AssEsSMENT IN LEARNING 1

in the
draft should be
constructed
there are five
f

to be
instance,

actual number of items For

form, thena
test forr
final test
items,
he the final
of
number of te
umber
double the desired nuno. acluded in ncluded in
in included
in the draft included

items to
to be
be muld be be includcu
(5) recall level vel l e m s
items
should
will mo
ikely
level analysis
least ten (10) recall item draft either
(eit the
and
try-out in the
The subsequent
Dcquent
test
c o n s t r u c t e d
items
hence it will be
non-discriminatory),
eliminate many of
the
or a c t u a l l y be included
easy will
too difficult, too than
items
more
essary to constructI
in the final test form. done due to lack of
is not
the try-out
Most often, hovowever,
time. tried out to a group
draft is
The test
and try-out. is to.determine
Item analysis of this
try-out

of pupils or students. The

urpose
item analysis, and (b)
through
item
characteristics

reliability
and practicality
ne(a) itself-validity,
Cnaracteristics of the test
the test grading
ToS for
Construct a
Mental Exercise on the test
and base your loS
You may choose any subject
period. the K to 12 Curriculum
choice from
quarter of a subject of your
Guide.

Test
5.2 Types of Paper-and-Pencil requires careful
tests
Development of paper-and-pencil
of actual test construction. The
planning and expertise in
terms
true-false items that can
more seasoned teachers can produce
test even higher order thinking skills and not just rote memory

learning. Essays easier to construct than the other types of

are
examinations
objective test, but the difficulty in scoring essay
teachers from using this particular form of examination in actual

practice

5.3. Constructing Selected-Response Type

5.3.1 True-False Test
Binomial-choice or alternate response tests are tests that
have only two (2) options such as true or false, right or wrong,
ves or no good or better, check (4) or cross out (6) and so on.
A student who knows nothing of the content
of the examination
wOould have 50% chance of getting the
correct answer by sheer
g1ess work. Although correction-for-guessing formulas
is best that the teacher ensures that
exist,
a
true-false item is able to
 unlapler 5- Distinguishing and Constructing Vatious Paperand-Pencil Test

diserminate properly
bctween thosc who know and
gucssing. A modified true-false test can offset tnosc w
are Just

of the eilect
guessing by requiring students to explain their answer and
aiSTegard a
correct answer if the
some rules of thumb in explanation is incorrect. Here arc

constructing true-false itcms.

Guidelines for Constructing
Rule 1. Do not Alternate-Response
give hint
Test
question.
a
(inadvertently) in the body of the

Example. The Philippines gained its independence in 1896

and therefore celebrated its centennial
year in 2000

Obviously, the answer is FALSE because 100 years from

1898 is not 2000 but 1998.
Rule 2. Avoid using the words
"always," "never,
often and other words that tend to be either always
true
always false.
or

Example: Christmas always falls on a Sunday because it is a

Sabbath day._
Statements that use the word "always" are almost
always false. A test-wise student can easily guess his way
through a test like these and get high scores even if he
does not know
anything about the test.
Rule 3. Avoid long sentences as these tend to be "true.
"

Keep
sentences short.

Example: Tests need to be valid, reliable and useful,

although, it would require a great amount of time
and effort to ensure that tests
possess these test
characteristics.
Notice that the statement is true.
However, wee
are also not sure which part of the sentence is deemed
true by the student. It is just fortunate that in
this case,
all parts of the sentence are true and, hence, the entire
sentence is true. The following example illustrates what
can go wrong in long sentences:

Example: Tests need to be valid, reliable and useful since

it takes very little amount time, money and
of effort to
construct tests with these characteristics.

The first part of the sentence is true but the

second
part is debatable and may, in fact, be false. Thus, a
AssESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

"true response is correct and, also, a false"

response is correct.

Rule 4. Avoid trick statements with some minor misleading

word or spelling anomaly, misplaced phrases, etc. A wise
Student who does not know the subject matter may detect
This strategy and thus get the answer correctly.

The Raven was written by Edgar Alen Poe.

Allen is misspelled and the answer would be false!
This is an example of a tricky but utterly useless item.

