Written tests of english at vietnam high schools nowadays and some suggestions

Indirect test possibilities 19 Chapter II: Written tests in Vietnam high schools... - help teacher realize the weaknesses and the strengths of the traditional test items, approach the ne

Vinh university

foreign languages department

===  ===

graduation thesis

Written tests of English at Vietnam high

schools nowadays and some suggestions

supervisor-so much help during my researching.

Next, I also wish to show my grateful words to the teachers and students of Hång LÜnh high school who supported and supplied me with useful information for the thesis, especially the teacher Qu¸ch ThÞ L©m.

Finally, I would like to thank my parents who always stood by me right in the most difficult days of studying.

Vinh, April 2004

NguyÔn ThÞ Vinh

Table of contents

Page

1 Reasons for choosing the topic 4

3 Scope and limitation of the study 6

4 Methods of the study 6

5 Design of the study

1 Tests – characteristics characteristics 7

2.2.1 Determining test aim 152.2.2 Determining test content 152.2.3 Selecting suitable questions 15

3 Types of test item, making and teaching the test 18

3.1.1 Direct and indirect test items 183.1.2 Indirect test possibilities 19

Chapter II: Written tests in Vietnam high schools

2.1 The real situation of the activity of testing and evaluation at

Vietnam school in general and the upper in particular. 23

2.2.1 Written test and its types 25

2.4 New test item types 2.4.1 What are new test item types? 37

2.4.3 Reproduction

2.4.4 Limitations of the new test items 392.4.5 Comparison between the traditional and the new test items 422.4.6 The model test performed at HongLinh school 42

2.4.7 Suggestions for a quicker application of the new test item types 44

Chapter III: New tendency of testing and evaluation

At high schools

3.1 Suggestions for designing and taking the test 45

3.2 New tendency of testing and evaluation

3.2.1 The self -thought test 46

3.2.3 Comparison between the self-thought test and the objective test

Part A: introduction

1 Reasons for choosing the topic

While my friends are scurrying in all directions to look for interesting andadventurous topics for their theses, I keep thinking about one thing people arediscussing a lot recently the field of ‘testing and evaluation’ This is not newwithout doubt but very much helpful to my future career as a teacher of Englishfirst

Second, testing is an area of importance However, there has not been muchvaluable research on it I would like to contribute, to some extent, my own suggestions

to a more effective assessment

Third, the new method in teaching and learning is being used widely Still, thetesting and evaluation stands rooted to the spot with the dominance of the traditionalelements I would like to find out causes and feasible solutions to this problem

To sum up, coming to this topic not out of learning purpose, shortcomings andlimitations are unavoidable I hope that there will be honest contributions from the side

of teachers and all readers

3 Aims of the study

The study reported in the thesis aims to:

- give an overview of the important role of testing and evaluation

- help teacher realize the weaknesses and the strengths of the traditional test items, approach the new test items, know new tendency of testing and evaluation, from whichthey will make an appropriate adjustments in such a way the activity becomes more effective and attracts learners’ attention

- make some suggestions for teaching English

3 Scope and limitation

The study is devoted to written tests in Vietnam high schools (both three- yearcourse and seven-year course) There is a more concentration on three main kinds: 15-minute test, 45-minute test, term test

4 Methods of the study

In order to carry out this thesis, due to the characteristics of thesis I have to base

on some main methods

Apart from acknowledgements and table of contents, the study is divided intothree parts Part A is devoted to introduction in which I present reasons for choosingthe topic, aims, objectives, limitation and method of the study Part B is the mostimportant that is divided into three chapters The first chapter tells us about theoreticalbackground of test The second chapter is to study tests in Vietnam, consisting of thereal situation of testing in Vietnam, kinds and advantages of tests, traditional test items

as well as new test items, then comparison followed by suggestions

The last chapter is new tendency of testing and evaluation in Vietnam There arealso suggestions for taking and designing the test in this section Conclusion belongs topart C References are at the end of the study

Part B: contents

Chapter I: Theoretical Background

Some preliminary definitions

Oxford dictionary says ( 1995: page 1233) ‘A test is a short examination ofknowledge or ability, consisting of questions that must be answered or activities thatmust be carried out’ A test may be defined in another way as an activity whose mainpurpose is to convey (usually to the tester) how well the testee knows or can dosomething

