ELL6411:

Language Testing Session 8 Dr. Oksana Afitska

SESSION 8: TESTING LISTENING

SPECIFICATIONS

Global operations (depend on overall grasp of what is listened to)

Informational operations

Interactional operations

Lower level listening skills/operations

ELL6411: Language Testing Session 8 Dr. Oksana Afitska

Text types monologue, dialogue, multi-participant ~ conversation, announcement, talk or

lecture, instructions, directions, etc.

Text forms description, exposition, argumentation, instruction, narration.

Length expressed in seconds or minutes or number of turns taken (for short utterances or
exchanges)

Speed of speech words per minute or syllables per second.

Reported average speeds for samples of British English

Dialects standard or non-standard varieties

Accents regional or non-regional

Authenticity should contain such natural features as assimilation and elision (tend to increase
with speed of delivery), hesitation (pauses, fillers, etc.)

Other specifications intended audience, style, topics, range of grammar and vocabulary


SETTING THE TASKS

(1) Selecting samples of speech (texts)

Language intended for NS authentic speech (readily found: radio, television, internet)

Language intended for NNS teaching materials, recordings of NS made by Ts.

Poor quality of recording re-recording, editing recording

Recordings for the test as natural as possible (keep redundancy ~ What I mean to say is...)
avoid passages originally intended for reading

Altering authentic reading text ~ speed of delivery, style, sounds natural

ELL6411: Language Testing Session 8 Dr. Oksana Afitska

(2) Writing items

Extended listening (lecture) note-taking items writing;

Keep items sufficiently far apart in the passage (be aware of danger of already passed answers)

SS ~ aware of key words in item and passage (item: the second point that the speaker makes;
passage: my second point is...)

Sufficient time allowed before listening to get familiar with the items

TECHNIQUES

Multiple choice Short and simple alternatives (keeping all in head while listening!)

Short answer Works with short and straightforward questions where the correct, preferably
unique, response is obvious.

Gap filling Should be used where a short answer question with a unique answer is not possible

ELL6411: Language Testing Session 8 Dr. Oksana Afitska

Information transfer Minimal demand on productive skills

Labelling of diagrams and pictures, completing forms, making diary entries, showing routs on
maps.

Note taking

Listening to lecture note taking first, then reading, and answering to the test items
Use passage from which notes can be taken successfully
ELL6411: Language Testing Session 8 Dr. Oksana Afitska

Careful moderation and trialling

Practice this type of tasks with candidates before the test (in classroom time ~ make them familiar
with format)

Partial dictation

Correct spelling is not required for a response to be scored (but it should not be just an attempt of
recognising sounds)

The gaps may be longer than one word

Transcription

Transcribing number of words spelt letter by letter (unknown to candidates)

The numbers ~ make up a telephone number
Response needs to be entirely correct for a point to be awarded

MODERATING ITEMS

is essential

Either already recorded items or those read by the test writer as they should be spoken when
recorded

Moderators take the test and analyse items and their reactions to them

Presenting the texts (live or recorded?)

Recordings uniformity of what is presented to candidates

But if conditions are unequal in the room live presentation (with a single speaker for each - part
of a - test).


ELL6411: Language Testing Session 8 Dr. Oksana Afitska

SCORING

Do not deduct points for errors of grammar or spelling (provided that it is clear that the correct
response was intended).

ADDITIONAL READING FOR TODAYS SESSION

Brown, H.D. and P. Abeywickrama (2010) (2nd Ed). Language assessment: principles and
classroom practices. London: Pearson Education.
Buck, G. (2001) Assessing listening. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Buck, G. (1991) The testing of listening comprehension: an introspective study. Language Testing
8: 67-91.
Rost, M. (2005) L2 listening. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language
teaching and learning (pp. 503-527). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Sherman, J. (1997) The effect of question preview in listening comprehension tests. Language
Testing 14: 185-213.
Buck, G. and Tatsuoka, K. (1998) Application of the rule-space procedure to language testing:
examining attributes of a free response listening test. Language Testing 15: 119-157.
Hale, G.A. and Courtney, R. (1994) The effects of note-taking on listening comprehension in the
Test of English as a Foreign Language. Language Testing 11: 29-47.
Arnold, J. (2000) Seeing through listening comprehension anxiety. TESOL Quarterly 34: 777-786

FOR NEXT SESSION SESSION 9: Alternatives in assessment PLEASE READ:

Douglas Brown, H. and P. Abeywickrama (2010) (2nd Ed). Language assessment: principles
and classroom practices. Chapter 6: Beyond Tests: Alternatives in assessment. London:
Pearson Education.

M. Patri (2002) The influence of peer feedback on self- and peer-assessment of oral skills.
Language Testing, 19 (2) 109131. [AVAILABLE ON MOLE]

AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK TASK

What is the distinction between feedback and self-monitoring?

ELL6411: Language Testing Session 8 Dr. Oksana Afitska

HOMEWORK TASK

Design short items that attempt to discover whether candidates can recognise: sarcasm, surprise,
boredom, elation. Try these on your classmates and ask for their comments.

SEMINAR TASK 1

Design a test that requires candidates to draw (or complete) simple pictures. Decide exactly what
the test is measuring. Think what other things could be measured using this or similar techniques.
Administer the test and see if your classmates agree with you about what is being measured.