Language Testing - Oral Test

4.

USING PICTURES FOR ASSESSING ORAL PRODUCTION

Pictures, maps and diagrams can be used in oral production tests. Pictures of single objects
- Can be used for testing the production of significant phonemes constrasts. Pictures of a scene or an incident Can be used for examining the total oral skills.

This section will concentrate on the use of pictures for description and narration. Separate scores for general fluency, grammar, vocabulary, phonology, and accuracy of description/narration are far better. Advertisements, posters and strip cartoons may be used in this way for class tests, provided that there enough available to prevent the students from preparing one or two set pieces. Here are some techniques of examination using pictures which most effective for assessing the studentsoral productions : a. Describing pictures 1. The student and the teacher have five pictures in front of them, each picture differing in only one respect from the other four pictures. 2. Students is given a card bearing a letter (A,B,C,D or E). The teacher (the examiner) cannot see the letter. 3. The teacher ask the students to describe the appropriate picture(according to the letter). 4. The teacher selects a picture according to description. 5. Assessing the students correctness,fluency, and length of time taken before the students description results in the identification of the appropriate picture. 6. The teacher then checks the card. b. Discussing two pictures 1. Teacher gives pairs/groups of students a simple task to perform. 2. ....... patners description of a similar( but not identical) picture.The two students cannot see each others picture. 3. They can discuss in which ways the two pictures are the same and which ways they differ. 4. The pictures used for such discussion may range from almost idential ones to quite different one. c. Rearranging a squence of pictures 1. Teacher gives the students a squence of pictures to rearrange. 2. Students should begin by describing their own pictures without showing it to the other members of the group. 3. After each picture has been described and discussed in relation to the other pictures, the group decides on an appropriate squence. 4. Each member of the group then puts down his or her picture in the other decided upon. 5. Comments ........ and the other changed if the group considers it desirable. 6. Scoring their performance.
5. THE ORAL INTERVIEW

Like many other examinations of oral production, the scoring of the oral interview is highly subjective and thus sometimes has only low reliability. In addition, the performance of a student in a particular interview may not accurratcly reflect his or her true ability. But at least the oral interview appears to offer a realistic means of assessing the total oral skill in a natural speech situation. Bellow there are some problems that the students often get in the oral interview test,there are also the solutions of the problems : case 1 : It is artificial and unrealistic, so students are placced not natural real life speech situations but in examination situations. The students are easy get psycological tensions,constraint of style and register necessary in such situation. For examples ; many students adopt a quiet and colourless tone in interviews, some even develop a guarded attitude, while others become over-friendly. Solutions : If required, the teacher may sit at the back of the room or any other obscure place. The teacher should try to put the student at case at the begining of the interview. The teacher should try to adopting a sympathetic attitude. The teacher should try to hold a genuine conversation. The teacher should never attempt to note down marks or comments while the student still engaged in the interview. The teacher may interview the students in pair or ever threes case 2 : (in conducting interviews with pairs students) : The are personality conflicts between the members of the pair. The dominance of one of the members of the pair. Solutions : The teacher should ensure that the two students forming a pair have similar or sympathetic personalities and have similar levels of language ability. In addition,the teacher can give the students puzzle and problem solving tasks. A short quiz may ever prepared by one student and given to the other.
In all these cases or problems,however the teacher should be concerned more with the sudentss use the target languages to achieved to accomplish the task given. Thus, a students inability to answer several questions in a quiz should not weigh too heavily provided that he or she is able to give some answer ( right or wrong ) and conduct a reasonable conversation ect. With the student giving the quiz. In short each student should be assessed not only on such features of spoken language as grammatical acceptability and pronounciation but also appropriacy of language and effectivness of communication and where appropriate the time taken to accomplish the task given.
6. SOME OTHER TECHNIQUES FOR ORAL EXAMINING

A SHORT TALK In certain examination students are required to prepare a short talk on a given topic. They may be allowed several days or only a few minutes in which to prepare the talk and in some cases, they may be provided with notes or reference material. The examination is good for the most advanced students.The examination can be improved slightly by reducing the time alloted for the talk and asking students questions based on their talk, thus introducing a reciprocal speech situation. The question might be asked either by the teacher or by group a group of students ( if the talk is given in front of an audience) GROUP DISCUSSION AND ROLE PLAYING Group discussion and role playing are two other important techniques for assessing oral production. Through group disscussion and role playing the teacher can discover how students are thinking and using the target language. Group activities in both teaching and testing can be used to provide an opportunity for meaningful and active involvement. The type activity,the problem-solving activities,puzzles which abound in books and materials of various decisions can be give in grouping activities. Role-play activities can also also be used successfully to test oral communicative ability. The students anvolved are assigned fictitious roles and are required to improvise in language and behavior. The role plays used for the test may vary from short simple role plays involving only two or three students to far longer role plays involving several students.
PERFORMANCE LEVEL
Note
Excellent : he completely at ease in his use of

English on all topics discussed.
Very good : he express himself quite clearly.

Alhtough he experiences little difficulty in understanding English but there is no strain at all in communicating with him.
Satisfactory : he makes a limited number of errors
of grammar,lexis and pronounciation but he is still at ease in communicating on eveyday subjects.
Fairy satisfactory : need repetition,re-phrasing and

re-patterning.
Limited : His own understanding
is severely limited, but communication on everyday topics is possible. Large number of errors of phonology, grammar and lexis.
Very limited : Failure to understand aduquately and

difficulty to make himself understood.

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4.

USING PICTURES FOR ASSESSING ORAL PRODUCTION

5. THE ORAL INTERVIEW

6. SOME OTHER TECHNIQUES FOR ORAL EXAMINING

Excellent : he completely at ease in his use of

Very good : he express himself quite clearly.

Satisfactory : he makes a limited number of errors

of grammar,lexis and pronounciation but he is still at ease in communicating on eveyday subjects.

Fairy satisfactory : need repetition,re-phrasing and

Limited : His own understanding

Very limited : Failure to understand aduquately and

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