Test Construction: The Elements

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Grammar questions

Grammar tests are designed to measure student proficiency in matters ranging from inflections (bottle-bottles, bake-baked) to syntax. Syntax involves the relationship of words in a sentence including manners such as word order, use of the negative, question forms, and connectives.

Reasons:

Much English teaching has been based on grammar; and unlike various measures of communicative skills, there is general agreement on what to test. Grammar items, such as auxiliary verbs, are easy to identify, and errors in grammar can be quickly spotted and counted. As with vocabulary exams, either passive or active skills can be checked. Also, grammar can be tailored to beginners or advanced learners

Multiple-choice completion

While multiple-choice completion is an efficient way to test grammar, teachers need to be cautioned about the temptation to use this bid of item for all of their testing needs Though multiple-choice tests can be used successfully in testing grammar, they don't seem to work as well in testing conversational ability.

Steps to constructing an item

(1) Choose the grammar points that you need to test; (2) prepare the right kind of sentence context (or stem) for the grammar structure; (3) select three logical distractors; and (4) prepare clear, simple instruction.

Grammar Choice

What structures you have taught since the last test? What to include and exclude? How to give different "weight" to various grammar points?

E.g.: Let's say you spent three times longer on modal auxiliaries than on two-word verbs. You could prepare two or three times as many questions on the modals.

Context Preparation

A good context is very important! Assuming that you have decided what points to test, what multiple-choice type to use, and how many questions to prepare, you are now ready to start writing the items. First, choose a structure and then use it correctly in a sentence. If one sentence does not seem to work, use two!

Distractor Preparation
Avoid using too obvious items! E.g.: _______ the ones who know the answers. A. They are B. There C. They're D. Their Avoid items that test divided usage, or items that only test different levels of formality. E.g.: You can get it from the lady _______ he sold it to. A. which B. who C. whom D. why

Avoid confusing or tiring your students by having them reread unnecessary material. E.g.: If I had a new fur coat, __________. A. I showed it to everyone. B. I'd show it to everyone. C. I've shown it to everyone. D. I'll show it to everyone. -> (revised) If I had a new fur coat, ______ it to everyone. A. I showed B. I'd show C. I've shown D. I'll show

Also, it is best not to mix categories like the following: E.g.: They just bought __________ furniture. A. a few B. several C. some D. with (revised) They just bought ___________. A. a few furnitures. B. several furnitures. C. some furniture. D. a furniture.

Alternate Form of Multiple-Choice Completion

Error identification: E.g.: Rain is slight acidic even in unpolluted A* B air, because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and other natural acid-forming gases dissolve C D in the water.

Advantages of Multiple-Choice Completion 1. It is impossible for students to avoid the grammar point being evaluated. 2 Scoring is easy and reliable. 3. This is a sensitive measure of achievement (and like other multiple-choice language tests, it allows teachers to diagnose specific problems of students). Limitations of Multiple-Choice Completion 1. Preparing good items is not easy. 2 It is easy for students to cheat. (It is possible to create a second form of the test by rearranging the items, but this is time consuming for the teacher.) 3. It doesn't appear to measure students' ability to reproduce language structures (although in actual fact this kind of test is a good measure of the grammar subskill). 4. This can have a negative influence on class work if used exclusively. (Students may see no need to practice writing if tests are objective.)

Sentence Completion

Simple-completion items used for testing grammar consist of a sentence from which a grammatical element has been removed. E.g.: "He went to chool." or "I would have gone if he had invited me. Alternatively, we can have: (1) the option form, (2) the inflection form, and (3) the freeresponse form.

These three forms vary not only in difficulty but also in objectivity and in the degree of active or passive response that is required. As a result, you can tailor the test to the students that you have. The steps: (1) Select the grammar points that need to be tested; (2) Select the appropriate type of question, (3) Provide an appropriate context; and (4) write good instructions.

The Option Form

The easiest simple-completion items are like multiple-choice questions with only two options. E.g.: Direction: Complete the following sentences with "do" or "make." 1. He ___________ a lot of money last year. 2. I always _________ my best. This option form can easily be adapted from exercises in your textbook. Sometimes a new pair of options is given for each sentence. E.g.: The women ___________ for the tragedy. (was crying, cry) The magician performed some _______ tricks. (astonishing, astonished) Three, four or more choices can be listed to test students knowledge.

The Inflection Form

Testing the mastery of inflections provides for a productive response. These vary from simple comparatives to verb tense questions: E.g.: 1) He's the __________ (tall) person in the class. 2) They ___________ (be) in Colorado last week. Be careful about context as it may affect students responses. This problem can be solved by giving part of the verb or adding more context. E.g.: He is ____ing (sing). (or) He ______ singing now. (Add one word.) or "What's Tom doing now?" "Oh, he _______ (sing)." Another technique is to use a separate blank for each word in the verb phrase. E.g.: He _____ _____ (sing) now.

The Free-Response Form

Sometimes a few simple terms can be used, if everybody in the class knows what they mean. Here are some sentences from an English test: Example: Add a question tag to these sentences: 1) Hamlet was indecisive, __________? 2) Polonius knew a lot of aphorisms, _________? It is good to use an example to make sure that no one is confused. Example: Directions: Write in the missing part of the two-word verb. "What time did he get __________ this morning?" Directions: Write in a two-word verb that has the same meaning as the word provided in the brackets. "Jack __________ (arose) later than usual.'" You would get better sooner if _____________ (Here the conditional is being tested.) These take longer to correct than other completion types, and they also take more language skill to evaluate properly. Consider a few acceptable ways that students could complete example: "if you dressed warmer," "if you'd see a doctor," "if Mother were here," "if we had some medicine for you."

Advantages of Sentence Completion 1. These are generally easier to prepare than are multiple-choice items. 2. These give the appearance of measuring productive skills because some items permit flexibility and original expression. 3. There is no exposure to incorrect grammatical forms. 4. These provide a sensitive measure of achievement. Limitations of Sentence Completion 1. These are usually more time consuming to correct than are multiple-choice questions. Not only can poor penmanship be a problem but also "irrelevant" errors beyond those being tested. 2. Occasionally students can unexpectedly avoid the structure being tested.

Cloze

Cloze tests are prose passages, usually a paragraph or more in length, from which words have been deleted. The student relies on the context in order to supply the missing words. Very popular for test constructors Easy to prepare and rather easy to score A good measure of overall proficiency

Preparing a Cloze Test

The steps in preparing a cloze test are simple: (1) Select an appropriate passage (e.g., from the reading material in your English class); (2) decide on the words and number of words to take out; (3) write the instructions and prepare an example.

Advantages of Cloze 1. It is easy to prepare and quite easy to score. 2. It is a good measure of integrative English skills. 3. Standard cloze is a good measure of overall ability in English. Limitations of Cloze 1. It is not a sensitive measure of short-term gains. 2. It is difficult for teachers who are non-native English speakers to choose acceptable equivalent words.

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