Thiết kế bài tập TNKQ Tiếng Anh

Select correct answer Choose the correct passive transformation of the following sentence.. Sequence of eventsHaving finished the work, he turned off the computer and left the office af

DESIGNING ENGLISH OBJECTIVE TESTS AT UPPER-SECONDARY

SCHOOLS

TYPES OF OBJECTIVE TESTS

1 Matching Items

E.g Match the jobs with their definitions

a farmer 1 This person looks after

young children.

b dentist 2 This person has pigs, cows

and sheep.

c babysitter 3 This person keeps our teeth

white, clean, and healthy.

TYPES OF OBJECTIVE TESTS

E.g What is the superlative form of GOOD?

 Answer: the best

TYPES OF OBJECTIVE TESTS

4 True/ False Questions

E.g Decide if the following statement is

true (T) or false (F)

The present simple can be used to

describe a habitual action

 Answer: T

TYPES OF OBJECTIVE TESTS

5 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

E.g Choose the best answer a, b, c, or d to fill in

QUALITIES OF GOOD MCQs

• Validity: Items measure only what they are supposed to measure.

• Fairness: Items do not unfairly

advantage or disadvantage certain

groups or people

• Sensitivity: Items avoid offensive or

upsetting language, situations or actions

• Difficulty: Items are written at

TYPES OF MCQs

1 Select correct answer

2 Select incorrect answer

3 Fill in the blank

4 Match 1 or 2

5 Mismatched

6 Sequence of events

1 Select correct

answer

Choose the correct passive transformation of the

following sentence.

The others told the new students where to sit.

A The new students were told where to sit.

B The others were told where to sit by the

2 Select incorrect

answer

All of the following words can be followed

by an infinitive EXCEPT for:

3 Fill in the blank

Choose ONE word to fill in the blank.

Your birthplace is where you were……

A living

B born

C visiting

D working

6 Sequence of events

Having finished the work, he turned off the computer and left the office after checking all the windows to

make sure they were locked

The right sequence of action is:

A Finished the work; turned off the computer; left the

office; checked the window

B Finished the work; turned off the computer; checked

the windows; left the office

C Finished the work; left the office; turned off the

computer; checked the window

D Turned off the computer; checked the window; finished

the work, left the office

 Answer: b

1 CUEING

Answer found within stem

When you write “ for deposit only ” on a

check, you are probably going to …

a cash a check

b deposit money

c transfer funds

d open an accounts

2 IMPURITY

Items that test more than one thing

I never knew

A had the boys gone

B the boys have gone

C have the boys gone

D the boys had gone

3 DOUBLE KEY

More than 1 correct answer

The president _ the election by a

5 UNPARALLEL

OPTIONS

Length & Grammar

How do most Russians go to work?

A By bus

B They go by taxi

C Most of them drive

D Walk

GENDER REPRESENTATION

The mailman many

packages despite the rain.

A to deliver

B delivering

C delivered

D deliver

8 NO KEY

There is a student _ I told

you about yesterday.

A which

B where

C how

D what

11 INSENSITIVITY

Many people _ in the tsunami

that struck Southeast Asia last

STEPS OF WRITING

A GOOD MCQ

BEFORE YOU WRITE

 Decide on the testing points

 Collect sufficient material to write

test items.

 Construct a design of the test:

number of items, elements of

STEPS OF WRITING

A GOOD MCQ

WHILE YOU WRITE

1 Writing the stem

2 Writing the lead-in

3 Checking the stem and lead-in

4 Writing the options

1 WRITING A STEM

1.1 The stem should test just one

concept.

Weak stem : What are the

comparative and the adverb form of

the adjective “dramatic”?

 Strong stem : What are the adverb

form of the adjective “dramatic”?

1 WRITING A STEM

1.2 The stem should include most of the wording to

avoid repetition in the alternatives.

Weak stem : The present simple can be used to describe

a an action that stops a short time before.

b an action that is always true.

c an action that refers to a future event.

d an action that is finished.

 Strong stem: The present simple can be used to describe

an action

a That stops a short time before

b …

1 WRITING A STEM

1.3 The stem should provide CLEAR

instruction.

Weak stem : All of the following words can fit

in the blank except for

…

 Strong stem : All of the following words can fit in the blank EXCEPT for

…

1 WRITING A STEM

1.4 The stem should not provide the answer.

Weak stem : He was injured in an on

the way to work yesterday

A traffic jam

B accident

C crash

D Collision

 Strong stem : He was injured in a/ an

_ on the way to work yesterday.

1 WRITING A STEM

1.5 A stem should not include unnecessary

information

Weak stem : All of the following sentences, which

contain relative clauses, are correct EXCEPT for

A The suitcase which my father bought was upstairs.

B The suitcase my father bought was upstairs.

C The suitcase bought by my father was upstairs.

D The suitcase buying my father was upstairs.

 Strong stem : All of the following sentences are

correct EXCEPT for

To sum up, a good

stem…

 Should - test just ONE concept

- include most of the wording

- provide CLEAR instruction

 Should not - provide the answer

- include unnecessary info.

 avoid negative questions for reason of ambiguity

 present a task to the candidate

E.g Which of the following words can fit in the blank?  task: choose one word

 not contain absolute terms or frequency terms

 The most plausible answer is (A); however,

students may reason that in some cases an

adverb cannot follow a verb, e.g taste when it refers to one of the 5 senses  result in

confusion

To sum up, good options…

 Contain only ONE clear answer

 Contain clearly incorrect but

 Are all the options homogeneous ?

 Do the positions of the correct options vary ?

 Do the MCQs have any technical

mistakes ? (spelling, grammar, etc.)

THANK YOU

FOR YOUR ATTENTION!