ASSESSING SPEAKING

Language Testing

Fajriah Madani – 202112570037

Nurul Aini – 202012500637
Sarip Rahmatullah - 202012500591
BASIC TYPE OF
SPEAKING

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● IMITIATIVE
The ability to imitate a word, phrase, or sentence is a phonetic level of oral production, encompassing prosodic,
lexical, and grammatical properties of language. This criterion performance is focused on pronunciation, without
inferences about the test-taker's understanding or interaction. Listening plays a crucial role in short-term storage
of a prompt, allowing the speaker to retain the necessary language for imitation.

● INTENSIVE
Intensive assessment tasks involve short oral language demonstrating competence in specific grammatical,
phrasal, lexical, or phonological relationships. Speakers must be aware of semantic properties to respond, with
minimal interaction with interlocutor or test administrator. Examples include directed response tasks, reading
aloud, sentence completion, limited picture-cued tasks, and translation up to the simple Sentence level .

BASIC TYPE OF SPEAKING

● RESPONSIVE
Responsive assessment tasks involve interaction and test comprehension in short conversations, standard
greetings, and simple requests. The stimulus is a spoken prompt, with follow-up questions or retorts to
maintain authenticity.

● INTERACTIVE
Interactive speaking differs from responsive speaking due to its length and complexity, often involving
multiple exchanges and participants. Interaction can be transactional or interpersonal, with interpersonal
exchanges requiring more pragmatically complex oral production. Interpersonal exchanges require colloquial
language, ellipsis, slang, humor, and other sociolinguistic conventions, making them more engaging and
complex.

BASIC TYPE OF SPEAKING

● EXTENSIVE
Extensive oral production tasks, such as speeches, presentations, and story-telling, often involve deliberative
and formal language styles. However, informal monologues, such as casually delivered speeches, can still be
used, such as a vacation in the mountains, a pasta recipe, or a novel or movie plot.

BASIC TYPE OF SPEAKING

 MICRO- and MACROSKILLS of SPEAKING
Micro-skills
The micro-skills refer to producing the
smaller chunks of language such as
phonemes, morphemes, words,
collocations, and phrasal units.
Macro-skills
The macro-skill imply the speaker’s
focus on the larger elements: fluency,
discourse, function, style, cohesion,
nonverbal communication, and
strategies options
The Micro-and Macros Skills Total Roughly 16 Different Objectives to
Assess in Speaking.

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The Micro-and Macros Skills
 DESIGNING
ASSESSMENT TASKS :
Imitative Speaking

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 #1 Word and sentence repetition tasks
● Test-takers hear:
Repeat after me:
Beat [pause] Bit [pause]
Bat [pause] Vat [pause]
I bought a boat yesterday
the glow of the candle is growing
when did they go on vacation?
do you like coffee?
Test-takers repeat the stimulus
● Scoring scale for repetition tasks

2 acceptable pronunciation

1 comprehensible, partially correct pronunciation

0 silence, seriously incorrect pronunciation

 #2 Phonepass Test
● About Phone pass
1. Among a number of speaking tasks on the test, repetition of sentences occupies a
prominent role.
2. Phone-Pass has supported the construct validity of its repetition tasks not just for test-
taker’s phonological ability but also for discourse and overall oral production ability.
● Scoring
Scores for the Phone-Pass test are calculated by a computerized scoring template and reported
back to the test-taker within minutes. Six scores are given: an overall score between 20 and 80
and five sub-scores on the same scale that rate pronunciation, reading fluency, repeat accuracy,
repeat fluency, and listening vocabulary
 #2 Phonepass Test
Phonepass test specification:
● Part A
Test-takers read aloud selected sentences from among
those printed on the test sheet. Examples:
1. Traffic is a huge problem in Southern California.
2. The endless city has no coherent mass transit system.
3. Sharing rides was going to be the solution to rush-hour
traffic
4. Most people still want to drive their own cars, though.
● Part B
Test-takers repeat sentences dictated over the phone.
Examples: "Leave town on the next train.“
● Part C
Test-takers answer questions with a single word or a short
phrase of two or three words. Example: "Would you get
water from a bottle or a newspaper?“
● Part D
Test-takers hear three word groups in random order and
must link them in a correctly ordered sentence. Example:
was reading/my mother/a magazine.
● Part E
Test-takers have 30 seconds to talk about their opinion about
some topic that is dictated over the phone. Topics center on
family, preferences, and choices.
 DESIGNING
ASSESSMENT TASKS :
intensive Speaking

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 #1 Directed Response Task
● In this type of task, the test administrator elicits a particular grammatical form or a
transformation of a sentence. Such tasks are clearly mechanical and not
communicative, but they do require minimal processing of meaning in order to
produce the correct grammatical output.
● Directed Respone:
test-takers hear : tell me he went home.
tell me that you like rock music.
tell me that you aren’t interested in tennis.
remind me what time it is.
 #2 Read-Aloud Tasks

