VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT
ASSIGNMENT 2: EVALUATIVE ESSAY

Lecturer: Ms. Phạm Thị Thu Hà

Class: QH.2019.F1.E2.SP
Members: Nguyễn Ngọc Trâm Anh 19040305
Phạm Thị Vân Anh 19040309
Giáp Thu Phương 19040240

Hanoi, November 2022

 EVALUATIVE ESSAY
The final assignment allows us to utilize knowledge and skills learnt in the course “Language Assessment” to assess a full 45-minute English test
for 12th graders in Vietnam. This evaluative essay would examine the alignment between the learning and assessment targets, quality of the test,
and quality of the test items. 

I. Assessment targets
The test is designed to assess what students have gained after finishing three units in the new English textbook, including Life story (Unit 1);
Urbanisation (Unit 2) and The green movement (Unit 3). Regarding the assessment targets, it generally aligns with the learning targets of the
first three units in the textbook, including Language use and four English skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing). 

With regard to Pronunciation, the assessment targets seem not to be in alignment with the learning ones in terms of target content and task types.
The test aims to test students’ ability to recognize the sound of vowels in different words as well as identify the primary stress of two- and three-
syllable words in the form of MCQs while in the textbook, homophones, diphthong and assimilation of consonants are the main focus. (see
Appendix 2&6)

In testing Grammar, students are tested on the ability to identify & use past continuous, subjunctive mood, conjunction, relative clause with
“which”, articles and compound, complex sentence. This totally matches with the learning objectives set in the textbook. On top of that, the
learnt task types in the textbook in Grammar section including completing the sentences/ text rewriting or combining the sentences, are also
efficiently adopted along with MCQs and mistake correction in the given test.  (see Appendix 2&6)

Vocabulary assessment, presented in the form of multiple choice questions, is roughly different from learnt task types (sentence completion,
matching definition) in the textbook. However, its targets are in harmony with the learning targets set for the lessons, which are to define and
identify the written form and denotation meaning of words and phrases related to the units. (see Appendix 2&6)

Regarding Listening and Reading, the assessment targets are in accordance with the learning targets in the textbook. Both are set to identify
general ideas and specific information in written and spoken text (provided that the audio has slow speed and standard dialect or the text consists
of 280-300 words). In addition, there is a certain degree of alignment between the learnt and assessed task types in these receptive skills.
Specifically, two listening tasks are sufficiently familiar among students as the test adopts common task types in the textbook's listening section:
MCQs and True/False exercises (see Appendix 2&7). In terms of reading, the guided cloze test with the language of C1 level is more suitable for
assessing vocabulary and grammar instead of students’ ability to identify general ideas, specific information and details as stated in the
textbook’s learning targets. (see Appendix 2&8)
Similar to Pronunciation, there is a huge gap between the learnt knowledge and the assessed content in terms of Writing skills. While the test
aims to evaluate students’ grammatical knowledge applied to rewrite the sentence in subjunctive mood and combine sentences using correct
conjunctions, in the textbook, students are supposed to apply accumulated grammatical and lexical knowledge into 180-250 word writing about a
life’s story, line graph description or advantages and disadvantages essay. Therefore, the test completely neglects assessing students’ writing
skill.  (see Appendix 2&9)

Last but not least, considering Speaking skills, there is one plus point is that the topics given in the test totally match with the learnt topics in the
textbook including a historical figure, causes/ effects/ solutions of urbanization, reasons for/ the benefits of a green lifestyle, and green activities.
(see Appendix 2&10). However, students might find it challenging to deal with the individual long-turn without clue cards in speaking part 2
despite their previous practice with giving presentations and making conversations with suggested ideas in class.

II. Quality of the test 

1. Reliability 
The reliability of the test is evaluated on four main factors: test length, instruction writing, numbering system and scoring guidelines. First, we
consider whether the test is unreasonably long for students to complete. There are 40 items to be done within a duration of 45 minutes, among
which 5 minutes are set for the audio in the listening part (9 questions), leaving the other 40 minutes for 31 remaining items in Language,
Reading and Writing. Thus, each question in these parts would take students an average of 77,4 seconds. Compared with the University Entrance
Exam in Vietnam (60 minutes for 50 multiple-choice questions or averagely 72 seconds per question), it can be said that the mid-term test has a
reasonable number of items for twelve-graders to finish during 45 minutes. However, this might still be a challenge to them given that the test
includes eight questions that require them to write sentences and in addition, the listening part would probably take them more than 5 minutes as
students may need some time to read through the instructions as well as questions. 

As for instruction writing, they are generally concise and easy to understand since written in imperative form and simple languages.
Nevertheless, there is still some room for improvement. To begin with, in the instruction for items 1-4 (Part 1-Listening), students are asked to
write A for TRUE statements and B for FALSE ones. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but it would be a better idea to use the first
letter to indicate the answer (T for TRUE and F for FALSE). Doing so might help reduce the chance that students have to refer to the instruction
again when deciding whether to write A or B if one statement is TRUE or FALSE. Hence, the possibility that they accidentally write the wrong
answer - for example, A for FALSE statements - might be also minimized. Secondly, there is a certain degree of ambiguity in the instruction. To
illustrate, the verb “choose” and “mark” are constantly used in the instructions for MCQs items. Those verbs do not indicate a specific action
students have to take; as a result, some might underline their answer while others might highlight it. It is recommended to use a specific action
verb such as “circle”. Moreover, the lack of clarity can also be seen in the instructions for items in the Writing section (33-40). They have failed
to make it clear whether students need to write full sentences in the answer sheet or just the missing part. 

