Unit 15

WORKSHEET – UNIT 15

Task 1 – Why do teachers need to evaluate their students’ English?

Teachers need to evaluate their students’ English to determine whether the students are making any progress in their learning. A teacher also needs to evaluate students at the beginning of a course to be able to identify their needs or problem areas. An evaluation is also useful for correct placement. Conducting periodic evaluations and keeping records is also very useful because teachers can easily refer to these in case there would be a problem in the future. Evaluating students’ English will also let the teacher know if the aims of the lessons are being met or if changes are needed.

Task 2 – List the different types of testing and evaluation tools that a teacher can use:

1.     Tutorials – teachers can conduct individual (not always possible) tutorials or small group tutorials to assess what has been done in class and address any problems.

2.     Student evaluation – students can evaluate the course through a questionnaire or survey. It can also be done by means of a guided discussion.

3.     Tests – there are many different types of exams that teachers can use.

a.     Placement test – this allows the teacher to place the student into the appropriate level or class

b.     Progress test – can be done weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, or after 2-3 units to assess which language items have been retained and which ones need revisions.

c.      Diagnostic test – this is given at the start of the course to see what the students already know and don’t know. It can help teachers to design lessons that can address any problems identified in the exam

d.     Practice test – a practice test follows the format of whatever external or formal exam the students are preparing for.

Task 3 – What reasons might students have for studying for formal or external tests of English?

Students study for formal or external tests of English primarily for studies and work purposes. Schools abroad require foreign students to take a formal exam such as the IELTS or TOEFL before they can gain admittance to the institution they have applied to. Professionals like nurses and doctors are also asked to take these exams (IELTS or TOEFL) before they can be allowed to work in an English-speaking country. In countries like Japan, Korea and some European countries, the TOEIC exam is also very popular for gaining employment and promotion purposes. Those who want to start a career in business can also take the BEC exam. Another reason why students take these formal or external tests of English is for immigration purposes. For students who are exam-oriented, they take these tests as a form of assessment or evaluation of their English language skills in addition to the exams being given in their local schools.

Task 4 – What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the example placement test on pages 4 and 5 of this unit?

Strengths:

-         It covers verb tenses and there’s a progression in difficulty.

-         It contains general questions that can be used to assess the writing skills of the students.

Weaknesses:

-         It does not have a speaking component.

-         Contains some advanced vocabulary which means that it’s not suitable for beginners.

-         The test does not start with easy or familiar questions.

-         Section 2 #14 is a bit confusing and so are other items in section 2.

Task 5 – What would you include in a thirty minute progress test for a group of beginners, making sure that you were testing all four skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening)? Give a detailed outline of the test you would construct, with examples.

For an initial progress test for a group of beginners (small class), I would create a 30-item written test which will include the following types of test:

1.     Multiple choice questions – 5 items

Ex: ____ from Beijing, China.

(a.  I    b. I am        c. I is d. She)

2.     Matching type – 5 items

Ex: match the words to the numbers

11	nineteen
4	fifteen
15	four
9	eleven
19	nine

3.     Fill in the blanks – 5 items

Ex: What ____ your address?

4.     Write questions for the answers – 5 items

Ex: __________________________________?

          Yes, of course! I love ice cream.

5.     Listen and draw – 5 items

Ex: There is a square inside a big circle.

6.     Write a short conversation (6 sentences) about a given picture.

For the speaking part, I will let them choose a question to answer from a box. Then, the students have to ask me one question each.