Rule 5. Avoid quoting verbatim from reference materials or

textbooks. This practice sends the wrong signal to the
students that it is necessary to memorize the textbook
word for word and, thus, acquisition of higher level
thinking skills is not given due importance
Rule 6. Avoid specific determiners or give-away qualifiers.
Students quickly learn that stronghy worded statements
are more likely to be false than true, for example,
Statements with "never" "no" "all" or "always."
Moderately worded statements are more likely to be true
than false. Statements that are moderately worded use
"many "often" "sometimes" "generally" "frequently"
or "some" usually should be avoided. eg. Executives
usually sufer from hyperacidity. The statement tends to
be correct. The word "usually" leads to the answer.
Rule 7. With true or false questions, avoid a grossly
disproportionate number of either true or false statements
or even
patterns in the occurrence of true and false
statements.

1. T 6. F 1.T 6. F
2. F 7. F 2. F 7.T
3. F 8. F 3. T 8.F
4. F 9. F 4. F 9. T
5. F 10. F 5. T 10. F
For ease of correction, teachers sometime create a
pattern of True or False answers. Students will sense it
and may arrive at a correct answer not because he/she
really knows the answer but because he/she senses the
patten.
 Paper-and-Pencil Test
haptor 5- Distinguishing and Constructing Various

Kule 8, Avoid double negatives. This makes test ilem

nclear and definitely will confuse the stnudent. eg 1he
Changes that take place in early childhood ore NOi
Unchangeable. The test inem simply means "The changes
in
early childhood are changeable"

5.3.2 Multiple Choice Tests

Ihe multiple choice type of test offers the student with more
Tnan two (2) options per item to choose from. Each item in a

multiple choice test consists of two parts: (a) the stem and (6) the
options. In the set of options, there is a "correct" or "best" option
while all the others are considered "distracters." The distracters
are chosen in such a way that they are attractive to those who do

not know the answer or who are guessing but at the same time,

have no appeal to those who actually know the answer. It is this

feature of multiple choice type tests that allows the teacher to
test higher order thinking skills even if the options are clearly
stated. As in true-false items, there are certain rules of thumb to
be followed in constructing multiple choice tests.

Guidelines for Constructing Multiple Choice ltems

1) Do not use unfamiliar words, terms and phrases. The ability
of the item to discriminate or its level of difficulty should
stem from the subject matter rather than from the wording of
the question.

Example: What would be the system reliability of a

computer system whose slave and peripherals are
connected in parallel circuits and each one has a known
time to failure probability of 0.05?
A student completely unfamiliar with the terms "slave"
and "peripherals"may not be able to answer correctly
even if he knew the subject matter of reliability.
2) Do not use modijfiers that are vague and whose meanings
can differ from one person to the next such as: much, often,
usually, etc.

Example:
Much of the process of photosynthesis takes place in the:
a. bark
b. leaf
C. stem
AsSE sSME NT IN LEARNINCG 1

The qualifier "much" is vague and could have been

replaced by more specific qualificrs like: "90% of the
photosynthetic process" or some similar phrase thai would
be more precise. Be quantitative.
3) Avoid complex or awkward word arrangements. Also, avoid
use of negatives in the stem as this may add unnecessary
comprehension difficulties.
Example
(Poor) As President of the Republic of the Philippines,
Corazon Cojuangco Aquino would stand next to which
President of the Philippine Republic subsequent to the
1986 EDSA Revolution?
(Better) Who was the President of the Philippines after
Corazon C. Aquino?
4) Do not use negatives or double negatives as such statements
tend to be confusing. It is best to use simpler sentences rather
than sentences that would require
expertise in grammatical
construction.

Example:
(Poor) Which of the following will not cause inflation in the
Philippine economy?
(Better) Which of the following will cause inflation in the
Philippine economy?
Poor: What does the statement
"Development patternsS
acquired during the formative years are NOT
Unchangeable" imply?
A
B.
C
D.
Better: What does the statement
"Development patterns
acquired during the formative years are changeable"
imply?
A.
B.
C.

D
 Chapter 5-Distinguishing and Constructing Various Paper-and-Pencil Test

5) Each item stem should be as short as

possible; otherwise you
risk testing more for reading and comprehension skills.

6) Distracters should be equally plausible and attractive.

Example:
he short story: May Day's Eve, was written by which
Filipino author?
a. Jose Garcia Villa
b. Nick Joaquin
c. Genoveva Edrosa Matute
d. Robert Frost
e. Edgar Allan Poe
If distracters had all been Filipino authors, the value
of the item would be greatly increased. In this particular
instance, only the first three carry the burden of the entire
item since the last two can be essentially disregarded by the
students.
7) All multiple choice options should be grammatically
consistent with the stem.