Turning to the numbering system, although different parts of the test are clearly divided and signaled, there are some inconsistencies in how they
are numbered. To be more specific, while the other three parts have their components numbered 1, 2 or 3 clearly, that is not the case for part 2
(Language). Though this does not greatly affect the convenience of students and teachers when doing, marking or correcting the test, it is still
advisable that each part of the test is consistent in format. 

The last factor that we look at in evaluating the reliability of the test is its scoring guidelines. On the plus side, there are scoring instructions for
both written and spoken tests. The marker(s) is provided with a very detailed analytic rubric which includes descriptions of four criteria for each
performance level. However, it contains a considerable number of mistakes regarding spelling, spacing or punctuation, which, to some extent,
makes the test look unprofessional and thus, less reliable. Additionally, there have not been any specific guidelines on marking the writing part
(items 33-40). Without those guidelines, the markers do not know whether she should give students full points or not when they make some
minor errors in terms of punctuation or spelling. As a result, the writing part might be marked inconsistently. Another point worth-mentioning is
that the test does not show the distribution of the score (0.8/item). This should be a problem  as students might think that the writing part is
assigned with more points and then spend more time on it instead of addressing the easier ones.
 
2. Validity 
a. Content validity 
The content validity of the test is evaluated on three main criteria: relevance, representativeness and proportion. 
In terms of relevance, the test covers all three units that students have learnt in the first half of semester 1 (see in Appendix 1). For example, task
1 and task 2 in the listening part revolve around topic “Life stories” (unit 1) and “Green lifestyle” (unit 3) while items 17-18 (Language) aim at  
vocabularies on topic “Urbanisation” in unit 2. However, several items such as questions 33-36 are not related to any learned topics. Though
their assessment target is to test students’ knowledge on subjunctive mood, it would be better if the learned themes are incorporated into the
inputs of the items. 
Regarding representativeness, it is safe to say that most of the contents learned in each unit are tested, which can be easily seen in Appendix 2.
The only exception is the case of pronunciation and writing. There are not any items that represent what students have been taught in this
language component and skill (see Appendix 2). To give an example, in unit 1, students learn to identify and pronounce homophones; however,
the test has no particular item to address this learning point. 
Lastly, in terms of proportion, the test does not allocate equal attention among three units. Specifically, only 5/40 questions are related to what
is taught in unit 2 - Urbanisation, half as many as the number of items associated with knowledge learnt in unit 1 and 3 (see in Appendix 3). This
disproportion is unreasonable as the Appendix 2 shows that the number of learning targets in unit 2 are roughly equal with that of the other units.
To address this, the test designer(s) might consider changing the topic of one of the tasks in listening or speaking sections. On the other hand, it
can be gathered from Appendix 4 that there is quite an equal distribution of score for different language components and skills in the test. 
b. Construct validity
In evaluating the construct validity of this test, we make judgments on how well it measures the concept of students’ Communicative Language
Ability, which, according to Bachman and Palmer (1996), consists of two major domains: Language Knowledge and Strategic competence. 
As regards language knowledge, different items are included in the test to access its sub-components. To begin with, most of the questions in
part 2-Language can access students’ grammatical knowledge as they aim at knowledge of vocabulary and grammar learnt in the three units.
Meanwhile, the Listening and Reading parts test require students to comprehend texts in both oral and written form, which tests their textual
knowledge. Functional knowledge is also assessed in the test, particularly in the speaking part when students have to use language to express or
exchange information about their ideas, knowledge or probably their feelings as well. Also, test-takers are expected to create spoken language
appropriate to a particular use setting (introducing themselves to examiners) by adjusting their registers, for example. This can be counted as
sociolinguistic knowledge. 
As far as strategic competence is concerned, all three areas of meta cognitive are measured in this test, namely goal-setting, assessment and
planning. For example, in the writing section, students need to identify the test tasks and decide whether or not to attempt to complete the task
(goal-setting). Then, they need to determine what is needed to finish it, consider their own knowledge and assess the correctness or
appropriateness of the response to the test task (assessment). Lastly, students may select elements from the areas of topical knowledge and
language knowledge for completing the test task, formulate one or more plans for implementing these elements in a response and select one of
these plans as a response to the test task (planning). 

To summarize, it is safe to say that the test has a high construct validity for its capability to measure students’ communicative ability as it
includes representatives of both language knowledge and strategic competence. 

3. Authenticity
Concerning authenticity, in terms of task types, the test mostly consisted of selected responses in Language, Reading, and Listening parts   and
constructed response tasks in the Writing part, which is deemed to be quite inauthentic. Yet, in terms of the source, while the listening recordings
do not include source information,  it has done a good job in making use of authentic real-life talk and conversation between two characters.
With the Reading section, two passages are taken from real-world materials, namely  articles of organic farming and Pelé’s life story proposed
acceptable authenticity. Regarding the Speaking section, not only are the topics given related to real-world contexts but the format of individual
long-turns  also proved to be authentic as the students may encounter real-life situations in which they have to deliver a small talk on a certain
topic. 