It is often conventionally assumed that tests are mostly used for assessment Thetest gives a score on which teachers base to know what level students are at This may

be in order to decide she or he is suitable for a certain job or admission to aninstitution, has passed a course, can enter a certain class

For the teachers in high schools, tests are really a testing instrument by whichthey assess learners’ studying results in mark This thesis concentrates on testing as ateaching act

to classes at different level in a school The testing contents are designed basing on thesyllabuses and materials the learner has been following It tests grammar andvocabulary knowledge as well as assesses their productive and receptive skills

1.1.2 Diagnostic test

Diagnostic tests are used to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses.Through the test, learners expose clearly what in knowledge they are short of, alsodifficulties, gaps they have in learning program From which teachers know what theyshould teach on, what need reviewing, where they should stop longer to explain, tomake it clearer

1.1.3 Progress or achievement tests

These tests are designed to measure, learners’ language command and skillprogress in relation to the syllabus they are running Achievement tests only work well

if their test items types are familiar with learners They can only do the tasks theyknow before, not exactly the same This means that the test papers they do in testing

room are similar to the exercises they have ever done in types So if students are facedwith a completely new question, the test won’t measure the learning that is takingplace, even though it can still prove general language command.

1.1.4 Proficiency test

Unlike placement, diagnostic and progress tests, proficiency test gives us ageneral picture of a student’s knowledge and ability rather than measure progress.They are used as learners have to pass if they want to be admitted to a universityabroad, get a job or obtain some kinds of certificate This means that tests do notdepend on what program they are running

In some proficiency test, ‘proficient’ means having sufficient command of thelanguage for a particular purpose We have ever known the famous internationalexaminations like first certificate examinations, proficiency examination, and theOxford ELF examinations The functions of these tests are to show whether candidateshave reached a certain standard or not Despite differences between content and level

of difficulty, all proficiency tests have something in common, a fact that they are notbased on course that testees might have previously taken

1.2 What is a good test?

Have you ever wondered what a good test is? What elements need ensuring for agood test? In order to judge the effectiveness of any test We should set up detailedcriteria Here we deal with two basic criteria: validity and reliability

1.2.1 Validity

Validity is something well-organized and logical A test is said to be valid if itmeasures accurately what is intended to measure In this section, I mention content,criterion– characteristicsrelated validity, construct validity, and face validity and the use of validity

1.2.1.1 Content validity

A test is accepted to have content validity if its content constitutes arepresentative sample of the language skill, structures Thanks to a specification of theskills and structures, we can know whether or not a test has content validity

What is the importance of content validity? First the greater a test’s contentvalidity, the more accurate it measures what it is supposed to measure Secondly areaswhich are not tested are likely to be ignored in teaching and learning Too often, thecontent of tests is determined by what is easy to test rather than what is important totest

1.2.1.2 Criterion- related validity

Another approach to test validity is to see how results on the test agree with thewell-defined criteria about assessment of the learner’s ability There are two kinds ofcriterion related validity: concurrent validity and predicate validity Concurrent validity

is established when the test and the criterion are administered at about the same time

Predictive validity concerns the degree to which a test can predict candidate’s futureperformance.

1.2.1.3 Construct validity

A test, part of a test is said to have construct validity if it supposed to measuresthe ability that it supposed to measure The word ‘construct’ refers to underlyingability For example, the skill to read involves a number of sub-abilities such as theability to guess the meaning of unknown words from the context in which they areused

1.2.1.4 Face validity

A test is said to have face validity if it looks as if it measures what it is supposed

to measure For example, a test that pretended to measure pronunciation ability but didnot require candidates to speak might lack face validity

1.2.1.5 The use of validity

Above all, to make sure that a test is valid, content validity need ensured first,then building up some criteria in particular where it is intended to use indirect testing.Reference should be made to the research literature to confirm that measurement ofrelevant underlying constructs has been demonstrated using the testing techniques thatare to be used

1.2.2 Reliability

Another feature of any satisfactory test is its reliability as a consistent measure ofwhat is to be tested Subjective marking and assessment unavoidable involves valuejudgments, opinion on the part of the examiner, especially when the marker knows thecandidates personally A test may be below average level but the marker raises it

