APPROACHES TO

LANGUAGE
TESTING
Prepared by: Daniel M. Cruz
Approaches to Language Testing

 Language tests can be categorized

according to four main approaches to
testing. These are the following:
 Essay-Translation Approach
 Structuralist Approach
 Communicative Approach
A. Characteristics and Types of Tests in
Essay-Translation Approach
1. Thisapproach is commonly referred to as
the pre-scientific stage of language testing.
2. Nospecial skill or receptive skill or
expertise in testing is required.
3. Testsusually consist of essay-writing,
translation, and grammatical analysis.
A. Characteristics and Types of Tests in
Essay-Translation Approach
4. Tests have a heavy literary and cultural
bias.
5. Publicexaminations resulting from the
tests using this approach sometimes have
an oral component at the upper
intermediate and advance level.
B. Strengths of Essay-Translation
Approach
1. This
approach is easy to follow because
teachers will simply use their subjective
judgment.
2. Theessay-translation approach may be
used for testing any level of examinees.
3. Themodel of tester can easily be modified
based on the essentials of the tests.
C. Weaknesses of Essay-Translation
Approach
1. Subjective judgment of teachers tend to be
biased.
2. As mentioned, the tests have a heavy
literary and cultural bias.
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