4. Practicality

Given that the test conducted in paper-based form mostly contains selected response items, for the teacher, the administration and scoring are
deemed to be manageable and easy as well as for the test takers, it is feasible to complete the 40-question test (Speaking part not included) in
allotted time of 45 minutes. However, to fully facilitate students’ completion of this test, it is of pivotal importance that schools equip classrooms
with quality speakers for the Listening section, which is not financially available for all public schools. Additionally,  in the Speaking section, a
sufficient number of examiners is also required to assess students’ performances. Irrespective of examiners’ eligibility, the number of 12th-
graders in Vietnamese high schools often outnumber that of English teachers by a great ratio; therefore, testing all students’ speaking ability
would be incredibly time- and resource-consuming even with detailed marking rubrics.  

III. Evaluation of the quality of the test items 

The test includes five main task types, which will be evaluated according to the checklists given in the textbook (see Appendix 11-16): 

1. Multiple-choice questions (Listening task 2, Reading, Vocabulary, Grammar Pronunciation & Speaking) 

Overall, MCQs is the type that has the highest proportion among the tasks (28/40 items), assessing most of the components in the test (see
Appendix 11). Firstly, in terms of distractors, each question includes one stem (in the form of a positive statement) and two/three distractors
which have the same form with the key and/or are closely related to the audio/ text content. For instance, in item 9 - listening task 2, the two
distractors (call phones, write letters) and the correct answer (send messages) are related to the same topic and share the same form and length.
Secondly, the options are of the same length, no one stands out among the rest. The test maker also assures that there is no factual question in
which students can answer based on their previous knowledge. Each question can be answered independently and the sequence of Listening and
Reading task 1 appears in the order of information in the audio/text. Last but not least, there is no grammatical mismatch between alternatives
and the stem, since alternatives in each item are of the same part of speech (verb phrases, adjectives, nouns) and are suitable for the stems. 

Regarding the problems, the pronunciation checking exercise in the first part of Language does not assess learnt pronunciations from the units.
What’s more, the chosen words are mostly from the explicit vocabulary. Another issue is in Listening and Reading as the options are often not
paraphrased. Except for item 9 and 26, the other questions have roughly the same wording as in the audio or passage. In terms of level, although
the wording of the items are below the language level of the text (A1- A2 level), some items might be quite lengthy (see Appendix 13). The
analysis in Reading (see Appendix 14) also shows that five task items are not sequenced in the order they appear in the text. Specifically, while
the answer to question 29 can be found in the first paragraph, the answer to question 28 lies in the second one. Additionally, question 29 also
mentions the wrong paragraph (should be paragraph 1 instead), which can puzzle test takers. In terms of Speaking, there is only one item which
not only does not refer to any units but also fails to meet the target.  

2. True/false (Listening task 1) 

Turning to the True/False task, this type is applied to assess only 4 items in task 1 Listening (10% of the test). Regarding the good point, firstly,
it is easy to comprehend since the options are of A2 to B1 level while the audio is of B1 to B2 level. There is no item that asks students about
everyday knowledge or commonly known facts; therefore the answers are not guessable. Moreover, the items are sequenced in order of the
listening text, yet not overlapping each other and could be answered independently based on different information from the audio. Like the
aforementioned tasks, there seems to be no grammatical mistakes or errors in punctuations. However, there are two aspects that the task does not
fulfill. Firstly, most of the options are not paraphrased except a part of option 3 has changes in the wording (from “with very little money to live
on” to “not rich”). Secondly, the instructions only require students to decide which sentence is True or False, resulting in a 50% chance of
students guessing the correct answer. (See appendix 12) 

3. Sentence transformation (Writing task 1)

Sentence transformation accounts for 10% of the test items. The test maker(s) does not include too much factual information such as proper
names or figures. The inputs are easy to understand and do not require students to imagine. The key has also provided some possible answers for
the items, which is beneficial for not only the students but also the graders.  However, it seems that not all potential answers are included in the
key. (See Appendix 16)

4. Short answer (Writing task 2)

Short answers task also accounts for 10% of the items. The task fulfills 2/4 guidelines in the checklist in Appendix 15, avoiding too much factual
information and imagination. Regarding the scoring, similar to task 1, there are no guidelines about how students’ answers will be scored. In
addition, although the key has provided some possible answers for the conjunctions, namely “as”, “since”, “because”, it has not included all
possible answers of students. For example, students may change the position of the clause and still produce a correct sentence with the same
meaning. Otherwise, it should be made clear in the instructions that students are not allowed to do so. (see Appendix 15)

5 Performance assessment (Speaking)

This is a separate part which accounts for 2 points (20% of the score). In terms of instruction, there is no specific description of the test such as
format, preparing/ speaking time or cue cards. The test question is ambiguous, and is not presented in the target language. However, the marking
rubric is analytical with clearly identifiable performance features. 

In conclusion, the given mid-term test needs some improvement in terms of assessment targets, test quality and test item quality before being
used in the classroom. By analyzing and evaluating different aspects associated with the test, we gain a more in-depth understanding of the
knowledge and skills in the “Language Assessment” course, which will be of great value to us in our future teaching career.
Words count: 3237

Reference

Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests. Oxford University Press.

