Bài giảng Phương pháp kiểm tra và đánh giá học tập - Chapter 9: Testing the writing skills

Chapter 9: 
Testing the writing skills
Chapter 9: 
Testing the writing skills
1. The writing skills
2. Testing composition writing
3. Setting the composition
4. Grading the composition
5. Treatment of written errors 
1. The writing skills
 language use: the ability to write correct & 
appropriate sentences
 mechanical skills: the ability to use 
correct conventions of written language e.g. 
spelling, punctuation..
 treatment of content: the ability to think 
creatively and develop thought without any 
relevant information
1. The writing skills (con.)
 stylistic skills: the ability to manipulate 
sentences and paragraphs and to use 
language effectively
 judgment skills: the ability to write in an 
appropriate manner for a particular purpose, 
e.g. the ability to select, organize and order 
relevant information, the use of judgment 
important in teaching and testing of writing 
2. Testing composition writing
 The types of writing tasks in the test should 
be the ones which students are confronted 
everyday.
 The candidate’s performance will have met 
the following minimum criteria:
Basic level
 no confusing errors of grammar or 
vocabulary; 
 a piece of writing legible and readily 
intelligible; 
 able to produce simple unsophisticated 
sentences
Intermediate level
 accurate grammar, vocabulary and spelling, 
though possibly with some mistakes which 
do not destroy communication; 
 handwriting generally legible, expression 
clear and appropriate, using a fair range of 
language; 
 able to link themes and points coherently
Advanced level
 extremely high standards of grammar, 
vocabulary and spelling;
 easily legible handwriting; 
 no obvious limitations on range of language 
candidate is able to use accurately and 
appropriately; 
 ability to produce organized, coherent 
writing, displaying considerable sophistication
Important notes
 Composition writing : a useful testing tool 
b/c providing students with an opportunity 
to demonstrate their ability to organize 
language material, using their own words 
and ideas and to communicate providing a 
degree of motivation which many objective 
tests fail to provide 
Important notes (con.)
 Ss should be presented with a clearly 
defined problem which motivates them to 
write; in other words, meaningful situations 
should be given.
 Composition titles without guidance should 
be avoided. 
3. Setting the composition
 A good topic for a composition determines 
the register and style to be used in the 
writing task by presenting Ss with a specific 
situation and context in which to write.
 The difficulty in constructing compositions is 
the writing of the rubrics, so sufficient 
information must be conveyed by the rubric 
in order to provide realistic, helpful basis for 
the composition. 
4. Grading the composition
 A student’s ability to organize ideas and 
express them in his / her own words a 
skill essential for real-life communication; 
composition can be used to provide not only 
high motivation for writing but also an 
excellent backwash effect on teaching.
 A well-defined task in terms of one or two 
situational compositions enormously 
increasing the reliability of the test
Compositions may be scored according to one 
of the two methods:
(1) the impression method
(2) or the analytic method 
(3) the mechanical accuracy or error- count 
method (not recommended)
Scoring methods
Scoring methods (con.)
 The impression method of marking entails 
one or more markers awarding a single mark 
based on the total expression of the 
composition as a whole.
 The analytic method depends on a marking 
scheme which has been carefully drawn up 
by the examiner or body of examiners.
5. Treatments of written errors
 Global errors: those involving the overall 
structure of a sentence & resulting in 
misunderstanding or failing to understand 
the message conveyed
 Local errors: causing only minor trouble or 
confusion in a particular clause or sentence 
without hindering readers 'comprehension