Testing writing

Answer

1. According to experts in language testing, controlled composition should NOT be given to ESL students except in very advanced levels. Controlled composition tasks require a high level of proficiency and control over language structures, which may not be suitable for lower-level ESL learners who are still developing their foundational skills 

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2. The answer remains the same: controlled composition should NOT be given to ESL students except in very advanced levels. This is because such tasks can be too challenging for those who are not yet proficient in the language 

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3. A(n) composition test reveals the students' phonological, grammatical, and lexical weaknesses. Composition tests assess writing skills and can highlight areas where students struggle with language use 

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4. Objective scoring measures in writing and composition tend to have greater objectivity/reliability because they are objectively quantifiable and global ratings tend toward higher reliability. Objective measures allow for consistent scoring across different raters, enhancing reliability 

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5. The most important shortcoming of integrative testing of the writing skill is lack of validity. Integrative tests often do not accurately measure a student's ability to write effectively in real-world contexts 

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6. In order to objectify the scoring of writing tests, we can use item analysis. This method helps assess how well each item on a test performs and can improve the reliability of scoring 

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7. In a composition test which is based on a picture, the three terms pictorial, written, production refer to the item, response, and psychological process, respectively. These terms describe the elements involved in responding to visual prompts in writing tasks 

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8. One of the shortcomings of the analytical way of grading pieces of writing is that one never knows how to weigh each area. This can lead to inconsistencies in grading as different aspects of writing may be valued differently by various evaluators 

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9. When you rate a composition on the basis of certain selected aspects such as organization, wording, or ideas, the rating approach is called analytical. Analytical scoring focuses on specific criteria rather than an overall impression 

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10. In the pre-writing stage, teachers take advantage of the following except clarification. While clarification is important during instruction, it is not a pre-writing strategy like brainstorming or free writing 

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11. The transformation type of item is extremely useful for testing the ability to recognize the structures expressing the same meaning. This type assesses understanding of language structures and their equivalents 

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12. The mechanics included in the testing of specialized skills in guided writing consist of punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. These elements are critical for effective writing and are often assessed in guided tasks 

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13. Composition writing is NOT among the techniques used to check students' ability to handle controlled and directed writing tasks. Other techniques like text manipulation or dictation are more focused on assessing controlled writing skills 

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14. One of the factors which is seriously harmful to students' performance on a test of writing is imposing strict time limits. Time constraints can increase anxiety and negatively impact performance on writing tasks 

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15. Time restrictions in tests of writing result in artificiality and unreality of writing. When students are rushed, their responses may not reflect their true abilities or creativity 

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16. Draft writing helps students present a genuine communicative activity in a test of writing. It allows them to organize their thoughts and express ideas more clearly before finalizing their work 

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17. The topic given to the students in a test of composition should be a clearly defined problem which motivates them to write. A well-defined topic encourages engagement and focused responses from students 

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18. Writing tasks which require the students to act the part of another person should be avoided as they may not accurately reflect individual student abilities or perspectives 

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19. Once the students are ready to write free compositions on realistic topics, a composition test can be a useful testing tool. This readiness indicates that they have developed sufficient language skills for effective expression 

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20. If the composition test is intended only for assessment purposes, it is advised not to allow the students a choice of composition items. This ensures consistency in what is being assessed across all students 

22. Correct Answer: d. reading comprehension test
    Explanation: A lengthy description may shift the focus from composition to understanding the text, making it resemble a reading comprehension task rather than an original writing exercise.

24. Correct Answer: b. help them display their writing abilities
    Explanation: Limiting information allows students to focus on demonstrating their writing skills without being overwhelmed by excessive details.

26. Correct Answer: c. summary
    Explanation: A summary involves condensing information rather than creating original content based on a situation, which is characteristic of situational compositions.

28. Correct Answer: d. intermediate
    Explanation: Intermediate students have typically developed enough skills to interpret and write about data presented visually, while elementary students may struggle with this task.

30. Correct Answer: b. interest and situation
    Explanation: Pictures engage students' interest and provide a context or situation that can inspire their writing.

32. Correct Answer: d. stimulates their imagination
    Explanation: Visual stimuli encourage creativity and imaginative thinking, helping students generate ideas for their compositions.

34. Correct Answer: c. imaginative
    Explanation: Shapes and forms can prompt creative thinking, allowing evaluators to gauge how imaginatively students can construct narratives or descriptions.

36. Correct Answer: b. unreliability
    Explanation: Composition assessments can be subjective and vary significantly between markers, leading to concerns about consistency and reliability in scoring.

38. Correct Answer: d. the previous knowledge of the student
    Explanation: Scoring should be based on the content and quality of the current work rather than what a student has learned previously.

40. Correct Answer: a. a more reliable means of scoring can be used
    Explanation: Reliable scoring methods enhance validity by ensuring that grades reflect true writing ability rather than inconsistencies in evaluation.