1.2.2.1 The reliability coefficient

The reliability of a test can be qualified in the form of a reliability coefficient.Reliability coefficients allow us to compare the reliability of different tests-the idealreliability coefficient is 1– characteristicsa test with a reliability coefficient of 1 is one which wouldgive precisely the same results for a particular set of candidates regardless of when ithappened A test having a reliability coefficient of zero would give sets of results quiteunconcerned with each other

1.2.2.2 Scorer reliability

It is perhaps worth making explicit something about the relationship betweenscorer reliability and test reliability If the scoring of a test is no reliable, then almostcertainly be lower than scorer reliability since other sources of unreliability will beadditional to what enter through imperfect scoring I take an example; the scorerreliability on a composition-writing test was 92 while the reliability coefficient for thetest was 84 Validity in the performance of individual candidates accounted for thedifference between the two coefficients

1.3 Why test ?

Recently there have been different ideas both for and against tests Some peoplethink tests are not really necessary for it takes so much time and effort of both teachersand students even all the involved Moreover, tests can’t reflect as exactly as expectedwhat a learner has achieved

In contrast to the ideas, some still agree to consider tests as an assessinginstrument The students’ ability must, to some extent, be defined Although notreflecting absolutely exact, it brings lots advantages

a Give the teacher information about what level of knowledge the students are at,from which they themselves know what to teach next

b Give the students information about what gaps and lacks they have so that theyhave their own awareness to learn and review more effectively

c Motivate students to approach specific materials

d Provide a clear indication that the class has reached a ‘station’ in learning such

as the end of a unit, the end of a term

e Get students to make an effort in doing tests that are likely to lead to betterresults and a feeling of satisfaction

f Give students tasks which themselves may actually provide useful review orpractice as well as testing

g Provide students with a sense of achievement and progress in their meaning

1.3.1 Advantages to the teacher and to the student

To the learner  Advantages  To the teacher

Examination provides Examination provides

- a goal - assessment of students ‘knowledge

- motivation - evaluation and validity of course content

- competition - feedback

- reinforcement - measure effectiveness of teaching

- a sense of advancement - reveal weakness of instructional techniques

- enable teaching and methods to be compared

1.3.2 Cases against examination

 Emphasize speed

 Race with marks, with short-sighted achievements, ignoring real studying

2 Stages designing as well as writing a test

2.1 Before giving a test

Guidelines for test preparation are concretized like this

Validity: checks that your test items really cover what they are intended to

Clarity: Makes sure that the instructions for each item are clear enough for

candidate to understand There should be short explanation; if possible, for the mistaken points They should usually include a sample item and solution

easily-Do -ability: The test should be quite do-able, not too difficult with no trick

question If the test goes beyond students’ knowledge, it will surely discourage them.You had better give them to some colleagues before finalizing so that they will, asoutsiders, find mistakes easily

Marking: Decide exactly how you will assess each section What mark is

attributed to every item?

Make the marking system as simply as you can, and inform the testees what it iswritten in the number of points allotted after the instructions for each question

Interest: Try to go for interesting content and tasks in order to make the test more

motivating for the learners

Heterogeneity: The test should be something appropriate for students at different

levels It must not be either too difficult or too easy, but heterogeneity In general, itmust be written in such a way that lower level learners can feel that they are able to do

a substantial part of the test while the higher-level ones have a chance to show offwhat they know Mark satisfies them all

2.2 Stages designing as well as writing a test

Evaluation plays a especially important role in teaching and learning foreignlanguages and at the same time is its unseperated part The communicative skill stands

in the centre position and is target of teaching foreign language Therefore, it requirestests to assess accurately this important skill In this section, I would like to introducethe stages designing table by the author Gonlund (1976: page 82)

Enhance teaching and learning quality

9 Make proper decisions

8 Make clear the results

7 Marking

6 Testing performance

5 Assemble testing instrument

4 Design and compile questions

3 Select suitable questions

2 Determine exactly testing contents

1 Determine testing aims

(From measurement and evaluation‘ ’ by Gonlun (1976: page 82)

We can easily see that the final target of testing and evaluation is to enhanceteaching and learning quality

2.2.1 Determining testing aims

This is perhaps the most important step but often ignored Not few teachers – characteristicstesters do not know what testing and evaluation of a particular part are and why thelearners have to do the test Experts in this field have shown that it is the aim thatdecides its content and form as well

2.2.2 Determining exactly what the testing content is

Before constructing a test, you have to define the essence, amount andimportance of the testing problem In order to do this, people design a testing contentclassifying table basing on grading levels and importance of every content Forexample, when marking a test, showing the criteria clearly like this: how much do theform, content, grammar, context-linking make up in total mark?

