Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Chapter 18: Putting Students to the Test 271

I am not sure if I should wear my coat because the weather is so...
(change).

• Rewrite the sentence so that the meaning is the same but include
  the word in bold.

Although it was raining, John still went to play tennis. Despite...

✓ Translation: This isn’t very common in TEFL but it may be an appropri-
ate test for more advanced students. The text for translation should
include idiomatic expressions that reveal a student’s ability to under-
stand the more subtle nuances of the language.

✓ Essays: Essays test writing skills, as well as spelling, vocabulary and
grammar. It’s quite important that an essay doesn’t become a test of
imagination or creativity. During the marking stage, focus on specific
language skills rather than level of interest. You can establish the criteria
for awarding points beforehand so that you judge fairly.

✓ Presentation: Students can prepare a short presentation on a chosen
topic. This is an effective way of exercising speaking ability and can bal-
ance out the nerves that poor writers have when they take written tests.
A combination of tests should give everybody a chance to shine.

✓ Pair work tests: When the course is primarily based on speaking, it may
be unfair to test achievement through writing, so pairing students to
demonstrate communication skills is a good alternative. Students can
talk to teach each other to achieve the task while the teacher monitors
and supervises. For example:

✓ Discuss which present is best for a new student at university:

money (£50) two course books a strong rucksack

Figure 18-1:

A typical

matching

vocabulary

exercise.

Write the number of a shape/shapes next to an adjective it describes

For example: triangular –2

• 3 dimensional


• curved


• symmetrical

1) 2) 3) 4)