and will have to carry out the task together. It could be either the
solving the problem, planning something, putting something in order or
discussing a certain topic. Discussion will certainly require the students’
personal opinion and analysis of a topic (examples available in Appendix
63).
In CFC the students will have to cooperate with another interlocutor:
either the examiner or another participant.
The author of the paper assume that this part is both integrative and
indirect testing. It is integrative, for it will involve the students’
knowledge of the whole aspects of the language: grammar, sentence
structure, vocabulary, listening skills and may be even reading skills if
the task will be written. To communicate successfully the students will
require listening and comprehending the other speaker’s message to respond.
Grammar should be accurate to produce a good and correct dialogue or a
monologue, for accuracy is an important factor there. The rich word stock
will be inevitable element as well.
Indirect testing means that the whole material will be included while
testing speaking skills.
To conclude we can declare that CFC and TOEFL tests are both integrative
and discreet point tests. They are also direct, however, speaking part in
CFC could be defined as indirect one involving all four skills to be used.
Conclusions
The present research attempted to investigate the essence of two
types of tests, such as TOEFL and CFC tests. The research has achieved the
initially set goals and objectives. It dealt with the basic data about
testing, where the author had displayed the ideas what was the essence of
tests, why the students should be tested, what consequences could tests
produce and whom they would mostly influence. Afterwards, the reasons for
testing were discussed, where the author of the paper had gradually showed
why tests were significant in the process of learning and the role of
testing in the teaching process. After the basic data had been discussed,
the author came directly to types of testing. At that point the author of
the research made an attempt to review various sources on the topic she was
able to find. She had presented the definitions of the types of tests
offered in Longman dictionary of LTAL and then had compared them with the
definitions given by various authors. Later, the author of the research
displayed the ways of their applications and reasons for that. She had also
presented several examples of tests types in the Appendix. The author of
the paper had also discussed ways of testing, such as discrete point test
and integrative test, objective and subjective tests, direct and indirect
tests, etc. The attention was drawn to the significance of their usage and
the purpose for it. Furthermore, the discussion had changed the focus on
another important issue, such as tests formats and approaches for testing
four language skills. Here the author had broadly and explicitly discussed
and analysed the tests formats, such as MCQs, false/true items, cloze
tests, gap-filling tests, etc. She had focused on their application and
skills for which they are used. Moreover, she had displayed various
examples to exemplify each test format, offering several of them in
Appendix of the paper. Likewise, a table with the language skills and test
formats applicable for them was attached to the work as well. Further, a
practical part in the form of the tests’ analysis was presented.
The author of the paper had also dealt with the main issues that are
very vital and essential in analysis of the tests. She had focused on the
reliability and validity of the tests and tried to trace them in TOEFL and
CFC tests. She had thoroughly discussed the tasks and activities composing
the tests designed to test the students’ language skills. Moreover, she had
attempted to compare the two tests and find out any similarities and
differences between them. She had methodically studied each part of the
tests, starting from reading skills finishing with speaking. She had
presented a detailed investigation into the matter together with the
examples that could be observed in Appendix, as well.
Eventually, she had gained her aim having checked the theory into
practice and had proved that it really functioned in the real world.
Moreover, she had revealed that though being sometimes different in their
purpose, design and structure, the TOEFL test and CFC test are constructed
according to the universally accepted pattern.
Thus, the hypothesis of the present research has been confirmed.
Theses
1. The role of tests is very useful and important, especially in language
learning, for they indicates how much the learners have learnt during a
course, as well as display the strength and weaknesses of the teaching
process and help the teacher improve it.
2. The tests can facilitate the students’ acquisition process and function
as a tool to increase their motivation; however, too much of testing
could be disastrous changing entirely the students’ attitude towards
learning the language, especially if the results are usually
dissatisfying.
3. Assessment and evaluation are important aspects for the teacher and the
students and should be correlated in order to make evaluation and
assessment “go hand in hand”.
4. The test should be valid and reliable. They should test what was taught,
taking the learner’s individual pace into account. Moreover, the
instructions of the test should be unambiguous.
5. Validity deals with what is tested and degree to which a test measures
what is supposed to measure.
6. Reliability shows that the test’s results will be similar and will not
change if one and the same test will be given on various days.
7. There are four traditional categories or types of tests: proficiency
tests measuring how much of a language a person knows or has learnt;
achievement tests measuring a language someone has learned during a
specific course, study or program; diagnostic tests displaying the
knowledge of the students or lack of it, and placement tests placing the
students at an appropriate level in a programme or a course.
8. There are two important aspect direct and indirect testing. Direct
testing means the involvement of a skill that is supposed to be tested,
whereas indirect testing tests the usage of the language in real-life
situation and is assumed to be more effective.
9. Discrete point test is a language test that is meant to test a
particular language item, whereas the integrative test intends to check
several language skills and language components together or
simultaneously.
10. There are various tests formats, such as multiple-choice tasks, gap-
filling tests, cloze tests, true/false statements, etc. used to check
four language skills.
11. To enter any foreign university the students are supposed to take the
TOEFL or CFC tests. Besides, they can be taken to reveal the student’s
level of the English language.
12. Serving for almost similar purpose, however being sometimes different
in their design and structure, the TOEFL and CFC tests are usually
constructed according to the accepted universal pattern.
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Appendix
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