● Intensive Read-Loud tasks include reading beyond the sentence level up to

paragraph or two.
● Teachers listening to recording would then rate students on a number of
Phonological factor (vowels, Diphthongs, consonants, stress, and intonation) by
completing a two-page diagnostic checklist on which all error or questionable
items were noted.
● Some variations on the task of simply reading a short passage:
 Reading a scripted dialogue
 Reading sentences containing minimal pairs
 Reading information from a table or chart
 #3 Sentence/Dialogue Completion Tasks
And Oral Questionnaires
Another technique for targeting
intensive aspects of language requires
test-takers to read dialogue in which
one speaker's lines have been omitted.
Test-takers are first given time to read
through the dialogue to get its gist and
to think about appropriate lines to fill
in. Then as the tape, teacher, or test
administrator produces one part orally,
the test-taker responds.
#4 Picture-Cued Task
One of the more popular ways to obtain spoken language
performance at both intensive and extensive levels is picture
stimuli that require description from the test taker.
Here are some materials that can be used for the Picture-Cued
task:
• Picture-cued elicitation of minimal pairs
• Picture-cued elicitation of comparatives
• Picture-cued elicitation of future tense
• Picture-cued elicitation of nouns, negative responses,
numbers, and location
• Picture-cued elicitation of responses and description
• Picture-cued elicitation of giving directions
• Picture-cued elicitation of multiple-choice description for
two test-takers
 #4 Picture-Cued Task
Scoring responses on picture-cued intensive speaking tasks varies, depending on the
expected performance criteria. The tasks that asked just for one-word or simple-
sentence responses can be evaluated simply as "correct" or "incorrect." The three-
point rubric (2, 1, and 0) suggested earlier may apply as well, with these
modifications:

evaluating interviews could be used:

• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension
• Fluency
• Pronunciation
• Task (accomplishing the objective of the
elicited task)
#5 Translation (of Limited Stretches of
Discourse)

Translation is a traditional language teaching method that is often overlooked due to its
importance in communicative classrooms. However, in countries where English is not
the native language, translation is a valuable communicative tool and a proven
communication strategy for second-language learners. Translation can be used to check
oral production by giving test-takers a native language word, phrase, or sentence to
translate. This approach allows for better control of test-taker output, making scoring
more easily specified.
DESIGNING ASSESSMENT
TASKS :
Responsive Speaking

Try again
 #1 Question and Answer
Question-and-answer tasks in oral interviews can range from simple to complex questions. Responsive
questions allow test-takers to produce meaningful language. It's crucial to understand the purpose of the
question, whether it's eliciting discourse competence or combining grammatical competence.
 #1 Question and Answer
Oral interaction with a test administrator often involves the latter forming all the questions. The flip side of
this usual concept of question-and-answer tasks is to elicit questions from the test-taker. To assess the test-
taker's ability to produce questions, prompts such as this can be used:
 #2 Giving Instructions and Directions.
The technique is simple: the administrator poses the problem, and the test-taker responds.
Scoring is based primarily on comprehensibility and secondarily on other specified grammatical
or discourse categories. The choice of topics needs to be familiar enough so that you are testing
not general knowledge but linguistic competence. Finally, the task should require the test-taker
to produce at least five or six sentences (of connected discourse) to adequately fulfill the
objective.
 #3 Paraphrasing
● Paraphrase is a method of assessment where a test-taker reads or hears a limited number of sentences and
produces a paraphrase of the sentence. This method can be used in authentic contexts, such as relaying
information from a telephone call. However, it's crucial to determine the objective of the task and the
integration of listening and speaking skills.
● The advantages of such tasks are that they elicit short stretches of output and perhaps tap into test-takers'
ability to practice the conversational art of conciseness by reducing the output/input ratio.
#4 TEST OF SPOKEN ENGLISH (TSE@) .
The TSE is a 20-minute audiotaped oral language test used in North American institutions to select
international teaching assistants and health professionals. It elicits oral production in various discourse
categories, not phonological, grammatical, or lexical targets.
The following content specifications for the TSE represent the discourse and pragmatic contexts
assessed in each administration:
1. Describe something physical.
2. Narrate from presented material.
3. Summarize information of the speaker's own choice.
4. Give directions based on visual materials.
5. Give instructions.
6. Give an opinion. ‘.
7. Support an. opinion.
8. Compare/contrast.
9. Hypothesize.
10. Function "interactively."
11. Define.
 #4 TEST OF SPOKEN ENGLISH (TSE@)
Following is a set of sample items as they appear in the TSE Manual, which is downloadable from the TOEFL®
website.
 #4 TEST OF SPOKEN ENGLISH (TSE@) .
TSE test-takers are given a holistic score ranging from 20 to 60, as described in the TSE Manual
 DESIGNING
ASSESSMENT TASKS :
interactive Speaking