42. Correct Answer: d. analytic/impression
    Explanation: These are two common approaches; analytic scoring breaks down components, while impression scoring assesses overall quality.

44. Correct Answer: d. analytic
    Explanation: The analytic method uses specific criteria outlined in a marking scheme to evaluate various aspects of writing.

46. Correct Answer: b. intelligence
    Explanation: While fatigue, prejudice, and carelessness can influence scoring, intelligence does not directly impact how a marker assesses written work.

48. Correct Answer: c. reliable
    Explanation: Multiple judgments tend to balance out individual biases or errors, leading to more reliable overall scores.

50. Correct Answer: c. impression
    Explanation: The impression method allows for holistic evaluation when multiple scorers are unavailable, providing an overall assessment without detailed breakdowns.

52. Correct Answer: c. large-scale
    Explanation: Analytic scoring is beneficial in large-scale assessments because it provides clear criteria that can be uniformly applied across many submissions.

54. Correct Answer: a. impression
    Explanation: While impression scoring can capture overall quality, it lacks specificity and can be influenced by subjective biases, making it less valid compared to more structured methods.

56. Correct Answer: d. analytic
    Explanation: The analytic method employs specific criteria for evaluation, reducing subjectivity and enhancing objectivity in grading.

58. Correct Answer: a. error-count
    Explanation: Focusing solely on errors detracts from assessing how effectively ideas are communicated, which is central to writing tasks.

60. Correct Answer: c. objectives of the course
    Explanation: The objectives define whether a test focuses on writing skills or grammatical accuracy, guiding how assessments are constructed and evaluated.

Answer

41. By controlling students' freedom of expression in their written work, we can increase the validity of the test.

• Explanation: Controlling freedom of expression helps ensure that students are assessed on specific criteria relevant to the test's objectives, thereby enhancing the validity of what is being measured 

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42. The best way to measure the writing skills of the students is to use subjective tests.

• Explanation: Subjective tests allow for a more comprehensive evaluation of writing skills as they can capture nuances in style, creativity, and coherence that objective tests may overlook 

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43. Perkins suggests all the following types of subjective ratings for composition except for the T-unit procedure.

• Explanation: The T-unit is a specific measure related to sentence structure rather than a subjective rating system for overall composition quality 

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44. Short answer items require less writing proficiency than essay type items.

• Explanation: Essay-type items demand more extensive writing skills, including organization and argumentation, compared to short answer items which typically require concise responses 

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45. The objective in guided writing tests is to check the ability to handle controlled writing tasks.

• Explanation: Guided writing tests are designed to assess how well students can follow specific prompts and structures while writing 

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46. Items requiring the change of sentences in a writing test evaluate the students' ability to control the content and style of sentences.

• Explanation: This type of item assesses how well students can manipulate language and structure to convey meaning effectively 

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47. The term "mechanics" in writing tests refers to punctuation and spelling.

• Explanation: Mechanics encompass the conventions of writing, including punctuation and spelling, which are essential for clarity and correctness 

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48. In a test of dicto-comp, the materials are presented to the examinees auditorily at a normal rate of speech, and they are required to write down what they have heard.

• Explanation: Dicto-comp tests assess listening comprehension and writing ability simultaneously by having students transcribe spoken language 

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49. One of the characteristics of composition tests is that they measure low level skills.

• Explanation: Composition tests often focus on basic writing skills rather than higher-order thinking or complex analytical abilities 

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50. One of the shortcomings of composition tests is that they are scored inconsistently by different scorers.

• Explanation: Subjectivity in scoring can lead to variability in results, making it difficult to ensure fair and consistent evaluations across different assessors 

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51. In writing compositions, students have to cope with the scorers' preferences.

• Explanation: Writers must often adapt their work to meet various evaluative criteria that may vary among different scorers 

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52. The ability to think creatively and develop thoughts, excluding all irrelevant information, is referred to as treatment of content in writing good prose.

• Explanation: This skill involves focusing on relevant ideas while effectively organizing them within a written piece 

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53. The kind of pre-writing evaluation that involves simply adding words such as adjectives and adverbs is referred to as sentence expansion.

• Explanation: Sentence expansion allows writers to enhance their sentences by adding descriptive elements, thereby improving detail and clarity 

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54. The copying technique used for evaluating pre-writing tasks can make students more aware of the functions of connectives.

• Explanation: By copying text, students can better understand how connectives function within sentences and paragraphs, aiding their own writing skills 

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55. Which of the following is a limitation of guided-writing tests? They do not measure ingredients such as organization.

• Explanation: Guided-writing tests often focus on specific aspects of writing but may overlook broader organizational skills necessary for effective composition 

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56. At upper-intermediate to advanced levels, the main aim in a writing test is NOT to evaluate sentence-level accuracy.