Example:
As compared to the autos of the 1960s autos in the
1980s
A. traveling slower C. to use less fuel
B. bigger interiors D. contain more safety
measures

Option A, B and C are obviously wrong for the

language smart because when added to the stem the sentence
is grammatically wrong. D is the only option which when
connected to the stem retains the grammatical accuracy of the
sentence, thus obviously is the correct answer.

8) The length, explicitness, or degree of technicality of

alternatives should not be the determinants of the correctmess
of the answer. The following is an example of this rule:

Example:
If the three angles of two triangles are congruent, then
the triangles are:
a congruent whenever one of the sides of the
triangles are congruent
AssesSMENT IN LEARNING 1

b. similar
C. equiangular and/therefore, must also be

congruent
d. equilateral if they are equiangular

The correct choice, "b," may be obvious from its length

and explicitness alone. The other choices are long and tend
to explain why they must be the correct choices forcing
the students to think that they are, in fact, not the correct

answers!

Avoid stems that reveal the answer to another item.

9)
Example:
a. Who will most strongly disagree with the progressivist
who claims that the child should be taught only that
which interests him and if he is not interested, wait till
the child gets interested?

A. Essentialist C. Progressivist

B. Empiricist D. Rationalist

b. Which group will most strongly focus its teaching on

the interest of the child?

A. Progressivist C. Perrenialist
B. Essentialist D. Reconstructionist

One may arive at a correct answer (letter b) by looking

at item "a," that gives the answer to "b."

10) Avoid alternatives that are synonymous with others or those

that include or overlap others.

Example:
What causes ice to transform from solid state to liquid state?
a. Change in temperature

b. Changes in pressure

c. Change in the chemical composition

d. Change in heat levels

The options "a" and "d" are essentially the same.

Thus, a student who spots these identical choices would
right away narrow down the field of choices to a, b,
 Test
Various Papor-and-Pencil
Cnapler 6-Distinguishing and Constructing

and c. The last distracter would play no significant role

in inereasing the value of the ilem.

t this happens then the item has two answers,

which is not acceptable.

11) Avoid presenting sequenced items in the same order us "

the text.
12) Avoid use of assumed qualifiers that many examinees n
not be aware of.
13) Avoia use of unnecessary words or phrases which are n0

relevant to the problem at hand (unless such discriminating

The item s
ability is the primary intent of the evaluation).
value is particularly damaged if the unnecessary material Is
s
designed to distract or mislead. Such items test the student
reading comprehension rather than knowledge of the subject
matter

Example:
The side opposite the thirty degree angle in a right
If the
triangle is equal to half the length of the hypotenuse.
sine of a 30-degree is 0.5 and its hypotenuse is 5, what is
the length of the side opposite the 30-degree angle?
a. 2.5

b. 3.5

C. 5.5
d. 1.5
The sine of a 30-degree angle is really quite
unnecessary since the first sentence already gives the
method for finding the length of the side opposite the
thirty-degree angle. This is a case of a teacher who wants
to make sure that no student in his class gets the wrong
answer!

14) Avoid use of non-relevant sources of difficulty such as

requiring a complex calculation when only knowledge ofa
principle is being tested.
Note in the previous example, knowledge of the sine
of the 30-degree angle would have led some students to use
the sine formula for calculation even if a simpler approach
would have sufficed.
AssESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

15) Pack the question in the stem. Here is an

example of a
question which has no question. Avoid it hy all means.
Example:
The Roman Empire
had no central government
b. had no definite territory
C. had no heroes

d. had no common religion

16) Use the "None of the above" option only when the keyed
answer is totally correct. When choice ofthe "best" response
is intended, "none of the above " is not appropriate, since the

implication has already been made that the correct response

may be partially inaccurate.
17) Note that use of "all of the above" may allow credit for
partial knowledge. In a multiple option item, (allowing only
one option choice) ifa student only knew that two (2) options
were correct, he could then deduce the correctness of "all of
the above." This assumes you are allowed only one correct
choice.
18) Better still use "none of the above" and "all of the above"
sparingly but best not to use them at all.

