four different trained scorers can result in high scorer reliability. There is nothing magical about t

50、he number four; it is simply that research has quite consistently shown acceptably high scorer reliability when writing is scored four times. Example (Page 110)Analytic methods or scoringMethods of scoring which require a separate score for each of a number of aspects of a task are said to be analyt

51、ic. Example (Page112)There are a number of advantages to analytic scoring. First, it disposes of the problem of uneven development of subskills in individuals. Secondly, scorers are compelled to consider aspects of performance which they might otherwise ignore. And thirdly, the very fact that the sc

52、orer has to give a number of scores will tend to make the scoring more reliable.The main disadvantage of the analytic method is the time that it takes. Even with practice, scoring will take longer than with the holistic method. Particular circumstances will determine whether the analytic method or t

53、he holistic method will be the more economical way of obtaining the required level of scorer reliability.A second disadvantage is that concentration on the different aspects may divert attention from the overall effect of the piece of writing. Inasmuch as the whole is often greater than the sum of i

54、ts parts, a composite score may be very reliable but not valid. Indeed the aspects which are score separately (the parts), presumably based on the theory of linguistic performance that most appeals to the author of any particular analytic framework, may not in fact represent the complete, correct se

55、t of such aspects. To guard against this, an additional, impressionistic score on each composition is sometimes required of scorers, with significant discrepancies between this and the analytic total being investigated.VI Treatment of written errorsBefore briefly reviewing some of the attempts to identify error gravity, it is interesting to note a report of an experiment in which native speakers who