Test-taking Techniques (????)

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Test-taking Techniques(????)
Interactive English (1)

• Presented by Prof. IE1

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Outline
Exam Focus
Exam Structure
Guide to answer exam questions
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Exam Focus
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About Final Exam

• Final Exam (80 of the final score)
• Frequency twice a year
• Form Listening exam Oral exam
• Duration 30 minutes (listening exam)
• 10 minutes (oral exam)
• Nature achievement test (based on the textbook).
  50 from the textbook 50 outside the textbook

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Exam Focus

• Focus
• Listening Exam
• Dictation
• Listening comprehension
• Oral Exam
• - Conversational skills
• (originality of ideas, accuracy, fluency,
  appropriateness)
• - Familiarity with the unit topics
• - Listening skills

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2. Exam Structure
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Final Exam Structure --- Listening exam

• Listening exam the structure

Sections No. of Items Source Objectives Score
1 Dictation 10(Blank-filling) 2 short passages one from the textbook, the other from outside the textbook one paragraph for each passage Listening comprehension, spelling 25
2 Listen to a Short Conversation 5(Multiple choice) 5 short conversations (outside the textbook, theme-related, similar difficulty level) Listening comprehension main ideas, details, making judgment (where, when, what, why, how, situation, relationship, etc.) 20
3 Listen to a Long Conversation 5(Multiple choice or True/False) textbook/Learners' Workbook Listening for main ideas and details, making inferences, summarizing 25
4 Listen to a Short Article or Monologue 5(5 Q/A) outside the textbook, theme-related, similar difficulty level Listening for main ideas and details, making inferences 30
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Final Exam Structure Oral Exam
Oral Exam The structure
Students take the oral exam in pairs. They will
be asked to give and share their views on two
assigned topics. The oral exam is divided into
two parts.
Part 1 Part 2
Time 5 minutes 5 minutes
Topic Topics are selected from 1-8 units of the Textbook Topics are selected from 1-8 units of the Textbook
Roles A asks questions, B answers B asks questions, A answers
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3. Guide to answer exam questions
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Spot dictation ---examples
Source IE1 sample test paper

• Questions 1-10 Listen to Passage 1 and Passage
  2. As you listen, fill in each blank with the
  word you hear. Write your answers on the Answer
  Sheet. NOTE Each blank consists of only one
  word. Passage 1
• Chicago is the third ____________(1) city
  in the US, after New York and Los Angeles.
  Chicago is ____________(2) in the state of
  Illinois. It is ____________(3) as the "Windy
  City", because of the high winds in the area. It
  is also a very ____________(4) place for
  conferences and international trade fairs. It has
  conference ____________(5) for thousands of
  people.
• Script
• Chicago is the third largest city in the US,
  after New York and Los Angeles. Chicago is
  situated in the state of Illinois. It is known as
  the "Windy City", because of the high winds in
  the area. It is also a very popular place for
  conferences and international trade fairs. It has
  conference facilities for thousands of people.

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Spot dictation---Guides

• Guides
• Understand the instructions fully(e.g. Listen to
  passage 1 and 2 and complete each blank with the
  word you hear. Note each blank consists of only
  one word)
• Try to catch the right word
• Make sure that the word is spelt correctly.
• Usually content words are needed???????????????
• Marking criteria
• 1.5 points for each blank(word), 0.5 off for a
  misspelling.

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Multiple-choice questions---examples
Source IE1 sample test paper

• Questions 11-15 In this section, you will hear 5
  short conversations. At the end of each
  conversation, a question will be asked about what
  was said. Both the conversation and the question
  will be spoken TWICE. After each question there
  will be a pause of 30 seconds. During the pause,
  decide which is the best answer. Write your
  answers on the Answer Sheet.
• 11. A. By taxi.B. By bus.C. By train.D. By
  subway.
• 12. A. She's playing volleyball.B. She's
  watching a game.C. She's enjoying music.D.
  She's reading a book.