19) Having compound response choices may purposefully

increase difficulty of an item.
The difficulty in a multiple choice
item may be controlled by
varying the homogeneity or degree of similarity of responses.
The more homogeneous, the more difficult the item because
they all look like the correct answer

Example:
(Less Homogeneous)
Thailand is located in:
a. Southeast Asia
b. Eastern Europe
c. South America
d. East Africa
e. Central America
 Test
Various Paper-and-Pencli
Chaplor 5-Distinguishing and Construcling

(More Homogeneous)
Thailand is located next to:
a.Laos and Kampuchea
b. India and China
C. China and Malaya

d. Laos and China

e. India and
Malaya
Mental Exercise
Write Pair Share - Critique
1. Construct a multiple - choice test item.
2. Pair with a classmate.
3. Partner A shares multiple - choice test item.

4. Partner B critiques test item.

5. Partner B shares test item.
6. Partner A critiques.
NOTE: If you can't agree consult teacher.

5.3.3 Matching Type

The matching type items may be considered modified
multiple choice type items where the choices progressively reduce
as one successfully matches the items on the left with the items
on the right.

Guidelines for Constructing Matching Type of Test

Here are some guidelines to observe in the formulation of good
matching type of test.
1. Match homogeneous not heterogeneous items. The items to
match must be homogeneous. f you want your students to
match authors with their literary works, e column will
be authors and in the second column must be literary works.
Don't insert nationality for instance with names of authors.
That wiil not be a good item since it is
obviously wrong.
Example of homogeneous items. The items are all
about the Filipino heroes, nothing more.

Match the items in Column A with the items in Column B.

AsSESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

Perfect Matching Type

column B.
Example: Match the items in column A with the items in
B
A
a. Magellan
_1. First President of the Republic
b. Mabini
2. National Hero
c. Rizal
_3. Discovered the Philippines
d. Lapu-Lapu
_4. Brain of Katipunan
e. Aguinaldo
_5. The great painter f. Juan Luna
island
6. Defended Limasawa g. Antonio Luna

must be
construction than the options)
2. The stem (longer in shorter) must
while the options (usually
in the first column
column.
be in the second stems to
m o r e in
number than the
The options must be
3. answer by mere
at the
student from arriving
prevent the
process of elimination.
the
the answer easier, arrange
4. To help the examinee find
whichever is
options alphabetically or chronologically,
applicable.
direction of the test must be given.
5. Like any other test, the
know exactly what to do.
The examinees must

Mental Exercise
the matching type of test
below. Is this perfect (an
Analyze written in
matching type of test
answer may not be repeated)
accordance with the guidelines given?
Exercise Matching Type of Test
Column A Column B

A. Sides
1. Poly
2. Triangle B. Eight-sided polygon
C. Ten-sided polygon
3. Pentagon
4. Square
D. Close plane figure

5. Decagon E. Irving
F. James
6. Hexagon
7. Isosceles triangle G. Melville
H. Mark Twainis (Clemens)
8. Octagon
9. Gons I. Wharton
10. Circle J. Many
 Test
Various Paper-and-Pencil
hapler 5-Distinguishing and Construcling

Matching type items, unfortunately, often test lower order

thinking skills (knowledge level) and are unable to test higner
order thinking skills such as application and judgement Sk1l
Another type of a matching type of test is the imperfect type
e l o w is an example of an imperfect matching type or

test. Imperfect because an answer may be repeated and so like an

unfaithful husband or wife can pair with one other than his/ner
lawful wife, husband.
In Column 1 are works and writings in American literarure
and in Column 2 are their authors. Write the letter of the author
which corresponds to his work on the blank provided before each

author. In some cases, an answer may be repeated.

Imperfect Matching Type of Test

Column A Column BB

1. The Alhambra A. Cooper

2. The Pioneers B. Dana
3.The Guardian Angel C. Emerson
4. Two Years Before the Mast D. Holmes
5. Moby Dick E. Irving
6. The World in a Man of War F. James

7. The Last of the Mohicans G. Melville

8. The American Scholar H. Mark Twains (Clemens)
9. The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table I. Wharton

10. Tom Sawyer

If you intend to make use of this imperfect type of matching

to caution the
test, make sure you indicate so in the "Direction"
students who usually think that an answer may not be repeated

Mental Exercises
Get a partner. Construct a 15-item perfect matching type of
test and a 10-item imperfect matching type of test. Present your
work to the class for critiquing.
AssESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