2.2.3 Select suitable questions

There are in fact many ways of classifying questions, but people often gradequestions according to marking way Accordingly, questions are said to have twokinds: objective and subjective questions

The objectives are often short-answer questions (multiple-choice questions;ordering questions) This kind of questions is examined, screened and used the most intesting two skills: listening and reading These questions are to test knowledgeaccuracy rather than knowledge approach

The subjective is also called ‘developing questions’ ‘answers-building questions’

‘open questions’ or ‘traditional questions’ The characteristics of such questions arerequiring learners to build their own answers in their own words Assessment of theseanswers, whether more or less, depends on scorers

The basic difference between the objective and subjective questions:

- it be limited and deals with a defined

- the test covers a great mass of

knowledge, but not go deeply in to

anything

- students are encouraged to collect

lots knowledge and distinguish the

difference among them

- it does not take so much to mark

- a larger area is mentioned

- answers are written partly by thedesigner and partly by the candidate

- learners can express their ideas asfreely as they understand

- go deeply in to a particular matter

- practice students learning how toexpress ideas in their own way

- it takes time, difficult to mark

The marking result can be on debate

Mastering main features of two kinds allows us to know when teachers shoulduse the objective questions or when subjective ones

- Compiling the subjective is unproblematic However, the objective is different,taking time and effort Therefore, you should take the following rules in consideration

 (The question) going around an unique matter

 Measuring one aspect for each question

 Designing in such a way that there are only right answer (or the answer inclearly righter than the others)

 Excepting all signals to deduce answers…Especially, pay attention to grammarEspecially, pay attention to grammaruncertainty, length, meaning signals…Especially, pay attention to grammar

 Avoiding to use key words such as ‘always’ ‘only’ ‘ever’ ‘never’ ‘all’ whichoften lead to inaccurate answers,

 Using affirmative utterances if possible In case, you want to use the negative,emphasizing on it to attract learners’ attention

 Using mistakes learners make in suggesting answers in multi-choice questionsmaximum

2.2.4 Designing questions.

Questions preparation is an important work as it affects directly informationobtained over a test In addition, well-prepared ones will be able to be used in nexttimes In general, compiling questions should comply with the following points:

 What information needs looking for?

 What language skills or knowledge needs testing?

 What task allows us to define the knowledge obtained?

The questions should be prepared for a definite time before the performancestarts The purpose is having more time necessary for your colleagues to examine

whether or not mistakes are present in your tests You yourself take enough time tocheck validity and reliability in order that it suits to the planned-target.

The more questions are prepared, the more chance you can select the best ones.The questions, as mentioned in the early part, must cover what intended to cover.Finally, writing questions on separated pieces of paper, you can arrange, change, gradethem after using It is possible to reuse for the coming times The card may involve:

- Subject name

- Testing aim

- Question and key as well as marking system

- Date

- Remark (written on behind)

Beside, note all test papers done for using to build question bank

2.2.5 Assemble tests

2.2.5.1 Select prepared-questions: In such way, the whole test matches with the

planned contents Counting time proper for learners to finish (not too short, not too longeither)

2.2.5.2 Arrange questions: The problem is put especially when the test contains so

many questions Generally speaking, the teacher should pay much attention to types ofquestions, difficult level, complication of the task and at last the essence of the testing

As usual, people do like this

- Gather questions of the same kind

- Order questions from easy to difficult

- For the candidates: + time allowed for the whole test paper

+ detailed time for every section

+ necessary information for understanding the whole question + ways of marking

3 Types of test items, marking and teaching tests

3.1 Types of test items

Whatever purpose test or an examination has, a major factor that decides itssuccess or failure is test item types