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 #1 Interview
A test administrator and a test-taker sit down in a direct face-to-face exchange and proceed through a protocol of
questions and directives.
Four Level Stages:
1. Warm-up: The interviewer initiates introductions, assists test-takers in becoming comfortable, informs
them about the format, and alleviates anxieties, without scoring during this initial phase.
2. Level check: The interviewer uses preplanned questions to prompt a test-taker to respond using expected
forms and functions.
3. Probe: Probe questions and prompts challenge test-takers to exceed interviewer's expectations, revealing
their proficiency ceilings. These complex questions may require higher vocabulary or grammar, opinion,
or narrative responses, with scores or ignores if inability is evident.
4. Wind-down: The interviewer's final phase is a brief, relaxed session where they ask easy questions, set the
test-taker's mind at ease, and provide information on interview results.
 #1 Interview
The suggested set of content specifications for an oral interview (below) may serve as sample questions that can be
adapted to individual situations.
 #2 Role Play

Role playing is a popular pedagogical activity in communicative language-

teaching classes, allowing students to be creative and lowering anxieties by taking
on someone else's persona. It also serves as an assessment device, allowing test-
takers to use discourse that might be difficult to elicit. The technique takes test-
takers beyond simple intensive and responsive levels to a level of creativity and
complexity that approaches real-world pragmatics. The test administrator must
determine the assessment objectives and devise a scoring technique accordingly.
 #3 Discussions and Conversations
Discussions and conversations are challenging to quantify and score, but they provide
authenticity and spontaneity in informal assessment techniques, making them suitable for
observing and eliciting skills.
Discussions may be especially appropriate tasks through which to elicit and observe such abilities
as:
● topic nomination, maintenance, and termination;
● Attention-getting, interrupting, floor-holding, control;
● Clarifying, questioning, paraphrasing;
● Comprehension signals (nodding, "uh-huh," "hmm," etc.);
● Negotiating meaning;
● Intonation patterns for pragmatic effect;
● Kinesics, eye contact, proxemics, body language; and
● Politeness, formality, and other sociolinguistic factors.
Assessing participant performance through scores or checklists should align with discussion
objectives and consider comprehension performance in evaluating learners.
 #4 Game
Among informal assessment devices are a variety of games that directly involve language production. Consider
the following types:

The key to effective assessments is

to establish clear criteria and a
reliable scoring method, with
informal assessments providing
formative feedback rather than
summative evaluations.
 #5 ORAL PROFICIENCY INTERVIEW (OPI)
● The OPI, originally known as the Foreign Service Institute test, is a widely used test administered by certified
examiners. It is endorsed by the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL), a professional
society for research on foreign language instruction and assessment.

• In a series of structured tasks, the OPI is

carefully designed to elicit pronunciation,
fluency and integrative ability, sociolinguistic
and cultural knowledge, grammar, and
vocabulary. Performance is judged by the
examiner to be at one of ten possible levels on
the ACTFL-designated proficiency guidelines
for speaking: Superior; Advanced-high, mid,
low; Intermediate-high, mid, low; Novice-
high, mid, low.
DESIGNING ASSESSMENT
TASKS :
Extensive Speaking

Try again
 #1 Oral Presentations
Oral presentations require effective assessment techniques, including criterion specification, task setting, optimal
output, and reliable scoring procedures. Holistic scores may obscure performance variability, especially in content
and delivery. Following is an example of a checklist for a prepared oral presentation at the intermediate or advanced
level of English:
 #2 Picture-Cued Story-Telling
Visual pictures, photographs, diagrams, and charts are commonly used to elicit oral production, serving as a stimulus
for longer stories or descriptions. Consider the following set of pictures:

The objective of eliciting narrative discourse in

speaking ability assessments should be clear. This
includes assessing oral vocabulary, time relatives,
sentence connectors, past tense of irregular verbs,
and fluency. If eliciting specific grammatical or
discourse features, add "Tell the story that these
pictures describe. Use the past tense of verbs."
Clear scoring criteria should be provided,
referencing guidelines or the OPI.
#3 Retelling a Story, News Event
In this type of task, test-takers hear or read a story or news event that
they are asked to retell. This differs from the paraphrasing task
discussed above in that it is a longer stretch of discourse and a different
genre. The objectives in assigning such a task vary from listening
comprehension of the original to production of a number of oral
discourse features (communicating sequences and relationships of
events, stress and emphasis patterns, "expression" in the case of a
dramatic story), fluency, and interaction with the hearer. Scoring should
of course meet the intended criteria.
 #4 Translation (of Extended Prose)
Translation of words, phrases, or short sentences was mentioned under the category of intensive
speaking. Here, longer texts are presented for the test-taker to read in the native language and
then translate into English. Those texts could come in many forms: dialogue, directions for the
assembly of a product, a synopsis of a story, play, or movie, directions on how to find something
on a map, and other genres. The advantage of translation is in the control of the content,
vocabulary, and, to some extent, the grammatical and discourse features. The disadvantage is
that translation of longer texts is a highly specialized skill for which some individuals obtain
post-baccalaureate degrees! To judge a nonspecialist's oral language ability on such a skill may
be completely invalid, especially if the test-taker has not engaged in translation at this level.
Criteria for scoring should therefore take into account not only the purpose in stimulating a
translation but the possibility of errors that are unrelated to oral production ability.
Thank you!
ASSESSING SPEAKING
Language Testing
Fajriah Madani – 202112570037
Nurul Aini – 202012500637
Sarip Rahmatullah - 202012500591

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