LANGUAGE TESTING

Testing Reading and Writing

 Some tests combine reading and writing in communicative situations.

 Testees can be given a task in which they are presented with instructions to write a letter, memo,
summary, etc., answering certain questions, based on information that they are given.
o Letter writing. In many situations, testees might have to write business letters, letters asking for
information, etc.
o Summarizing. Testees might be given a long passage--for example, 400 words--and be asked to
summarize the main points in less than 100 words. To make this task communicative, the
testees should be given realistic reasons for doing such a task. For example, the longer text
might be an article that their boss would like to have summarized so that he/she can
incorporate the main points into a talk. The summary would be evaluated, based on the
inclusion of the main points of the longer text.
Testing Listening and Writing/Note Taking

 Listening and writing may also be tested in combination. In this case, testees are given a listening text
and they are instructed to write down certain information from the text. Again, although this is not
interactive, it should somehow simulate a situation where information would be written down from a
spoken text.
Types of Listening Testing
Discriminative Listening
Discriminative Listening is an awareness of changes in pitch and loudness of sounds and it is determining if
sounds are different or the same. These activities are designed to enhance this listening skill:
1. Same or different? - Call out two words and have the children determine if they are the same or different.
For example, say bat/ bat, bat/bet.
2. Rhyming words - Practice rhyming discriminative listening skills by calling out a few rhyming words, such as
“hat, bat, rat, cat, and so on”. Have the children take turns calling out a word that rhymes with “at” as well as
other rhyming words you want to use.
3. What’s the problem? - After reading a storybook to children (one that’s very familiar to them) have them
tell you what the problem is. As you read the story, change things around so the story is different somehow, to
see if they catch the changes and can tell you what the problem is.
4. Musical moods - Play music, but change it up some by changing the pace, make it fast, slow, loud, soft, high
and low. Have the children tell you when a sound change is made and what the change is.
5. Clap it out - After talking about syllables of words, clap out the syllables of some words you call out, starting
with a two-syllable word, then three, and so on. Repeat a word at least twice (or more if needed) so the
concept is fully grasped.
We have discriminative listening which has to do with the identification of different variations in sounds and
words in order to understand the different messages. This is the most important listening and it spans all the
other forms of listening. It involves being sensitive to pitch, volume, emphasis and rate of speech in order to
detect the messages that may be hidden. This form of listening usually requires one to be efficient in two
factors: have a good hearing ability and the knowledge of sound structure (Kline, 2010).
Example of discriminative listening
Exercise
Difference sounds is identified
1) “I would rank it first” and “I drank it first”
2) bat/ bat, bat/bet.
3) Safe/save
4) Made/mate
5) Age/h
Comprehension Listening
The next step beyond discriminating between different sound and sights is to make sense of them. To
comprehend the meaning requires first having a lexicon of words at our fingertips and also all rules of
grammar and syntax by which we can understand what others are saying.
In communication, some words are more important and some less so, and comprehension often benefits from
extraction of key facts and items from a long spiel.
Comprehension listening is also known as content listening, informative listening and full listening.

Listening Comprehension Sample Questions Transcript

Sample Item A

On the recording, you will hear:

(Narrator): Listen to a high school principal talking to the school's students.

(Man): I have a very special announcement to make. This year, not just one, but three of our students will be
receiving national awards for their academic achievements. Krista Conner, Martin Chan, and Shriya Patel have all
been chosen for their hard work and consistently high marks. It is very unusual for one school to have so many
students receive this award in a single year.

(Narrator): What is the subject of the announcement?

Critical Listening
Critical listening is listening in order to evaluate and judge, forming opinion about what is being said.
Judgment includes assessing strengths and weaknesses, agreement and approval. This form of listening
requires significant real-time cognitive effort as the listener analyzes what is being said, relating it to existing
knowledge and rules, whilst simultaneously listening to the ongoing words from the speaker.
Biased Listening
Biased listening happens when the person hears only what they want to hear, typically misinterpreting what
the other person says based on the stereotypes and other biases that they have. Such biased listening is often
very evaluative in nature.
Evaluative Listening
In evaluative listening, or critical listening, we make judgments about what the other person is saying. We seek
to assess the truth of what is being said. We also judge what they say against our values, assessing them as
good or bad, worthy or unworthy. Evaluative listening is particularly pertinent when the other person is trying
to persuade us, perhaps to change our behavior and maybe even to change our beliefs. Within this, we also
discriminate between subtleties of language and comprehend the inner meaning of what is said. Typically, also
we weigh up the pros and cons of an argument, determining whether it makes sense logically as well as
whether it is helpful to us. Evaluative listening is also called critical, judgmental or interpretive listening.
Appreciative Listening
In appreciative listening, we seek certain information which will appreciate, for example that which helps
meet our needs and goals. We use appreciative listening when we are listening to good music, poetry or
maybe even the stirring words of a great leader.
Sympathetic Listening
In sympathetic listening we care about the other person and show this concern in the way we pay close
attention and express our sorrow for their ills and happiness at their joys.
Empathetic Listening
When we listen empathetically, we go beyond sympathy to seek a truer understand how others are feeling.
This requires excellent discrimination and close attention to the nuances of emotional signals. When we are
being truly empathetic, we actually feel what they are feeling. In order to get others to expose these deep
parts of themselves to us, we also need to demonstrate our empathy in our demeanor towards them, asking
sensitively and in a way that encourages self-disclosure.
Therapeutic Listening
In therapeutic listening, the listener has a purpose of not only empathizing with the speaker but also to use
this deep connection in order to help the speaker understand, change or develop in some way. This not only
happens when you go to see a therapist but also in many social situations, where friends and family seek to
both diagnose problems from listening and also to help the speaker cure themselves, perhaps by some
cathartic process. This also happens in work situations, where managers, HR people, trainers and coaches seek
to help employees learn and develop.
Dialogic Listening
The word 'dialogue' stems from the Greek words 'dia', meaning 'through' and 'logos' meaning 'words'. Thus,
dialogic listening mean learning through conversation and an engaged interchange of ideas and information in
which we actively seek to learn more about the person and how they think. Dialogic listening is sometimes
known as 'relational listening'.
Relationship Listening
Sometimes the most important factor in listening is in order to develop or sustain a relationship. This is why
lovers talk for hours and attend closely to what each other has to say when the same words from someone
else would seem to be rather boring. Relationship listening is also important in areas such as negotiation and
sales, where it is helpful if the other person likes you and trusts you.