3.1.1 Direct and indirect test items

A test item is direct if it asks testees to perform the communicative skill Indirecttest items, on the other hand, try to measure a student’s knowledge and ability thoughtheir receptive and productive skills So whereas direct test items try to look for asmuch real life language use as possible, the indirect finds out learners’ language skillthrough more controlled items such as multiple-choice questions, grammar translationitems…Especially, pay attention to grammar

3.1.2 Indirect test possibilities Here I deal with certain types that are used to

measure learners’ knowledge and ability of grammar and vocabulary

3.1.2.1 Multiple-choice questions

I have spent _ today

a money ten dollars b ten dollars

c ten dollars money d ten dollars of money

For many years, multiple – characteristics choice questions are considered to be ideal testinstrument to measure students’ knowledge of vocabulary and grammar This questiontypes’ advantages are undeniable: easy to mark, limit teachers’ errors, finish quickly(for students) A statement has only one the best answer The candidate must select thebest among three, four, even more possibilities However, there are a number ofproblems with multiple-choice questions They are extremely difficult to write well,especially in designing incorrect possibilities first Second, while students’ multiple-choice questions abilities are enhanced, this may not actually improve their English.The difference in scores between two students is the difference between ones trained

in multiple-choice questions techniques rather than their language knowledge andability

3.1.2.2 Close procedure (gap-filling and completion)

The testee has to complete a sentence by filling a suitable word or a phrase in agap The gap may or may not be signaled by a dash or a blank

British television is the big success story of post war years Little _ than a limited experiment before the war, it blossomed in _ years following 1945 1955, commercial television began Today 90 percent of population has television in _homes.

Obviously, applying the correct word for a blank does imply an understanding ofcontext and knowledge of that word and how it operates Cloze procedure is said tomeasure students’ accuracy in using words and grammar, ability to predict from the

context The biggest problem is difficulties in designing as there are blanks that notonly one but also several possible answers can be filled with.

3.1.2.3 Transformation and paraphrase.

A common test item asks candidates to rewrite sentences in a slightly differentform, retaining the exact meaning of the original

The water was so cold that the children could not swim in it.

 The water was not ………

In order to complete the item successfully the student has to understand the firstsentence using the suggesting words to construct an equivalent sentence in grammar

3.1.2.4 Sentence re-ordering

Getting students to put words in the right order to make appropriate sentences.This item tells us about the students’ underlying knowledge of syntax and lexicalgrammatical elements

called/I/I m/in/sorry/wasn t/when/you’ ’

Above are the most common items, apart from them there may be many otherindirect techniques including:

 Finding errors in sentences

 Choosing correct from of words

 Choosing the correct tense of verbs

3.2.2 More than one scorer

Reliability can be greatly enhanced by having more than one scorer The morepeople who look at a script, the greater the chance that its true worth will be locatedsomewhere between the various scores it is given Often 2 scorers for every test in 2separated rooms bring the more exact results than one, for instance, two examinerswatching an oral test are likely to agree a more reliable score than one

3.2.3 Global assessment scales

A way of specifying scores is remarks from teachers – characteristics markers about learners’performance Such descriptions are concretized by scores followed For instance, astudent gets mark 9 with possible descriptions of her written test: ‘Mastering grammarknowledge, firm ability to use vocabulary, clear performance However, the essay

content is not really full yet’ For an oral test, a student gets mark 8 with possibleremarks: “the candidate speaks fairly fluently, showing an ability to communicateideas with not too much trouble There are some problems of grammatical accuracyand some words are inappropriately used”.