??? Means of transport?
???Whats she doing?
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Multiple-choice questions---guides

• Guides
• !!! Try to catch the question asked is the key.
• Before listening, skim through the questions to
  predict what will be asked, e.g . from the four
  choices provided, we know Question 11 might be
  asking the means of transport, therefore you will
  pay much attention to this information in actual
  listening. Use the same method, we know that
  Question 12 might be asking what she is doing.
• During the first listening, try to concentrate on
  the main idea of the dialogue and to catch and
  answer the questions if you can
• During the second listening , answer the
  questions or check your answers if the questions
  have been answered during the first listening

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Multiple-choice questions---listening scripts
Source IE1 sample test paper

• Conversation 1.Man Excuse me, what is the
  easiest way to reach Grand Hotel from
  here?Woman A taxi might be the most
  convenient.Man Is it very far from here?Woman
  Oh, it's about two miles, I think.Man Well,
  it's not very far.Woman And you can also take
  bus or subway.Question 11 What is the most
  convenient way to the hotel?
• Conversation 2.Man            Hey, Lisa, are
  you sure you dont want to play volleyball with
  us?Woman       Yes, Im pretty sure. Dont ask
  me again.Man            OK. I think itd be
  great to have you play, too.Woman       Well,
  thanks, Adam. But Im happy here, enjoying my new
  book.Man            We need another
  player!Woman       Find someone else!
• Question 12 What is the woman doing?

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Short answer questions---examples
Source IE1 sample test paper

• Questions 21-25 Listen to a passage about
  newspaper reading and then answer the questions
  below. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet.
  (These words might be new to you jargon ??
  quotation ??)
• 21. What information does the first paragraph of
  a news story include?
• 22. Where can you find information about the Five
  "W"s (what happened, who is involved, when,
  where, why) in a news story?

Usually, the lead or first paragraph contains the
story's main point and most critical factors.
Therefore, it is important to read it carefully
to get a basic idea of what the story is about.
The next three or four paragraphs of a news story
usually give essential details of what happened,
who is involved, when, where, why and how it
happened. They also provide much background
information to help you better understand it. A
person does not have to finish the article to
understand it. Just the first four or five
paragraphs will be enough. Sometimes it is not
necessary to pay great attention to direct
quotations because direct quotations do not
include new information. They either support a
statement or simply add color.
21. The story's main point and most critical
factors.22. Paragraphs 2 to 5 (or 6). OR The
four or five paragraphs following the leading
(introductory/first) paragraph
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Short answer questions --- Guides

• Guides
• Read instructions carefully to know what is
  about,e.g Listen to a passage about newspaper
  reading
• Skim through the questions
• Listen for the first time, try to answer as many
  questions as you can.
• Listen for the second time, try to answer the
  rest questions and check your answers
• The exact wording for the answers is not
  required, but the meaning must be the same.
  Complete sentence is Not required. Sometimes
  words or phrases can also help.

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Oral Exam--- Process
Oral Exam The process
Exam room
Waiting room
Preparation room

• Student ID to be checked.
• Exam papers (A and B) to be distributed.
• Process to be recorded.
• Start, role change, stop signals to be given

• Student ID to be checked
• Wait to be called into the preparation room

• Students to be paired
• Exam papers (A and B) to be distributed
• Read the papers for 10 minutes.

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Oral Exam--- Dos and donts in the preparation
room

• Oral Exam Dos and donts in the preparation
  room
• Do focus your preparation on the two topics the
  information to include and the key sentence
  structure and vocabulary to present (or ask
  about) the information.
• Dont talk to your partners.
• Dont make notes on the exam paper.
• Dont use dictionaries.

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Oral Exam--- Dos and donts in the exam room

• Oral Exam Dos and donts in the exam room
• Be careful with your body language (gesture, eye
  contact, facial expressions).
• Dont be silent. If your partner gets stuck, say
  something to keep the conversation going or to
  invite your partners responses. If you cant
  quite understand your partner, ask your partner
  to repeat or rephrase.
• Dont overdo your role, giving no chance to your
  partner.
• Dont ask the examiner(s) about your performance.
• Dont read from the exam paper.

