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Evaluation and testing Evaluating students In this we will look at different ways of evaluating students' levels and progress, as well as some of the common external exams that you may need to prepare your students for. If you give ongoing feedback, and especially if you make the feedback procedure overt, you are going a long way in providing the students with the information they need to evaluate their own level and progress. Sometimes, however, it is useful to arrange for more formal means of feedback to take place and it may be compulsory for the institution that you are working in. There are a number of ways to assess a student's language level: . Tutorials . Evaluation by the students . Tests Tutorials These can take place with the whole group or with individual students. It is unlikely that you will have time to conduct individual tutorials every lesson but it might be useful to spend some time, perhaps the last ten minutes at the end of the week reviewing the work done, discussing the aims of the lessons, how well the students performed the tasks, whether there are any problems etc. Evaluation by the students It can be very useful to ask the students to evaluate their course (not the personalities of the teachers) by means of a questionnaire or guided discussion. For example, they can be asked whether they feel that they are getting enough grammar, if the balance of skills work is right, if they think the work is too easy, too difficult or just right. The results of the survey can then be discussed and future lessons considered in the light of students' comments. This process promotes genuine interaction, develops a much greater awareness among students of what is happening in the classroom and helps you understand better how they react to what you do. If the students' English is too poor for this kind of discussion, in monolingual classes it is worth doing it in the students' mother tongue if possible. Tests it is often appropriate to give tests at different stages in a course: at the start your students may be given a placement test to assist the formation of groups of students at the same level, or a diagnostic test which is designed to tell you and the students what they do and don't know at the beginning of a course. Teachers often give a periodic progress test on the work covered. This can be in the form of a formal written test, or a more informal group activity, even a game-as long as it gives information to both you and the student as to how they are progressing. These tests may be every week, month, term, or after a certain amount of the course book has been covered. Often this decision will be dictated by the school, if not you will have to decide. Many teachers prefer to give regular but short tests and then a longer, formal test every term. If the students are following a course leading to an external examination, they are usually eager to do practice tests to get some idea of how close they are to the required standard, and also to get used to the structure of the examination. Another test that students might take is an achievement test, which is usually an internal test given at the end of a course e.g. at the end of the school year. Other options include external examinations, offered by organisations such as Cambridge Assessment, and proficiency tests, which are not course related but claim to measure proficiency in English at particular levels such as the Common European Framework Levels. Placement tests These tests are designed to enable teachers to place new students into the correct class according to their language ability. Most schools conduct this type of testing by multiple choice questions (to check their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary) and spoken interview to make sure the student is also able to communicate and participate at the required level. These kinds of tests usually start with fairly simple questions and become progressively more difficult. This should allow the teacher to gauge the language level of the student. In written part of the test it is useful to also include a few general questions that require more expansive answers, as this will provide more information about the written fluency level. Typically the spoken component would also start with simple questions such as, "what is your name?", "How old are you?", "What colour is my shirt?" etc. If the student seems comfortable with such questions, the teacher would ask more complex questions using a variety of present, past and future tenses, conditionals etc, until the teacher finds a level where the student is not so capable. This together with the written test can be used to determine the entrance level of the student. Until you are familiar with what knowledge various levels would have, it is a good idea to refer to course books of each level and see what language items students at that level would be expected to know already. Progress tests Progress tests should be used periodically to gauge what language has been remembered or acquired and what language has been forgotten. These tests are useful to let teachers and students know what language items need more work. Such tests also tend to encourage students to review and revise, which is never a bad thing! Progress tests should include a balance of all four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) as well as grammar and vocabulary that have been covered. Please note that progress tests should only include language items covered within the prescribed period. Some schools keep progress tests on file to match topics and language from the course books in use, otherwise progress tests can often be taken from the relevant teacher's book. If neither of these options is available, the teacher will have to devise his/her