Ministry of Education and Training. (2014). Dispatch No. 5333/BGDĐT-GDTrH: Implementing language testing and assessment inorder to

develop learners’ English proficiency at secondary level from academic years 2014-2015. Hanoi, Vietnam.

Language Research - Text Inspector. Languageresearch.cambridge.org. (2022). Retrieved 3 December 2022, from

https://languageresearch.cambridge.org/wordlists/text-inspector.
Reading 1: 158 words, C1 Reading 2: 204 words, B1
 APPENDIX 1: ASSESSMENT TARGETS OF THE TEST IN DETAIL

Section Item number Performance level Target content Topic Condition

Part 1: Listening Task 1 Identify specific information in a talk about Marie Curie’s 1 minute audio recording
life story Slow speed
Standard dialect

Task 2 Identify specific information in a about Go Green Club 1.5 minute audio recording
conversation (Green lifestyle) Slow speed
Standard dialect

Part 2: Language 2-10 Recognise the sound of letter ‘i’ in ‘unit’, a four-option multiple choice question
‘increase’, ‘site’ & ‘skill’

2-11 Recognise the sound of letter ‘a’ in a four-option multiple choice question
‘stable’, ‘massive’ ‘talented’
& ‘rapid’

2-12 Identify the stress patterns of words a four-option multiple choice question
with different spoken form

2-13 Identify the stress patterns of words a four-option multiple choice question
with different spoken form

2-14 Recall the form and meaning of past related to the topic in the given context of a sentence from
continuous tense “Life Stories” a four option multiple-choice task

2-15 Recall the form and meaning of the in the given context of a sentence from
subjunctive in that-clause after a four option multiple-choice task
certain verbs and expressions

2-16 Identify the form and meaning of the related to the topic in the given context of a sentence from
missing word (reputation) “Life story” a four option multiple-choice task
 2-17 Recall the form and meaning of related to the topic in the given context of a sentence from
structure “play a role in +V- “Urbanisation” a four option multiple-choice task
ing”

2-18 Recall the form and meaning of the related to the topic in the given context of a sentence from
word “open-minded” “Urbanisation” a four option multiple-choice task

2-19 Identify & Recall the synonyms of the given related to the topic in the given context of a sentence from
word (adopt) “Green lifestyle” a four option multiple-choice task

2-20 Identify the appropriate response to the related to the topic in the given context of a sentence from
given question “Green lifestyle” a four option multiple-choice task

Part 3: Reading 3-21 Identify the correct conjunction to Related to the topic in the given context of a 150-word text
complete a text in a gap-filling “Green lifestyle” at C1 level
task

3-22 Identify the correct relative pronoun to Related to the topic in the given context of a 150-word text
complete a text in a gap-filling “Green lifestyle” at C1 level
task

3-23 Identify form and meaning of given Related to the topic in the given context of a 150-word text
lexical items to complete a text “Green lifestyle” at C1 level
in a gap-filling task
(resource)

3-24 Identify The correct article to complete Related to the topic in the given context of a 150-word text
a text in a gap-filling task “Green lifestyle” at C1 level

3-25 Identify form and meaning of given Related to the topic in the given context of a 150-word text
lexical items to complete a text “Green lifestyle” at C1 level
in a gap-filling task
(inexpensive)
 3-26 Identify the general idea of a reading about Pelé, related to in the given context of a 204-word text
passage the topic “Life story” at B1 level

3-27 Identify specific information in a about Pelé, related to in the given context of a 204-word text
reading passage the topic “Life story at B1 level

3-28 Identify the synonyms of the given about Pelé, related to in the given context of a 204-word text
word (electrifying) the topic “Life story” at B1 level

3-29 Identify the referential relationship of about Pelé, related to in the given context of a 204-word text
the word ‘which’ the topic “Life story at B1 level

3-30 Identify specific information in a about Pelé, related to in the given context of a 204-word text
reading passage the topic “Life story” at B1 level

Part 4: Writing 4-31 Identify the correct form of the past related to the topic in the given context of a sentence
continuous “Life story”

4-32 Recall the phrase “human resources” related to the topic of in the given context of a sentence
“Urbanisation”

4-33 → 4-36 Apply the form and meaning of the subjunctive mood structure to rewrite a given sentence keeping the same meaning
using suggested prompts

4-37 → 4-40 Apply the form and meaning of conjunction to combine two sentences keeping the same meaning.

5-1 Answer questions about themselves (name, age, class, hobbies, etc.)
Part 5: Speaking

