Testing speaking

 

Of all four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing)), speaking seems intuitively the most important: people who know a language are referred to as „speakers“ of that language, as if speaking included all other kinds of knowing.

 

ORAL TESTING

When testing the oral proficiency of learners we may simply interview them and assess their responses; or use other techniques like role play, group discussion between learners, monologue, picture-description and so on.

But choosing an appropriate elicitation technique is only one part of the problem; there are many other difficulties associated with design, administration and assessment.

Penny Ur (A Course in Language Teaching, p 135) suggests a scale of oral testing criteria. The candidates are tested on fluency and accuracy, and may get a maximum of five points on each of these two aspects, ten points in all.

 

Accuracy

 

 

Fluency

 

 

Little or no language produced

 

1

Little or no communication

 

1

Poor vocabulary, mistakes in basic grammar, may have very strong foreign accent

2

 

Very hesitant and brief utterances, sometimes difficult to understand

 

2

Adequate but not rich vocabulary, makes obvious grammar mistakes, slight foreign accent

3

 

Gets ideas across, but hesitantly and briefly

 

3

Good range of vocabulary, occasional grammar slips, slight foreign accent

4

 

Effective communication in short turns

 

 

4

Wide vocabulary appropriately used, virtually no grammar mistakes, native-like or slight foreign accent

5

 

Easy and effective communication, uses long turns

 

 

5

 

TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 10: __________________

 

 

 

WRITTEN TESTING

Task : Look at the examples below and try to group / classify them.

 

 

1) Put the sentences of the dialogue into the correct order.

 

 

The white one, please. It looks so sweet.

How much is it?

Which one would you like?

£8.50? OK, I'll buy it for you.

The little cat, please.

Mum, can I have a little soft toy?

The white one or the black one?

£8.50.

 

2) Complete the following dialogue.

In a shop

Francis:

Mum, can I have that T-shirt?

Mother:

________________ ?

Francis:

The blue one.

Mother:

Why _________________________________? It's £8.

 

The red _____________________ only £5

Francis:

It has got my ______________________ on it.

Mother:

Where?

Francis:

On the back. See!? It says SEVEN.

Mother:

Alright.

 
 

3) In the box there are questions from the dialogue below.
Where do they belong?

What about her? 

And what do I say?

Who is it?

You mean now? 

What's wrong, my dear?

Do you like the new girl?

 

Mum:

____________________________________________?

Angela:

Nothing.

Mum:

But you look really sad, dear.

Angela:

Oh well, it's just because .. .

Mum:

What?

Angela:

Oh, it's Clare.

Mum:

____________________________________________?

Angela:

She says she doesn't want to be my best friend any more.

Mum:

You mean another girl is her best friend now? 

Angela:

Yes.

Mum:

____________________________________________?

Angela:

There's this new girl, Cathy, you see .. . 

Mum:

And Clare wants to be best friends with her? 

Angela:

That's what she said.

Mum:

____________________________________________?

Angela:

Yes, I think she's very nice.

Mum:

Well, why don't you phone her and Clare?

Angela:

____________________________________________?

Mum:

Yes, why not?

Angela:

________________________________________ ?

Mum:

Well, ask them to meet you in the park.

Angela:

OK. Good idea. I'll phone them.

Mum:

Good.

Angela:

Thanks, Mum.

Mum:

That's OK, dear. Have a nice day.

 

 

4) The day after the burglary, a newspaper reporter asked Mark lots of questions. Write Mark's answers.

Reporter:

How did you find out about the burglary?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

Where did you go first?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

Did they believe your story?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

What did you do the next day?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

Who opened the door?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

Was he afraid when you told him?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

What did you do then?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

What plan?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .
___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

Why did you dress up as ghosts?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

And did you frighten them?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

Reporter:

And what happened then?

Mark:

___________________________________________________ .

 

 

5) Complete the dialogue. Add five more sentences.

A:

Have you got a pet?

B:

Yes, a _____________________ .

A:

 What colour is it?

B:

_______________________________________ .

A:

_______________________________________ ?

B:

_______________________________________ .

A:

_______________________________________ ?

B:

_______________________________________ .

 

 

 

6) Can you write the dialogue?

 

It's 2_9_4Bild1.gif (1255 Byte)____________________________________________.

 

Julie:

Look, Mark, a man 2_9_4Bild2.gif (1269 Byte)__________________________________ .

Mark:

What shall we do?

Julie:

Run over to the 2_9_4bild3.gif (1045 Byte)______________________________________ and 2_9_4Bild4.gif (1077 Byte)____________________ the 2_9_4Bild5.gif (987 Byte)_______________________.

2_9_4Bild6.gif (1084 Byte)

 ________________________________________later .

Policeman:

Which 2_9_4Bild7.gif (1122 Byte)_____________________________________?

Mark:

2_9_4Bild8.gif (1159 Byte)_______________________________________ .

Policeman:

But there are 2_9_4Bild9.gif (1094 Byte)______________________________ on.
(Goes over.)
 Where's the 2_9_4Bild10.gif (1005 Byte)________________________________? Ah.

Man:

Yes. What is it?

Policeman:

Is this your 2_9_4Bild7.gif (1122 Byte)____________________________?

Man:

Yes, it is.

Policeman:

Well, why did you 2_9_4Bild11.gif (1032 Byte)_______________________in through the
2_9_4Bild12.gif (1059 Byte)______________________?

Man:

I didn't have my 2_9_4Bild13.gif (1058 Byte)__________________________.

Policeman

Why not?

Man:

Because it's in my 2_9_4Bild14.gif (1152 Byte)____________________________.

Policeman

And where is your 2_9_4Bild14.gif (1152 Byte)___________________________?

Man:

I don't know.

Policeman

You don't know?

Man:

No, I went to a 2_9_4Bild15.gif (1035 Byte)__________________________. And when I got up to go home, my 2_9_4Bild14.gif (1152 Byte)_________________wasn't there.

:Policeman

And what did you do then?

Man:

I went to the 2_9_4Bild16.gif (1210 Byte)______________________________. And I told you.

Policeman:

Me?

Man:

Yes, you. An hour ago. You wrote everything down. My name is Cooper.

Policeman:

I'm sorry, Mr Cooper. I remember now.

 

 

7) Fill in the speech bubbles.

Mum, Mum, I've hurt my knee.

Dad, Dad, ________________ the _________________ .

Hi, Simon, Look, ____________________ a ___________________ .

__________________ the ________________, Mum.

__________________ the ________________, Dad. Can I have my two pounds, please?

________________ a lovely big ________________ for you!

 

 


 

                          8) Write Frederick’s dialogue with his dad.

Frederick:        Dad?

Dad:                Yes, what is it?

Frederick:        Mum  said I should ask you about it?

Dad:                About what?

Frederick:        _______________________________________________________________

Dad:                _______________________________________________________________

Frederick:        _______________________________________________________________

Dad:                _______________________________________________________________

Frederick:        _______________________________________________________________

Dad:                ________________________________________________________________

Frederick:        _______________________________________________________________

Dad:                ________________________________________________________________

 

                        9) Write about your mascot

Schreib, dass du einen Glücksbringer hast, dass es ein Kuscheltier ist.

 

Schreib, dass du es von deiner Oma bekommen hast.

 

Schreib, dass du es manchmal mit in die Schule nimmst.

 

Schreib, dass du denkst, dass es dir manchmal hilft