Which of the test types is the most relevant to check the specific skills using the certain tests? The question is quite important; moreover, it should be answered while developing the test construct.
There are many test types used in language tests; they can be divided into groups relying upon following criteria:
• Some tasks are specified as objective ones since their assessment should not involve a personal opinion of examiner while others need a written answer (even if a short one) to be assessed subjectively.
• Some tasks test receptive skills; other tasks test productive ones.
• Some tasks belong to a certain test; some of them are contextless individual tasks.
What is the most important criterion evaluating any test? Despite the fact that some test types are used more often than other ones, it cannot be claimed they are the best ones. The most important criterion evaluating certain task is its compliance with the language test goal. The task type checking most accurately and directly the required skills is usually the most optimal.
There are several common types which should be followed while developing tests regardless of what task types are meant. First of all, the tasks have to belong to the essential information. If the test uses new task type it is necessary to exemplify its completing. In addition, the tasks should be formulated for the tested to read the test necessarily instead of answering the question based upon logics or life experience. Questions for the text should be placed both before it as well as after. If questions precede the text then the global text understanding is checked. If questions are placed after the text then either detailed or selective understanding is checked.
All the test types can be divided into two large groups:
• Test where it is possible to select a correct answer from the represented options (multiply choice tasks with three or four options; correct/incorrect; or matching tasks);
• Tests involving independent subjective answer. They are questions which answers are formulated by the testees (open tasks, e.g. short answers for a question or freely complemented information missed in a text).
As a rule, the first-group tasks are assessed more objectively as the second-group ones. Their structure is known for all the testees; they do not depend on the writing skills. Their advantages are in the fact that they can be assessed quickly, easily, and objectively with the help of the keys prepared in advance. They are optimal from the viewpoint of time saving, thanks to which a testee can perform sufficient amount of tasks and cover a whole range of examination objectives that favours the growing reliability of the test.
However, such tasks have certain disadvantages. Firstly, they test only receptive skills exclusive of productive ones. Secondly, they usually depend on the current reading skills. Moreover, there is a high probability of guessing the right answer that is connected immediately with the number of options. Such tasks are rather complex for their developers, requiring much time and professional knowledge.
The tasks, where testees are to give their independent subjective answer, are of different formats. There can be sentence supplementing or short answers for a question where a testee is to write one word, one number, or one short sentence. There can be also the tasks requiring more complicated productive skills. Comparing to the closed tasks, they are characterized by the fact that they are simpler in their development and test a much wider range of skills along with the reduced degree of guessing the right answer. They give the opportunity of creative use of language skills; besides, they influence positively the immediate process of foreign-language teaching.
However, these types of tasks have certain limitations. It is rather difficult to formulate the questions in such a clear way to get an unambiguous answer even in case of tasks with quite clear instructions. Thus, it is quite often that there are several possible alternatives instead of the only one correct answer. That complicates the checking process and results in certain assessment subjectivity.
The fact that the testees formulate their answers by themselves instead of selecting the correct answer from the preset number of options is the general one for this type of tasks. Even if they are completing reading and listening tasks, they always have some writing elements. That is the reason of arising problems with spelling. That should be taken into consideration during the preparation of answer keys. If some orthographical mistakes are considered while assessing, that will result in some difficulties for the testees, who will not be able to demonstrate their real speech skills due to orthographical problems. However, if we do not take into account their orthographical problems, there arises a problem, up to which moment the incorrect orthography can be accepted since the incorrectly written word can complicate its understanding by an examiner. Another problem is grammatical correctness and determination of its degree, which also results in growing subjectivity of the test task assessment.
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