5.4 Constructing Supply Type or Constructed

Response 1ype order thinking skills
Another useful device for testing lower
choice test, the
of tests. the multiple
Like
1S the supply type blank where the
stem and a
items in this kind of test consist of a
answer.
students would write the correct
is called
life and living organisms
Example: The study of

on the way the stems are

Supply type tests depend heavily
one and only
one a n s w e r and,
constructed. These tests allow for
the students' recall of knowledge.
hence, often test only

54.1 Completion Type of Test tests that

construct supply type of
It is, however, possible to
as the following example
shows:
will test higher order thinking
for each of the
Example: Write an appropriate synonym
Each blank corresponds to a letter:
following.
Metamorphose:
Flourish
CHANGE with six
The appropriate synonym for the first is
for the second is GROW
(6) letters while the appropriate synonym
with four (4) letters. Notice that these questions require not only
mere recall of words but also understanding of these words.

Another example of a completion type of text that measures

order thinking skill is given below:

higher -

Example: Write G if the item on the left is greater than the

item on the right; L if the item on the left is less than the item
on the right; E if the item on the left equals the item on the right
and D if the relationship cannot be determined.

A B

1. Square root of 9 . -3
2. Square of 25 b. 615
3. 36 inches C. 3 meters

4. 4 feet d. 48 inches

5.1 kilogram e. I pound

 Poncil Test
Cnapler 5-Distinguishing and Constructing Various Paper-and

Guidelines for the Formulation of a Completion Type of Test

The following guidelines can help you formulate a completion
type of test, the fil-in-the blank type.
. Avoid overmutilated sentenees like this test item. Give
enough clue to the student.
The produced by the is used by the green
to change the and into This
process is called
2. Avoid open-ended item. There should be only one
acceptable answer. This item is open-ended, hence no go0d
test item.

Ernest Hemingway wrote.

3. The blank should be at the end or near the end of the
Sentence. The question must first be asked before an answer

IS expected. Like the matching type of test, the stem (where

the question is packed) must be in the first column.
4. Ask question on more significant item not on trivial matter.
Jose Rizal was born on June 1861.
There are other more significant items to ask other than
specific bithdates.
5. The length of the blanks must not suggest the answer. So
better to make the blanks uniform in size.
A part of speech that names persons, places or things
1S

A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to

coordinate words in the same clause is called

5.4.2 Essays
Essays, classified as non-objective tests, allow for the
assessment of higher order thinking skills. Such tests require
students to organize their thoughts on a subject matter in coherent
sentences in order to inform an audience. In essay tests, students
are required to write one or more paragraphs on a specific topic.
ssay questions can be used to measure attainment of a
variety of objectives.
AssESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

. Comparing
- Describe the similarities and differences between...

- Compare the following methods for ..

2. Relating cause-and- cffect

- What are the major causes of . .

- What would be the most likely effects of .

3. Justifying
- Which of the following alternatives would you favor
and why?
Explain why you agree or disagree with the following
statement.

4. Summariz1ng
-

State the points included in .

- Briefly summarize the contents of ..

5. Generalizing
Formulate several valid generalizations from the
following data.
State a set of principles that can explain the following
events.

6. Inferring
- In the light of the facts presented, what is most likely
to happen when..
How would Senator X be most likely to react to
the bomb explosion after the bar examination last
September?
7. Classifying
- Group the following items according to...

What do the following items have in common?

8. Applying
- Using the principles of as guide, describe how
you would solve the following problem situation.
- Describe a situation that illustrates the principle of
 Test
Chapter 5-Distinguishing and Constructing Various Paper-and-Pencil

9. Analyzing
Describe the reasoning errors in the following
paragraphs.
-

List and desct be the main characteristics of ...

10. Evaluating
- Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the

following..
- Using the criteria developed in class, write an

evaluation of...
11. Creating
if.
Make up a story describing what would happen
- Design a plan to prove that ...

- Write a well-organized report that shows ...

5.4.2.1 Types of Essay

Restricted Essay
It is also referred to as short focused response. Examples
are asking students to "write an example," "list three
reasons or "compare and contrast two techniques."

Sample Short Response Question

(10h Grade Reading)
How are the scrub jay and the mockingbird diferent?
Support your answer with details and information from the aticle.