5-2 Apply learned grammatical knowledge and lexical items to give a monologue about one of the learnt topics (famous
figure; reasons/ effects/ solutions of urbanisation; reasons/ effects of a green lifestyle; ways to lead a green lifestyle)
without being provided with suggested main ideas.
 APPENDIX 2: THE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE ASSESSMENT TARGETS AND THE LEARNING TARGETS
Language skills Learning targets
& components
Vocabulary - use words and phrases related to people’s
life stories (Unit 1)
- use words and phrases related to
urbanisation and its feature (Unit 2)
- form and use compound adjectives (Unit 2)
- use words and phrases related to the
advantages and disadvantages of a green
lifestyle (Unit 3)
Pronunciation - identify and pronounce homophones
correctly (Unit 1)
- recognise diphthong and practice
pronouncing them correctly (Unit 2)
- recognise and pronounce assimilation of
consonants before /m/, /b/, /p/, and /s/ (Unit
3)
Grammar - use the past simple and past continuous to
talk about past actions or events (Unit 1)
- use articles correctly (Unit 1)
Assessment targets of the given test Evidence in the test
(see Appendix 1)
- identify the written form and denotation meaning Part 2: Language
of 1 word (reputation) related to the topic “life - Items: 16
story” (Unit 1)
- identify the written form and denotation meaning Part 2: Language
of a compound adjectives (open-minded) and a - Item: 18
phrase (human resources) related to the topic Part 4: Writing
“Urbanisation” (Unit 2) - Item: 32
- identify the written form and denotation meaning Part 3: Reading
of 3 words (adopt, resource, inexpensive) related - Items: 19, 23, 25
to the topic “Green lifestyle” (Unit 3)
Do not match with the learning targets
Identify & use past continuous, subjunctive mood, Part 2: Language
conjunction, relative clause with “which”, article - Item 14
and compound, complex sentence. - Item 15
Part 3: Reading
 - Item 21-22
- use the subjunctive in that-clause after
certain verbs and expressions (Unit 2) Part 4: Writing
- Item 31
- use simple, compound, and complex - Item 33-36
sentences (Unit 3) - Item 37-40

- understand and use relative clauses with

“which” referring to the whole clause (Unit
3)

Reading - read for specific information about two
people’s life stories (Unit 1)
- read for specific information in an article
about urbanisation and its causes (Unit 2)
- identify general ideas, specific information and Part 3: Reading
details in a straightforward text of 204 words - Item 26, 27, 30
about a person’s life story

- read for general ideas and specific

information in an article about soot pollution
(Unit 3)

Listening - listen for specific information in a talk show - identify specific information in a 1-minute talk Part 1: Listening
about privacy and lessons learnt from about Marie Curie’s life story, provided that the - Task 1: Items 1 - 4
people’s life stories (Unit 1) audio has slow speed and standard dialect
- Task 2: Items 5 - 9
- listen for general ideas and specific - identify specific information in a 1.5 minute
information in a discussion about a preferable conversation about Go Green Club, provided that
place of living (Unit 2) the recording has slow speed and standard dialect

- listen for general ideas and specific

information in a talk show about a school’s
Go Green initiative (Unit 3)
Speaking - talk about a historical figure (Unit 1)
- discuss key features of urbanisation and
express opinions about a preferable place of
living (Unit 2)
- discuss lifestyle choices and decide if they
are environmentally friendly (Unit 3)
Writing - write a person’s life story (Unit 1)
- describe a line graph about the rate of
urbanisation (Unit 2)
- write an essay about the advantages and
disadvantages of a green lifestyle (Unit 3)
- apply learned grammatical knowledge and Speaking part 2
lexical items to give a monologue about a famous
figure
- apply learned grammatical knowledge and
lexical items to give a monologue about the
causes/effects/ solution of urbanisation
- apply learned grammatical knowledge and
lexical items to give a monologue about the
reasons for/ benefits of/ examples of a green
lifestyle
Do not match with the learning targets
 APPENDIX 3: TOPIC PROPORTION OF EACH UNIT IN THE TEST

Unit 1: Life Stories Unit 2: Urbanisation Unit 3: Green lifestyle

Part 1: Listening 4 items 5 items

Part 2: Language 3 items 2 items 2 items

Part 3: Reading 6 items 5 items

Part 4: Writing 1 item 3 items 1 item

Part 5: Speaking

TOTAL 14/40 items (35%) 5/40 items (13%) 13/40 (33%)

APPENDIX 4: SCORE WEIGHTS OF EACH UNIT IN THE TEST

Unit 1: Life Stories Unit 2: Urbanisation Unit 3: Green lifestyle

Part 1: Listening (1.8pt) 0.8pt 1pt

Part 2: Language (2.2pt) 0.4pt 0.4pt

Part 3: Reading (2pt) 1pt 1pt

Part 4: Writing (2pt)

Part 5: Speaking (2pt)

TOTAL 2,2 pt (22%) 0,4 pt (4%) 2 pt (20%)

 APPENDIX 5: ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE ASSESSED CONTENT AND THE LEARNT CONTENT
IN TERMS OF VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR AND PRONUNCIATION

Unit Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation

Learnt Assessed Learnt Assessed Learnt Assessed

Unit 1 - a. Explicitly: 4/28 taught words: 1. Past simple 3/4 taught grammar - homophones None
Life 1. Distinguished - humble (implicitly) (I- - Form points:
stories 2. Achievement 12/ form/ - Meaning - Past continuous: 2
3. Respectable pronunciation/ context- - Use items (I-14/ form
4. Talented independent) and meaning, I-31/
5. Generosity - talented (explicitly) (I- 2. Past continuous form and meaning)
b. Implicitly: 11/ form/ - Form
1. Amputate pronunciation/ context- - Meaning
2. Anonymous independent) - Use
3. Achievement - reputation (implicitly)
4. Memory (I-16/ form-meaning/ 3. Define articles and - Define articles
5. Reveal context- dependent) the Omission of - Omission of articles
6. Initiate - adopt (implicitly) (I- articles - Indefinite articles
7. The needy 19/ association/ context- - Form
8. Dedication dependent) - Use 1 item (I-24/ form and
9. Diagnose use)
10. Figure 4. Indefinite articles
11. Hospitalisation - Form
12. Humble beginning - Use
13. Perseverance
 14. Prosthetic leg
15. Reputation
16. Respectable
17. Overcome
18. Adopted
19. Misfortune
20. Helpless
21. Obsessed
22. Competed
23. Waver