• Explanation: At these levels, assessments tend to focus more on overall coherence and argumentation rather than just grammatical correctness 

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57. The alternate forms of guided-writing test include dictation and the standard cloze tests.

• Explanation: These formats allow for varied approaches in assessing students' writing abilities while still maintaining some level of guidance 

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58. Text manipulation is one of the techniques used for evaluating students' ability in guided writing.

• Explanation: This technique assesses how well students can adapt existing texts within structured frameworks 

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59. A typical request in guided composition testing is to have students make a specific grammatical change.

• Explanation: This focuses on assessing students' understanding and application of grammatical rules within their writing tasks 

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60. Probably, no kind of guided writing test is used more often than that of the standard cloze test.

• Explanation: Cloze tests are widely used due to their effectiveness in assessing comprehension and language use within a structured format

Answer

61. The use of banding systems in grading composition tests is advised to increase the reliability of the tests. Banding systems help in standardizing the scoring process, thereby reducing variability among raters and enhancing the consistency of scores across different compositions

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62. The impression method refers to a procedure used to score compositions. This method focuses on the overall impression of a piece of writing rather than specific elements, allowing for a more holistic evaluation

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63. The fundamental problem in using essay tasks is the difficulty of converting performances into scores. Essays often present subjective challenges in scoring due to varied interpretations of quality and content, making it hard to establish consistent scoring metrics

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64. Which one of the following is NOT a technique of testing controlled writing? The answer is recognizing errors. Techniques like completing a paragraph, building from notes, and organizing a paragraph are directly related to guided writing practices, while recognizing errors focuses on error identification rather than writing production

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65. Unlike impression marking of compositions, analytic marking is all of the following EXCEPT based on the raters' judgment. Analytic marking relies on specific criteria outlined in a marking scheme, making it more structured and less subjective compared to impression marking

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66. Which one of the following is NOT true regarding free writing tests? The answer is composition rating is always influenced by neatness. While neatness can play a role, it is not an absolute factor in evaluating the quality of free writing; content and coherence are typically prioritized

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67. Which one of the following statements is NOT true regarding compositions as compared with objective tests of writing? The answer is they are much easier and quicker to prepare than the objective tests. Compositions often require more time for preparation and evaluation due to their open-ended nature compared to structured objective tests

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68. In the context of grammatical problems tested in objective writing-ability tests, we are concerned with measuring control of basic grammar and style. This focus reflects foundational skills necessary for effective writing, differing from more advanced structure tests aimed at foreign students

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69. In preparation for composition tests, all points should be considered EXCEPT allowing alternatives. This approach can complicate scoring and consistency, as clarity and uniformity in test assignments are crucial for reliable assessment

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70. Which one of the following is NOT true in scoring composition tests? The answer is always have at least two independent raters. While multiple raters can enhance reliability, it is not an absolute requirement for all scoring situations; some contexts may allow single raters based on established criteria

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71. Compositions may be scored according to three methods. Which one of the following is NOT among those methods? The answer is mark-remark method. Common methods include impression, analytic, and error-count methods; "mark-remark" does not represent a recognized scoring strategy

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72. In standard dictation, materials are presented auditorily at a normal rate of speech, requiring examinees to write down what they have heard. This method assesses listening comprehension and transcription skills simultaneously

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73. In partial dictation, a passage with some deletions is given to testees but read in complete form. This technique evaluates both listening skills and understanding of context while requiring students to fill in missing information

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74. In scoring a dictation test, it is acceptable to ignore errors in punctuation or spelling for beginning to intermediate students if there is no need to check mastery of mechanics. This allows focus on broader language skills rather than minor details at early learning stages

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75. It is suggested that in an artificial paragraph technique used in guided writing tests, the focus is on unity and organization of the written text. This method emphasizes coherent structure within paragraphs as essential components of effective writing

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76. Grading of free writing tests tends to lack objectivity and consistency due to their subjective nature, where personal interpretations can significantly influence scoring outcomes

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77. Sentence combining is a technique used in guided writing, where students practice merging sentences to enhance their writing fluency and complexity while focusing on grammatical accuracy

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78. Which of the following is NOT related to testing rhetorical matters? The answer is mechanics; while organization, cohesion, and unity pertain directly to rhetorical effectiveness, mechanics focus more on surface-level correctness rather than rhetorical strategy

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79. According to Madsen, stages in teaching and testing writing skill are prewriting, guided writing, and free writing, respectively reflecting a progression from structured support to independent expression

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80. A subjective method of testing is more suitable for evaluating the testee's writing and speaking, as these areas often require nuanced judgment that standardized methods may not effectively capture

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81. Error-recognition items in writing tests provide information on examinees' editing ability, as they require students to identify mistakes within given texts rather than producing original content

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82. In dicto-comp, materials are presented auditorily, where testees write down what they hear chunk by chunk after listening to segments of text being read aloud