TESTING vs ASSESSMENT
Which Latin word is the origin of the term “assessment”?
Assidere, meaning “to sit with”.
What is another name for assessment specifications?
Test specifications or test blueprints.
Is listening a passive or active skill?
An active receptive skill.
Which speaking criterion focuses on smooth and natural speech?
Fluency.
What type of assessment focuses on real-world tasks instead of exams?
Alternative assessment.
Which assessment purpose focuses on identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses?
Diagnostic assessment.
Which quality ensures that a test measures what it is intended to measure?
Validity
What two processes are involved in listening comprehension?
Bottom-up and top-down processing.
What type of speaking involves short replies to questions or prompts?
Responsive speaking.
Which alternative assessment tool collects students’ work over time?
Portfolio.
What is the main difference between a test and assessment?
A test is a product that measures performance, while assessment is an ongoing process of collecting and interpreting data.
Which component explains how learners’ answers are marked?
Scoring and performance levels.
Which listening skill focuses on sounds, stress, and intonation?
Microskills.
Why are speaking tests considered less reliable?
Because they are subjectively scored.
Which 21st-century skills are promoted by project-based assessment?
Creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and digital literacy.
What type of assessment evaluates the effectiveness of teaching methods and syllabus?
Evaluation assessment.
What is a Unit Progress Test?
•A Unit Progress Test is a short assessment given at the end of a unit in a coursebook to measure students’ learning of:
•Vocabulary
•Grammar
•Reading
•Writing
•Sometimes speaking
What type of reading task checks understanding of main ideas?
Skimming tasks.
What writing task type requires learners to write exactly what they hear?
Dictation
Which CEFR level describes the ability to write clear, detailed texts and argue ideas?
B2 level.
What type of assessment is used to place students into appropriate levels?
Placement assessment.
How do assessment specifications help align a language test with CEFR descriptors?
They specify target skills, task types, performance criteria, and scoring scales that correspond directly to CEFR level descriptors, ensuring that test outcomes accurately reflect CEFR proficiency levels.
Why is it important to balance bottom-up and top-down processing when designing listening tasks?
Because real-life listening requires decoding linguistic details (bottom-up) while simultaneously using background knowledge and context (top-down); imbalance may lead to incomplete or unrealistic assessment of listening ability.
Which stage of writing focuses on correcting grammar and spelling?
Post-writing stage.
Why is alternative assessment effective in reducing test anxiety?
Because it allows flexible, process-based, and authentic evaluation.