Unit 2 - a. Explicitly: 5/44 taught words 1. Subjunctive in that- 1/1 taught grammar - diphthong 0/1 taught
Urbanisati 1. Urbanisation - increase (implicitly) clause points: pronunciation
on 2. Overload (I-10/ form/ - Meaning - Subjunctive in that
3. Industrialisation pronunciation/ context- - Form clause: 5 items (I-15
4. Switch off independent) - Use form, meaning, I -
5. Agricultural - stable (implicitly) (I- 33, 34, 35, 36/ form,
6. Long - term/ Long- 11/ form/ meaning)
lasting pronunciation/ context-
7. Fast-growing independent)
8. Well-paid - urban (explicitly) (I-
9. Weather-beaten 11/ form/
10. Down market pronunciation/ context-
11. Year-round independent)
12. Worldwide - word formation:
13. Counter- compound adjective (I-
urbanisation 18/ form meaning/
14. Expand context-dependent)
 15. Increase
16. Double
17. Migrate
18. Mindset
19. Discrimination
20. Housing
21. Sanitation
22. Progressive
b. Implicitly:
1. Centralise
2. Cost-effective
3. Densely populated
4. Down-to-earth
5. Industrialization
6. Interest - free
7. Kind-hearted
8. Long lasting
9. Self-motivated
10. Slum
11. Time consuming
12. Thought-provoking
13. Unemployment
14. Upmarket
15. Up-to-date
16. Well-established
17. Wide-ranging
18. Energy saving
 19. Fall/decrease
sharply/steadily
20. Rise/increase
steadily/sharply
21. Fluctuate
22. Stay the same/
remain stable/ level
off

Unit 3 - a. Explicitly: 5/22 taught words 1. Simple, Compound, 2/2 taught grammar - assimilation 0/1 taught
The Green 1. Mould and mildew - livestyle (implicitly) Complex sentences points of consonants pronunciation
Movement 2. Depleted (listening script, input I- - Form - Simple, complex, before /m/,
/b/, /p/, and /s/
3. Clutter 19) - Meaning compound sentences:
4. Pathway - disposal (explicitly) 6 items ( I-21/ form,
5. Dispose of (I-13/ form/ 2. Relative clause with meaning, I-37, 38, 39,
6. Asthma pronunciation/ context- which 40/ form, meaning)
b. Implicitly: independent) - Form
1. Combustion - organic, green - Meaning - Relative clause with
2. Organic technology, hazardous which: 2 items (I-22/
3. Soot particle chemical (embedded in form, meaning, I-29/
4. Geothermal the reading passage) form, meaning)
5. Habitat - renewable resource
6. Livestyle (implicitly) (I-23/ form
7. Preservation meaning/ collocation/
8. Promote context-dependent)
9. Purification
10. Replenish
11. Sustainability
 12. Dangerous climate
change
13. Renewable
resources
14. Hazardous
chemicals
15. Eco-friendly
products
16. Green technology

APPENDIX 6: THE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE LEARNT TASK TYPE AND THE ASSESSED TASK TYPE
IN TERMS OF PRONUNCIATION, VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR

Textbook Test

Pronunciation Listen and repeat Part 2: Language

Listen and write - Stress pattern (MCQ)
Listen and practice - Different pronunciation (MCQ)

Vocabulary Complete the sentences Part 2: Language

Match the words with their meanings - Circle the correct option (MCQ)

Grammar Complete the sentences/ text Part 2: Language

Rewrite the sentences - Circle the correct option (MCQ)
Combine sentences - Mistake correction (MCQ)
Part 3: Reading
 - Circle the correct option to complete a given text
(MCQ)
Part 4: Writing
- Rewrite the sentence
- Combining sentence

APPENDIX 7: ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE ASSESSED TASK TYPE AND THE LEARNT TASK TYPE
IN TERMS OF LISTENING
All listening tasks are sufficiently familiar among students as the test adopts multiple-choice questions and True/False exercises, both of
which are common in the textbook's listening section.

Specifications Textbook Test

Tasks Listen and check True/False

Listen and choose the best option (MCQ) Listen and choose the best answer (MCQ)
Listen and complete the summary → familiar with students
True/False/Not Given
Short-answer
Listen and complete the sentences
Listen and match

Topic Urbanisation: Pros and Cons Marie Curie’s life story

Go Green week Go Green Club
Life story → suitable

Condition - Length: 2 minutes - Length: 1-1.5 minutes

 - Delivery: Slow and clear - Delivery: Slow and clear
- Dialect: Standard - Dialect: Standard
- Level: B1-B2- - Level:
+ Listening 1: B1
+ Listening 2: B1