Non-restricted /Extended Essay

Extended responses can be much longer and complex than
short responses, but students are encouraged to remain focused
and organized.
AssESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

Sampie Extended Response Question

(5th Grade Science)
Robert is designing a demonstration todisplay at his school's
a fulcrum
SCience fair. He will show how changing the position of
an object.
of force needed to lift
On a lever changes the amount wood for a lever and a
o do this, Robert will use a piece of
to move the fulcrum
block of wood to act as a fulcrum. He plans
how its placement affects
to different places on the lever to see
the force needed to lift an object.
that would make
Part A ldentify at least two other actions
Robert's demonstration better.

Part B Explain why each action would improve the

demonstration.
(Source: https://fcit.usf.edu/assessment/constructed/constructb.html)

higher-level skills mentioned in

Note that all these involve the
Bloom's Taxonomy.

Guidelines for the Formulation and Scoring of Essay Tests

Rule 1: Phrase the direction in such a way that students

are

how
guided on the key concepts to be included. Specify
the students should respond.

Example
Using details and information from the article (Hundred
Islands), summarize the main points of the article. For a complete
and correct response, consider these points:

its history (10 pts)

its interesting features (10 pts)
why it isa landmark (5 pts)
Non-example
Using details and information from the article (Hundred
Islands) summarize the main points of the article.
Source: https:/fcit.usf.edu/assessment/constructed/constructb.html

Rule 2: Inform the students on the criteria to be used for

grading their essays. This rule allows the students
to focus on relevant and substantive materials rather
 napler 6-Distinguishing and Construcling Various Paper-and-Pencil Test

nan on
peripheral and unecessary facts and bits of
information.
Example: Write an essay the topic: "Plant
on
PhotosynthesisS
using the keywords indicated. You will be graded
according to the following criteria: (a) coherence,
() accuracy of
statements, (c) use of keywords, (d)
clarity and (e) extra points for innovative
of ideas. presentation
Rule 3: Put a time limit on the essay test.
Rule 4: Decide on your essay grading system prior to gemng
the essays of your students.
Rule 5: Evaluate all
of the students' answers to one quesTIO
before proceeding to the next question.
Scoring or grading essay tests question by
question, rather than student by student, makes it
possible to maintain a more uniform standard. for
Judging the answers to each
question. This procedure
also helps offset the halo effect in grading. When all
of the answers on one paper are read together, the
grader's impression of the paper as a whole is apt
to influence the
grades he assigns to the individual
answers. Grading question by question, of course,
prevents the formation of this overall impression of a
student's paper. Each
answer is more apt to be judged
on its own merits when it is read and compared with
other answers to the same question, than when it is
read and compared with other answers by the same
student.
Rule 6: Evaluate answers to essay questions without knowing
the identity of the writer This is another attempt to
control personal bias duri1ng scoring. Answers to
essay questions should be evaluated in terms of what
is written, not in terms of what is known about the
writers from other contacts with them. The best way
to prevent our prior knowledge from influencing our
judgment is to evaluate each answer without knowing
the identity of the writer. This can be done by
having
the students write their names on the back of the
paper
or by using code numbers in place of names.
AssESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

more persons grade

Kuie 7:,henèver possible, have two or
check on the reliability
Cach answer: The best way to
is to obtain two or
answers
Or the scoring of essay
not
Although this may
more independent judgments.
routine classroom testing,
be a feasible practice for
with a fellow teacher
it might be done periodically
the area). Obtaining
competent in
(one who is equally becomes especially
two or more independent ratings
results to be used for important
are
vital where the
such as in the selection
and irreversible decisions,
awards.
further training or for special
of students for
Here the pooled ratings
of several competent persons
needed to attain level
of reliability that is
may be
of the decision
commensurate with the significance

being made.

Some teachers use the cumulative criteria i.e.

each criterion, as basis
adding the weights given to
reverse. In the
for grading while others use the
latter method, each student begins with a score of
100. Points are then deducted every time a teacher
encounters a mistake or when a criterion is missed by
the student in his essay.
Rule 8: Do not provide optional questions. It is difficult to
construct questions of equal difficulty and so teacher
cannot have valid comparison of students' achievement.
Rule 9: Provide information about the value/weight of the
question and how it will be scored.
Rule 10: Emphasize higher level thinking skills.

Example:
Scientists have found that oceans can influence the
temperature of nearby landmasses. Coastal landmasses tend
to have more moderate temperatures in summer und winter
than inland landmasses of the same latitude.
Non Example:
Considering the inftuence of ocean temperatures, explain
why inland temperatures vary in summer and winter to a
greater degree than coastal temperatures. List three coastal
land masses.