Assessment and Testing Types Flashcards

A teacher gives a new class a test on the first day to identify their specific strengths and weaknesses in past tenses. The teacher plans to use the results to focus on areas where the students seem to have the most difficulty. What type of test is this?

Answer: A diagnostic test

A diagnostic test is used to identify a learner's specific areas of strength and weakness. The teacher's goal is to 'diagnose' problems to inform future teaching, which is the key purpose of this type of assessment. A placement test would be used to put students into the correct level class, an achievement test would measure what has been learned on a course, and a proficiency test would measure general language ability.

Which of the following is a key characteristic of formative assessment?

Answer: It provides ongoing feedback to improve the learning process.

Formative assessment, also known as 'assessment for learning', takes place during the learning process to provide ongoing feedback. Its main purpose is to help teachers and learners identify progress and areas for improvement, thereby shaping future learning and teaching. End-of-course tests are summative, tests against external standards are proficiency tests, and tests for grouping are placement tests.

An end-of-year exam is designed to measure how much of the course syllabus students have successfully learned. This is a classic example of:

Answer: Summative assessment

Summative assessment evaluates learning at the end of an instructional period, such as a unit, term, or entire course. Its purpose is to 'sum up' what a student has learned. An achievement test is a common type of summative assessment. Formative assessment is ongoing, while diagnostic and placement tests are typically used at the beginning of a course.

A test that measures a learner's general ability in a language, regardless of any specific course they have taken, is known as a:

Answer: Proficiency test

A proficiency test assesses a learner's overall competence or skill in a language, not tied to a particular curriculum. Its content is based on what is needed for a particular real-world purpose. In contrast, an achievement test measures what has been learned from a specific course.

Which of the following assessment tasks is an example of subjective testing?

Answer: An essay writing task

Subjective testing requires a marker to use their professional judgment to evaluate the quality of the answer, as there is no single correct response. An essay is a prime example, as its quality is judged on criteria like organisation, argumentation, and language use. The other options are objective tests because they have a fixed, single correct answer that can be scored without judgment.

Before starting a new term, a language school needs to group incoming students into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced classes. Which type of test is most suitable for this purpose?

Answer: A placement test

A placement test is specifically designed to assess a learner's current language level to put them in the most appropriate class or group. Its goal is to create homogeneous groups where students have similar abilities. A diagnostic test would identify specific weaknesses, a progress test would check learning during a course, and a portfolio shows work over time.