Genre - Talkshow - Talk

- Conversation - Conversation
- Talk → suitable

Tested Listening for specific information Listening for specific information

subskills Listening for general ideas

APPENDIX 8: ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE ASSESSED TASK TYPE AND THE LEARNT TASK TYPE
IN TERMS OF READING
Specifications Textbook Test

Reading 1 (5 questions) Reading 2 (5 questions)

Tasks - Matching (headings, statements, Guided cloze test MCQs

words/phrases/expressions and (Multiple choice questions) → familiar with students
their meanings) → unfamiliar with students
- Complete the table/sentence
- True - False - Not given
- Short-answer

Text length 300-350 words 158 words 204 words

Topic Two people’s life stories Organic farming Pelé’s life story
Urbanisation and its causes → suitable
Soot pollution

Genre Article Article → suitable Article → suitable

Tested subskills Reading for general ideas
Reading for specific information
Completing a paragraph with missing
words
Recognizing, using grammar and
grammar points in a context
Reading for general information (1q)
Reading for specific information (2q)
Vocabulary (meaning of word) (1q)
Reading for referential relationship of the
given word (1q)

CEFR level B1 - B2 C1 B1

Cognitive level Understand Apply (60%) Understand

Understand (40%)

APPENDIX 9: ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE ASSESSED TASK TYPE AND THE LEARNT TASK TYPE
IN TERMS OF WRITING
 The test writing section only focuses on assessing students' grammatical knowledge and use, rather than writing ability.

Texbook Test

Write a 180-250 word person’s life story based on given information
Write a description (of about 150 words) of the trend in the line graph
Write an essay of 180-250 words about the advantages and
disadvantages of consuming organic food, using suggested outline
and ideas.
Not assessed
The writing section in the test is in the form of short answers; thus, it
only assesses students’ knowledge and application of grammar
structures and grammar points.

APPENDIX 10: ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE ASSESSED TASK TYPE AND THE LEARNT TASK TYPE
IN TERMS OF SPEAKING
In the speaking section, despite previous practice with giving presentations and making conversations, students in-class performances are
hardly under time constraints. Therefore, students might be unfamiliar with the speaking section.

Textbook Test

Tasks Give a group presentation to the class Self-introduction: short questions

Practise conversation in pair Topic Development (Individual)

Condition - Length: not mentioned - Length: not mentioned, including time for preparation
- With suggested ideas or conversation samples - No suggested ideas given

Topic A historical figure A historical figure

Positive and negative feature of big cities life Causes/ Effects/ Solutions of urbanisation
Reasons for living in an urban or rural area Reasons for a green lifestyle
Green activity and its benefits to the environment Green activities
 Lifestyle choices The benefits of a green lifestyle

III. QUALITY OF THE TEST ITEMS

APPENDIX 11: THE PROPORTION OF DIFFERENT TASK TYPES IN THE TEST

Task types Number of items Percentage Assessed skills/components Evidence

True/False 4/40 10% - Listening - Items 1 - 4

- Listening - Items 5 - 9
- Pronunciation - Items 10 - 13
Multiple-choice 28/40 70% - Grammar - Items 14, 15, 21, 22, 24, 31
- Vocabulary - Reading - Items 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 25, 32
- Speaking - Items 26 - 30
- Item 20

Sentence transformation 4/40 10% - Writing & Grammar - Items 33 - 36

Short answer 4/40 10% - Writing & Grammar - Items 37 - 40

Listening
● Task 1
APPENDIX 12: EVALUATION OF A T/F/NG TASK IN THE TEST
(FOR LISTENING SECTION)
 Performance level
Item writing guidelines for a T/F/NG task Explanation & Evidence
4 3 2 1
(completely) (adequately) (partly) (hardly)

1. The options must be paraphrased instead of Most of the options are not paraphrased. Only a
having the same wording as in the audio. 0.5 part of option 3 has changes in the wording
(from “with very little money to live on” to “not
rich”).

2. The wording of the items should be easy to The options are of A2 - B1 level while the audio
understand and is below the language level of 4 is of B1 - B2 level.
the language in the audio.

3. No item can be answered correctly without No item asks students about everyday knowledge
listening to the audio. 4 or commonly known facts; therefore the answers
are not guessable.

4. Each question can be answered Students need to catch different information to

independently. 4 answer each question. The answer to one
question does not depend on the answer to
another question.

5. A third option "not stated”/ "not The instructions only require students to decide
mentioned" is included to minimise guessing. 0 which sentence is True or False, resulting in a
50% chance of students guessing the correct
answer.

6. Items do not overlap. 4 Each item inquires different information about

 Marie Curie. The stem of one question does not
include the answer to another one.

7. Items are sequenced in the order they 4 Items appear in the order of information in the
appear in the original text. audio.

8. There are no punctuation errors and other 4 All items are grammatically correct and have no
grammatical or lexical mistakes in the items. errors in punctuation or vocabulary.

● Task 2
APPENDIX 13: EVALUATION OF THE MCQ TASK IN THE TEST
(FOR LISTENING SECTION)

Performance level
Item writing guidelines for a MCQ task Explanation & Evidence
4 3 2 1

1. At least two distractors are included. There are 3 options including two distractors and
4 one correct answer.

2. Distractors must relate to the text content to Some distractors are mentioned in the audio
make them plausible. 4 while others have the same form with the key
and/or relate to the topic of the audio.

