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• College of Social Sciences and International Studies

Postgraduate Module Descriptor

EFPM835: Foreign Language Testing and Assessment

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Week 1: An introduction to basic principles in language test construction and presentation through discussion of terminology and criteria used in the design of test specification checklists; the different purposes of tests and the distinction between norm-and criteria referenced tests; testing and assessment distinction.

Week 2: A critical review of objective testing techniques in language testing; examination and critique of item types; skill focus: grammar, vocabulary.

Week 3: Types of validity and reliability and a description of several basic statistics used to describe tests (mean, median, SD, SEM, reliability coefficient).

Week 4: An examination of classroom assessment issues, including those relevant to younger learners; an overview of alternative assessment methods.

Week 5: A an examination of the current issues of Dynamic assessment and teacher-based assessment and discussion of their applicability in students’ contexts.

Week 6: Meaning and use of Construct in language tests. Skills focus: listening, reading.

Week 7: A critical examination of subjective testing methods; the use of band descriptors in assessment and as feedback mechanisms; and interrater reliability issues. Skills focus: writing, speaking.

Week 8: Critical issues in testing: a discussion of the varieties of purpose that tests are used for and the potential for powerful uses.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Other Learning Resources

Students’ own test samples; sample tests from web resources.

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

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