BY

SITI NAWANGSIH ROHANA BARIT

 What is the purpose of the test?
 What are the objectives of the test?
 How will the test specification reflect both

the purpose and the objectives?

 How will the test tasks be selected and the

separate items arranged?

 What kind of scoring, grading, and/or

feedback is expected?

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1. Assessing Clear and unambiguous Objectives
In addition to knowing the purpose of the test you’re
creating, you need to know as specifically as possible
what it is you want to test.

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2. Drawing Up Test Specification
a. Outline of the test Based on the
curriculum
b. Skills to be included
c. Item types and tasks

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3. Devising Test Tasks
In revising the draft consider the following important
questions:
a. Are the direction to each section absolutely clear?
b. Is there an example item for each section?
c. Does each item measure a special objective?
d. Is each item stated clear, simple language?
e. Does each multiple choice item have appropriate distractors;
that is, are the wrong items clearly wrong?
f. Is the difficulty of each item appropriate for your students?
g. Is the language of each item sufficiently authentic?
h. Do the sum of the items and the test as a whole adequately
reflect the learning objectives?

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 Multiple-Choice items, which may appear to be the
simplest kind of item to construct, are extremely
difficult to design correctly.
Hughes (2003, pp 76-78) stated a number of
weaknesses of MC items.
1. The technique tests only recognition knowledge.
2. Guessing may have a considerable effect on the test
scores.
3. The technique severely restrict what can be tested.
4. It is very difficult to write successful item.
5. Washback may be harmful
6. Cheating may be facilitated

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Consider the following guideline for designing
MC items:
1. Design each item to measure a specific
objective.
2. State both stem and options are simply and
directly as possible
3. Make certain that the intended answer is
clearly the only correct one.
4. Use items indices to accept, discard or
revise items.

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Here are the decisions about scoring the test:
Percent of Possible Total
Total Grade Correct

Oral 40% 4 scores, 5 to 1 range x 40

interview 2
Listening 20% 10 items @ 2 points 20
each
Reading 20% 10 items @ 2 points 20
each
Writing 20% 2 scores, 5 to 1 range x 20
2
Total 100% 100

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 Your first thought might be that assigning
grades to students performance on this test
would be easy: just give ”A” for 90-100
percent, and a “B” for 80-89 percent and so
on. NOT SO FAST!

Grading is a thorny issue ------ CHAPTER 11

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 Scoring and grading would not be complete without
some consideration of the form in which you will
offer feedback to your students, the feedback that
you want to become a beneficial washback.
 Washback is achieved when students can through
the testing experience, identify their areas of
success and challenge.
 When a test become a learning experience, it
achieves washback.

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 Brown, H. Douglas. (2004). Language
Assessment: Principle and Classroom
Practices. New York: Pearson Education.
 Wegener, Delano P. Test Construction

.http://www.delweg.com/dpwessay/tests.ht
m. Accessed on October 10th, 2009.

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