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Oral Exam---Introducing the marking criteria (1)
Oral Exam The Marking Criteria

• They consist of 10 bands 8 Pass bands and 2 Fail
  bands.
• 1 band for Excellent (95)
• 1 band for Very Good (90)
• 2 bands for Good (85, 80)
• 2 bands for Average (75, 70)
• 2 bands for Pass (65, 60)
• 4 bands for Fail (50, 40, 30, 20)
• Examiners should mark students with the single
  score provided for each band. (e.g. Examiners can
  only give students scores of 95, 90, 85, 80, 75,
  70, 65, 60, 50, 40,30,20. They are not supposed
  to give scores of 81, 53 etc.)

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Oral Exam---Introducing the marking criteria (2)
Oral Exam The Marking Criteria

• Your performance is evaluated in accordance with
  the following aspects
• The originality of your views and ideas
• Accuracy (sentence structure, vocabulary and
  grammar, pronunciation)
• Fluency (interactive communication skills,
  whether errors obstacle comprehension and
  communication)
• Appropriateness (language formality,etc)

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Oral Exam---Marking Criteria (1)

• 95 Demonstrates an extremely high level of Oral
  English fluency rarely achieved by others.
  Excellent conversational skills, sentence
  structure, grammar and vocabulary. Able to argue
  and make points very clearly with only rare
  errors. Excellent pronunciation. (Excellent
  Band)
• 90 Demonstrates a very high level of Oral
  English skills. Very good sentence structure,
  grammar and vocabulary usage. No requirement for
  partner to repeat questions or ask student for
  explanation. Occasional small pronunciation
  errors, but no obstacle to comprehension.(Very
  Good Band)
• 85Demonstrates a quite high level of Oral
  English skills. Fairly good sentence structure,
  very small grammar and vocabulary problems.
  Conversation flows, no requirement for partner to
  repeat questions or ask student for explanation,
  but a few pronunciation errors cause the listener
  to concentrate. (Good Band)

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Oral Exam---Marking Criteria (2)

• 80 Occasionally demonstrates a high level of
  Oral English skills. Sentence structure fairly
  good but occasional grammar and vocabulary
  problems. Conversation flows fairly well but need
  for partner to repeat one or two questions.
  Pronunciation errors occasionally cause a minor
  comprehension problem. (Good Band)
• 75 Demonstrates an average level of Oral English
  skills consistent with many others at this level.
  Sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary have
  obvious errors. Able to hold a conversation but
  needs prompting from the partner. Pronunciation
  errors obvious and hinder some parts of the
  communication. (Average Band)
• 70 Demonstrates a satisfactory level of Oral
  English skills. However sentence structure,
  grammar and vocabulary need obvious improvement.
  Conversational skills are slightly hindered by
  the partner having to repeat questions.
  Pronunciation errors an obvious hindrance at
  several points in the conversation. (Average
  Band)

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Oral Exam---Marking Criteria (3)

• 65 Demonstrates a satisfactory level of Oral
  English, although need to improve is obvious.
  Sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary very
  obviously need improvement. Conversational skills
  are hindered by the partner constantly having to
  repeat, or re-phrase, questions. Pronunciation
  skills are poor and frequently hinder
  communication, though conversation never breaks
  down entirely. (Pass Band)
• 60 Occasionally demonstrates a satisfactory
  level of Oral English, although this is
  inconsistent. Needs questions to be repeated and
  /or meanings made clear by the partner.
  Pronunciation errors and grammar structure hinder
  communication at many points, and conversation
  may occasionally break down.  (Pass Band)

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Oral Exam---Marking Criteria (4)

• 50 Demonstrates a low level of oral English.
  Minimal use of sentences (yes/no answers). Poor
  vocabulary. Low level of conversation skills.
  Many pronunciation errors. Constant need to ask
  for language meaning. Frequent breakdown of
  communication. Occasional use of Chinese. (Fail
  Band)
• 40 Demonstrates a very low level of oral
  English proficiency. Very poor vocabulary and few
  complete sentences. Frequent unrecognizable
  pronunciation of words. Poor listening
  comprehension. Use of Chinese much of the time.
  (Fail Band)
• 30 Only be able to say single words/phrases.
  Poor pronunciation. Very poor listening
  comprehension. Almost constant use of Chinese.
  (Fail Band)
• 20 Has almost no oral English skills at all
  and uses Chinese constantly. Little vocabulary.
  Very poor pronunciation. (Fail Band)