own test. Activities for tests can often be unused exercises taken from the work book, or other resource books. Many teachers are not in favor of formal testing as it is often more of a test of memory than actual knowledge. Such teachers believe that as they see the students on a regular basis, they are able to measure their progress by ongoing observation in the classroom. Even if you agree with this viewpoint it is a fact that most schools will require you to formally test the students as well. Diagnostic tests Diagnostic tests are basically similar in content to placement tests, and are sometimes more extensive. They are given at the start of the course to see what the students already know, and to help the teacher to prepare lessons and materials that will enable students to work on the areas of difficulty identified by the test. Practice tests Practice tests should follow the format and the structure of the external examination that they are being given in preparation for. Some of the most common external exams are given on the following page. General external examinations TOEFL-Test of English as a foreign Language This is an American English exam that is required by most US universities for admission purposes if the prospective student is a non-native speaker of English. This test is virtually all multiple choice (writing paper excepted) and covers grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing and listening. The TOEFL has recently added a speaking element. The TOEFL exam is one test for all levels, either on paper or computer-based. A student doesn't pass or fail, but gets a final score, which equates to his/her level. IELTS-International English Language Testing System The ideal test if a student needs to study or work where English is the language of communication. IELTS scores are recognised by universities and colleges, employers, immigration authorities and professional bodies. TOEIC TOEIC, the Test Of English for International Communication, is probably the most widely recognised test of work-place English proficiency in Japan and Korea, and now becoming more popular in Europe. It measures the ability of non-native English-speaking examinees to use English in everyday work activities. Originally examining only two communication skills, reading and listening, TOEIC was originally based on the TOEFL test. The test lasted for two and a half hours and had 200 multiple choice questions; 100 questions for listening comprehension and 100 questions for reading comprehension. More recently, writing and speaking components have been added. TOEIC questions attempt to reenact international business environments and contain vocabulary and usage that are not necessary needed in everyday life. Even a native speaker will find it hard to get full marks unless they have a good educational background, which strongly suggest it is not a true test of English communicative competence. Cambridge Assessment Cambridge Assessment is the non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge responsible for a broad range of assessments, includes the UK OCR Examinations Board, Cambridge ESOL and Cambridge International Exams (formerly known as UCLES) These exams are the world's leading range of certificates for learners of English. Each year, they are taken by over 1.5 million people, in 135 countries and are widely recognised for work and study purposes. The exams are linked to common European framework of Reference for Languages, published by the Council of Europe. There are a number of different categories of Cambridge exams: General English KET (Key English Test) An elementary level exam, testing the students' ability to deal with basic written and spoken communications. PET (Preliminary English Test) An intermediate level exam, testing their ability to cope with everyday written and spoken communications. FCE (first Certificate in English) An upper intermediate level exam, designed for students who can deal confidently with a range of written and spoken communications. CAE (Certification in Advanced English) An advanced exam, for a student who can communicate with confidence in English for work or study purposes. Often the minimum entrance level to UK universities for non-native speakers of English. CPE (Certification of Proficiency in English) A very advanced level exam, for students who have achieved a high level of language skills and are able to function effectively in almost any English-speaking context. Business English BEC (Business English Certification) A suite of three exams, designed for students who are learning English in preparation for a career in business. BULATS (Business Language Testing Service) A multilingual assessment service for companies that require a rapid, accurate means of assessing language skills in English, French, German and Spanish. Trinity Collage London ESOL Skills for Life (UK) Trinity's ESOL Skills for life qualifications are designed to meet the needs of learners aged 16 and over for whom English is a second or additional language and who have chosen to make a life in the UK. Exam tasks cover a range of skills needed to settle in the country and to get by on a day-to-day basis. These include functional tasks such as reading and writing authentic correspondence with banks and other institutions, spoken interaction with an external examiner, work-related tasks to help job seekers and academic tasks. There are many other external examinations. Some focus on testing integrated skills, as in the Edexcel London Tests of English, while others focus on just one skill, such as the Trinity exams in spoken English. Other examinations which are conducted on a wide scale internationally are the University of Michigan Proficiency in English examination, and the City and Guilds (London) examinations in all four skills.