3. The options are paraphrased instead of Except for questions 9, the other questions do
having the same wording as in the text. not have their options paraphrased. The wording
0.8 of the options is the same as in the audio.
4. The wording of the items should be easy to The items are of A2 level, while the text is of
understand and below the language level of the B1-B2 level. However, the wording of some
text. items might be quite lengthy. For example, item
3.8 8 can be shortened to “What does the club hope
to do?” or item 9 might be “How will Nam give
Mike the time and place of the club meeting?”

5. No item can be answered correctly without No item asks students about everyday knowledge
listening to the audio. 4 or commonly known facts; therefore the answers
are not guessable.

6. Each question can be answered 4 Students need to catch different information to

independently. answer all five questions. The answer to one
question does not depend on the answer to
another question.

7. Items do not overlap. 4 Each item inquires about different details in the
audio.

8. Items are sequenced in order they appear in Items do appear in the same order as the
the original listening text. 4 information in the audio.

9. Options are not absurd. The options are not obviously wrong or
4 irrelevant.

10. Negative items are not used. 4 There is no negative stem used.

11. The options are of the same length. No one The options are of the same length in each item.
stands out among the rest. 4 All of them are phrases which contain 2 or 3
words.

12. There is no grammatical mismatch between Alternatives in each item are of the same part of
alternatives and the stem. 4 speech (verb phrases, adjectives, nouns) and are
suitable for the stems.

13. There are no punctuation errors and other Items 7 and 8 have grammatical mistakes (It
mistakes in grammar or lexis. 2.4 should be “What are the club members going to
do first after the ceremony” and “What
does the club hope to be able to do?).

Reading
APPENDIX 14: EVALUATION FOR A MCQ TASK IN THE TEST
(FOR READING SECTION)

Performance level
Item writing guidelines for a MCQ task Explanation & Evidence
4 3 2 1

1. At least two distractors are included. 4 There are 4 options including three distractors
and one correct answer.

2. Distractors must relate to the text content to Some distractors are directly mentioned in the
make them plausible. 4 audio while others have the same form with the
key and/or relate to the topic of the text.

3. The options are paraphrased instead of Except for questions 26, the other questions do
having the same wording as in the text. not have their options paraphrased. The wording
0.8 of the options is the same as in the passage.

4. The wording of the items should be easy to The items are of A1 - A2 level, while the text is
understand and below the language level of the of B1-B2 level.
text.
4

5. No item can be answered correctly without No item asks students about everyday knowledge
reading the text. 4 or commonly known facts; therefore the answers
are not guessable.

6. Each question can be answered 4 Students need to catch different information to

independently. answer all five questions. The answer to one
question does not depend on the answer to
another question.

7. Items do not overlap. 4 Each item inquires about different details in the
text.

8. Items are sequenced in order they appear in 2.4 Except for items 28 and 29, the answer for item
the original text. 29 appears before item 28’s

9. Options are not absurd. The options are not obviously wrong or
4 irrelevant.

10. Negative items are not used. 4 There is no negative stem used.

11. The options are of the same length. No one The options are of the same length in each item
stands out among the rest. 4 (short sentences, phrases, single words).
12. There is no grammatical mismatch between Alternatives in each item are of the same part of
alternatives and the stem. 4 speech (verb phrases, adjectives, nouns) and are
suitable for the stems.

13. There are no punctuation errors and other 4 All items are grammatically correct. There are no
mistakes in grammar or lexis. errors in punctuation or vocabulary.

● Writing
APPENDIX 15: EVALUATION OF A SHORT ANSWER TASK IN THE TEST
(FOR WRITING SECTION)
Performance level
Item writing guidelines for a short answer Explanation & Evidence
task 4 3 2 1
(completely) (adequately) (partly) (hardly)

1. Award scores for both content and There are no guidelines about how students’
composition features 1 answers will be scored, for example, whether
students get full points if they have punctuation
or spelling errors.

2. Avoid choosing texts that contain a lot of 4 The input of items 37 - 40 do not contain any
proper names as well as facts and figures proper names or figures.

3. Avoid questions which demand much 4 The input of items 37 - 40 familiar with students
imagination as they are related to the topics learnt in Unit 1,
2, 3. They do not require students to imagine.

4. Make sure all the possible answers are The key has provided some possible answers for
included in the answer key. the conjunctions (as, since, because, etc.)
2 However, it has not included all possible answers
of students. For example, they may change the
position of the clause and still produce a correct
sentence with the same meaning. Or, it should be
made clear in the instructions that students are
not allowed to do that.

APPENDIX 16: EVALUATION OF A SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION TASK

(FOR WRITING SECTION)
Performance level
Item writing guidelines for a sentence Explanation & Evidence
transformation task 4 3 2 1
(completely) (adequately) (partly) (hardly)

1. Award scores for both content and There are no guidelines about how students’
composition features 1 answers will be scored, for example, whether
students get full points if they have punctuation
or spelling errors.

2. Avoid choosing texts that contain a lot of 4 The input of items 33 - 36 do not contain any
proper names as well as facts and figures proper names or figures.

3. Avoid questions which demand much 4 The input of items 33 - 36 are easy to understand
imagination and do not require students to imagine.
4. Make sure all the possible answers are 4 The key has provided all the possible answers for
included in the answer key. the items.