Chapter 5: Testing vocabulary docx

Testing vocabularychoice items... Selection of items Tasks of a test constructor: 1 to determine the degree to which concentrating on passive or active vocabulary 2 to decide whether

Chapter 5: Testing vocabulary

Heaton, J.B (1988) Writing English Language Tests Longman

Testing vocabulary

choice items

I Selection of items

 Tasks of a test constructor:

(1) to determine the degree to which

concentrating on passive or active vocabulary

(2) to decide whether the items should be taken from spoken or written language

 Lexical items selected from: (i) the syllabus,

(ii) Sts’ textbook, (iii) Ss’ reading materials, (iv) and lexical errors from their free written work

II Multiple choice items (A)

Choose the word which is nearest in the meaning

to the word in italics

(1) The stem is replaced by the picture

(2) The stem consists of a definition

(3) The stem consists of a lexical item (choose the

best synonym or definition)

(4) The stem consists of a sentence (Vocabulary

tested in context as the context giving specific meaning and relevance to a word a

situation should be as linguistically valid

as possible

II Multiple choice items (B)

group A

 too little context insufficient to establish any meaningful situation, but too much

context many clues both grammatical and semantic

II Multiple choice items (B)

(p 56-57)

 The context: a dialogue; however, the

provision of a context limits the test

constructor to testing only the vocabulary

associated with a particular topic

 The choice between the use of single

sentences and the use of paragraphs 

determined by the purpose of the test and the test writer’s own approach to

communicative aspects of language learning

III Guidelines for writing

vocabulary items (1 & 2 )

(1) If the problem area being tested is

located in the options, the stem

should be kept simple (type 2)

However, if the problem is included in the stem, the options themselves

should be simple (type 3 &4)

(2) Each option should belong to the

same word class as the word in the

stem

III Guidelines for writing

vocabulary items (3, 4 & 5)

(3) The correct option and the distractors

should be at approximately the same level of difficulty

(4) There is some disagreement concerning the relationship of the options to the problems being tested Some test writers argue that

the options should be related to the same

general topic or area, while others prefer as wide range of associations as possible

(5) All the options should be approximately the same length

IV Sets (associated words)

 Type 1: Recognition

One word in the list doesn’t belong to the others Circle the odd word in each list

A depart A traffic A hard-working

B go away B car B disorganized

D leave D subway D reliable

IV Sets (associated words)con.

 Type 2: Production

Each group of words is related to a particular

subject Write down the particular subject which is connected with each group of word

A potato chip A listening to music A garlic

B hamburger B playing sports B salt

C pizza C watching TV C

pepper

D fried chicken D collecting stamps D sugar

= fast food = hobbies =

V Matching items (p.58-60)

 Type 1: testing lexical items from different word classes

 Type 2: testing verb tense forms

 Type 3: testing lexical items from the same world class

 Type 4: items based on a reading

comprehension passage (the most useful

type) Sts are given a list of words at the end

of the passage and required to find words of similar or different meaning in the passage

VI More objective items

e.g (care) Be…… when you cross the

road

e.g I came cross an interesting book

ability in addition to a knowledge of word

VII Completion items

e.g Snakes are one of the (1) d-m-n t groups

of (2)r-pt (1) dominant (2) reptile

passage) with the most appropriate word

(Read more examples on page 62)