Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Didactics - English - Pedagogy Literature
Studies grade: 2 (B) Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg language: English abstract:
Writing English language tests is a topic very many students and of course also their teachers
have to deal with. Often testing does not have a very good reputation especially when
regarding the students. Most of them are probably happy when a test is over and enjoy the time
without them. But testing has much more functions than a superficial look at it will provide.
Chapter 3.1 of this paper deals with the numerous purposes and is also supposed to show the
important role that testing plays in the teaching process. This paper will concentrate on the
writing skill and the evaluation of it. The other three skills reading listening and speaking
are not the centre of research. But it is not possible to exclude them because they are all
interrelated to the writing skill as this paper wants to show. What is it that makes especially
the writing skill and also the testing of it so sophisticating and complex? Writing at an
advanced level is usually compositional writing or essay writing. Chapter 2.3 concentrates on
that kind of writing and points out its often difficult prerequisites even for writers in the
native language. What are the necessary features of tests in general? It is supposed to become
clear that certain conditions such as validity reliability and practicality are extremely
important for written assessment and for every other assessment too. Many people even if they
never actively scored a test are able to imagine the difficulties of a fair and objective
judgement. Especially when dealing with compositional writing that assumption is true. But
nevertheless there are ways to improve the objectivity of evaluation even if a rest of
subjectivity can not be avoided. Chapter 3.5 focuses on ways to judge tests adequately. Writing
English language tests is a wide topic. It is not possible to cover all the separate areas that
exist. Especially the description of compositional writing could have gone more into detail.
But at some points a concentration on main areas was necessary in order not to exceed the frame
of the paper.