3.2.4 Analytic profiles

Marking gets more reliable when a students’ performance is analyzed in muchdetail Instead of just a general assessment, marks are awarded for different elements.For an oral assessment we can judge a student’s speaking competence in anumber of different ways such as pronunciation, fluency, use of lexis and grammar,use of vocabulary, content, task completion, spellings, handwritings

3.3 Teaching the test

When students are preparing for a public examination or school test it is teachers’responsibilities not only to help them get their English to the level required, but alsofamiliarize them with the kinds of exam items they are likely to encounter and trainthem how to succeed Students can be prepared for future tests in a variety of ways

3.3.1 Training for test types

We can show the various test types and ask them what the item is testing so thatthey are clear about what is required We can help them to understand what the testdesigner is aiming for, by showing them the kinds of marking scales that are used,making them aware of what constitutes success When training a first reading of thetest or how to arrange ideas for an essay

3.3.2 Discussing general exam skills

Most students benefit from being reminded about general test and exam skills.Such general skills for written tests include studying questions properly, and thenreading them again so that they are absolutely sure what they should do Needing tocheck the whole work before handing them in Learning how not to spend amisappropriate amount of time on one particular part of an exam

3.3.3 Doing practice tests

Students need a chance to practice taking the test or exam so that they get a feelfor the experience, especially with regard to issues such as facing…Especially, pay attention to grammar

At various points in a course students can sit practice papers or whole practicetests, but this should not be done too often since not only will it give teachers horrificmarking schedule but it will also be less productive than other test and exampreparation procedures are

3.3.4 Promoting autonomy

Although we can do a lot of exam preparation in class, we need to impress onstudents that their chances of success are far greater If they study and revise on their

own We will want them to read more, do more exercises and use dictionaries as well

as other means to build up their knowledge store

Above are theories of test in general, in order to know in detailed about howwritten tests are in Vietnam high schools, whether or not they comply with the generalrules discussed Let us read the second chapter

CHAPTER II Written tests at Vietnam high schools

2.1 The real situation of the activity of testing and evaluation at Vietnam high schools

The new method in teaching and learning foreign language in general andEnglish in particular has come and knocked as far as the door of every class in mostschools throughout Vietnam This is an enlightened and timely policy by the Ministry

of Training and Education And the initial results are very welcomed More and morepeople become interested in learning English There is a shift in the learner’sawareness from pure attention to knowledge of grammar and vocabulary tocommunicative skills However, it is assumed that unlike learning and teachingactivity, the field of testing and evaluation still lies motionless with the traditionalelements’ dominance Seen easily the written test is the most widely – characteristics used testinginstrument in almost all schools Correspondingly, two basic skills measured in schoolare reading and writing only

How are the present tests?

Collecting a noticeable number of tests ever done from various schools, aconclusion has been drawn like this: Tests are not invested as well enough as it isworth to be, and expose some problems While some are too long, some are short.Sometimes we meet some either too difficult or too easy which takes readers bysurprise Many test contents are designed outside the teaching program In addition,regular and monotonous repetition of the traditional test items, whose testing aim isexamining grammar and vocabulary, makes students feel bored

To prepare knowledge and practical experience as well for this thesis, I made atravel to some leading schools of my homeland province Ha Tinh, especially HongLinh School where I had exactly two months for teaching practice as a teacher ofEnglish These schools keep the traditional method in the field of testing andevaluation although the new test item types have been introduced for over a year Gosearching the hid causes/reasons for this I was told ‘we are teaching the 3- yearprogram, students’ knowledge is not much enough to meet the slightly highrequirements of new test item types’ said Mr Trung -a teacher in Hong Linh When

asked the same question, Mrs Thuy answered with hesitation “frankly speaking’, thenew ones requires teachers to think carefully about testing content, forms, amountwhich costs time and effort while many are lazy and have got used to their own habit”Obviously, the teacher has not spent enough time and heart on tests Anirrefutable reality is that not few take tests for granted, considering them nothing morespecial than a means to give marks If looking at the tests collected with care, we cansee that many of them are perfect imitations or awkward copies from a variety ofreference book source The teacher is not fully aware of the extremely important role

of testing and evaluation for enhancing educational quality indeed

As for students, they are at different levels The congenial program between the3-year course and 7-year course is problematic In the 3-year program learningschools, while quite a few from the countryside touch English for the first time, somehave learned English for the four years Similarly, the same situation exists in the 7-year school This contributes teacher's difficulties to giving a test in such a way thatboth the above objects face tests appropriate to their abilities

I hope that these real situations will be improved clearly when the program ischanged within 3 years

2.2 Tests in the high school

2.2.1 Written tests and its types

Written tests are, speaking simply, tests done on paper (on computer…Especially, pay attention to grammar) whichaim to measure students’ knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, not test orally If theoral test allows us to know how the candidate’s speaking and listening command are,the written test informs us what level a student’s writing and reading ability are at InVietnam condition, these tests take place frequently and regularly in the classroomunder the teacher’s control in a definite time

These tests are attached with a specific mark counted in the final mark on whichthe teacher bases to assess each learner’s result for the whole school year Evaluatingstudents’ studying results is implemented through system of test types: 15-minutetests, 45-minute tests, term tests, final exams, good students-choosing examinations.All these are different from each other in time distribution, difficult level and theirimportance but have traditional test items in common In the early section, wediscussed four kinds of test graded basing on the testing reason: place-section,placement, achievement, proficiency and diagnostic test Here partly due to generalcharacteristics of tests and partly to the thesis limitation I pay much more attention toclass tests including three main types, which are defined by the Ministry of Trainingand Education

- 15-minute test (test 15)

- 45-minute test (test 45)

- test at the end of the term (term test)

2.2.1.1 Test 15

Test 15, as its name suggests, time to finish the test is very short with 15 minuteonly First, this aims at checking learners’ remembrance Then the teacher has aparticular mark for summing up the studying results (Test 15 attached with coefficientscore 1) Since this kind of test is designed basing on the learned-just- lessons, it is notoften informed in advance Testing time may be at the beginning, at the end or themiddle of the class However, test items are very rich

*Test 15 for class 10 by Phan Thu Cuc – characteristics Hong Linh school

Read the passage and make 10 questions

I am John I come from England, I am a pupil I like every thing I read and speakVietnamese frequently I can sing, swim and play football My parents live in Englandtoo

Test 15’ for class 12 by Quach Thi Lam

Multiple choice questions

1) It was fortune we did not have to carry him It was our

a good chance c fortune

b good luck d fate

2) I m not staying here’

4) Why are you so late? You _ at 2 o clock’

a are to arrive c were to arrive

b right to arrive d should be writing

5) He did not have any cash, and since the bank had closed, I _ him $10

and soon…

* Test 15’ by Hoang Van Te

Write 5 sentences about what there are in your schools

2.2.1.2 Test 45

In comparison with test 15, test 45 as you can deduce has a time longer to do.But this also corresponds with a larger amount of knowledge, requiring students toknow more about grammatical items, word-usage There are ,on average, two tests 45for each term, each sweeps knowledge of half a term The importance of its is stressed,too with coefficient mark 2, double the 15 Because of this, teachers often informstudents in advance for at least one week If students have more time for revision and

spirit preparation, the results are likely to be better The 45’s test item types areextremely plentiful, it almost covers all what a written test may have.

* Test 45 for the class 10

I Using words given to write appropriate sentences

1 He/have/a camera? No/he/not/have

2 Why/you/not/go/school? Because I/ill

3 She/not/be/Chinese

4 Mary/live/Nghe An province? No/she

5 Peter/like/football.

II Make questions for the underlined words and phrases

1 We often read books in the evening

2 There is a lab in our school

3 Mary and Tom go to the cinema on Saturdays

4 Peter doesn t like the ’ music

5 Minh likes stamps

III 1) Read the text and answer the questions

Hello, my name s Maria I come from Italy and I am a student at the Camden’

English centre It is a language school in Camden town in London I like it very much The classes are small There are four people in my class We come from different countries but we are friendly Our teachers are Mr.King and Mrs.Baker They are good teachers We have three classes in the morning and two classes in the afternoon.

a Where does Maria come from?

b Where is she now?

c Who are their teachers?

d Has she got three teachers?

e How many classes has she got in the morning?

2) Translate in to Vietnamese (By Miss Duyen – characteristics Phan Boi Chau school)

2.2.1.3 Term test (Test at the end of the term)

The term test plays the most important role of all It affects greatly the whole yearmark although time is the same with test 45 The test is written with quite a largeborder of knowledge, from the beginning of a term The student is guided to revisewhat test items would be given, what materials serve well for studying…Especially, pay attention to grammarThere will besurely classes for revision only, the teacher lists out the main problems, cores of thecurrent program on which students have to base to brush up What test 45 may contain

so may the term test (in test items)

Term test for class 11