Introduction to Oxford Discover Futures
Assessment of Learning
The Oxford Discover Futures approach to assessment offers
teachers and students the tools needed to help shape and
improve the students’ learning, as well as a means to monitor
learning goals. The Oxford Discover Futures assessment
program includes five categories of tests for each level: Entry
checker test, Unit tests, Cumulative tests, 21st Century Skills
assessments, and Exam practice tests.
Entry checker test
For each level of Oxford Discover Futures, there is one
grammar-focused Entry checker test designed to help you
[the teacher] measure the levels of students as they begin
each new academic year. The grammar points tested have
been benchmarked against the CEFR entry level of the
respective Student Book. Testing these points on entry can
help identify each student’s readiness for the new level,
highlighting their strengths or indicating where further
support is required. In this way, the Entry checker test serves
as a baseline for individual student performance as well as
class performance.
Before the Entry checker test begins:
• Hand out the test papers face down.
• Set a time limit for the test (e.g., 20 minutes).
• Explain that students must choose one answer for each
test item.
• Instruct students to write their name at the top of the
test paper as soon as the test has begun.
Unit tests
Concluding each of the 10 units in Oxford Discover Futures,
there is a progress test to allow students to measure their
understanding and use of the unit content across five
sections of language and skills: Vocabulary, Grammar,
Listening, Reading, and Writing. These Unit tests serve to
demonstrate what has been acquired from the unit and
what still needs attention.
Each Unit test covers a range of task types, in large part
Selected Response or Limited Production. Selected
Response tasks aim to measure students’ receptive
knowledge. This type of task may include circling the correct
answer, matching, true/false, or other forms of multiple
choice activity. The main purpose of this type of task is
to check students’ understanding without asking them
to produce language. Limited Production tasks require
students to produce a limited amount of language. This
type of task may include gap-fill, sentence completion,
short answer, or sentence reformulation. The main purpose
is to assess students’ language knowledge by measuring
their ability to not only recognize but also produce and
understand the target language. The Writing section
provides an Extended Production task. Students are
required to write in response to a prompt, in the form of an
imagined scenario. The main purpose is to evaluate students’
ability to both produce language and to form it into a short,
coherent, and organized text that fulfils the task. It can also
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be used to check each student’s understanding of the target
language and the language point.
The Listening section of the Unit test can be administered
separately, since students are required to listen to an audio
file, which is managed best as a whole class. You should play
the audio twice. The audio files are available on the Class
Audio CD and the Teacher’s Resource Center.
Before the Unit test begins:
• Hand out the test papers face down.
• Set a time limit for the test (e.g., 60 minutes).
• Explain that students will encounter a range of task
types. Instruct them to read the rubrics carefully before
answering.
• Where required to write answers, students should use
clear handwriting.
• Students should leave themselves enough time to
complete all sections of the test.
• Instruct students to write their name at the top of the
test paper as soon as the test has begun.
Cumulative tests
In each level, there are two review tests to be administered
at the end of Units 5 and 10. Each Cumulative test assesses
the skills of listening, reading, and writing. The purpose of
the Cumulative test is to evaluate how much language
students have acquired from the previous five units. As in
the Unit tests, each Cumulative test covers a range of task
types from Selected Response, Limited Production, and
Extended Production. You are encouraged to use the results
of these tests as a guide to correcting misunderstandings or
inaccuracies.
The Listening section of the Cumulative test can be
administered separately. You should play the audio twice.
The audio files are available on the Class Audio CD and the
Teacher’s Resource Center.
Before the Cumulative test begins:
• Hand out the test papers face down.
• Set a time limit for the test (e.g., 30 minutes).
• Explain that students will encounter a range of task
types. Instruct them to read the rubrics carefully before
answering.
• Where required to write answers, students should use
clear handwriting.
• Students should leave themselves enough time to
complete all sections of the test.
• Instruct students to write their name at the top of the
test paper as soon as the test has begun.
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21st Century Skills assessments
Oxford Discover Futures recognizes that we live in an age of
rapid change. Advances in communication and information
technology continue to create new opportunities and
challenges for the future. As our world becomes increasingly
interconnected, today’s students must develop strong
skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and
creativity. This course is designed to help students build
these skills, recognizing the need to develop meaningful
assessment of 21st Century Skills to support these vital tools
for success.
Four 21st Century Skills Assessment grids are available on
the Teacher’s Resource Center to provide you with criteria
for assessing the Project lessons in the Student Book. These
assessment grids should be completed while students are
working on the Project lessons. They can be used to indicate
students’ performance and progress.
The 21st Century Skills Assessment grids guide you to assess
each student’s performance in the four 21st Century Skills on
a scale of 1 to 10, ranging from “Excellent” to “Poor.” The 21st
Century Skills Assessment Chart included with the grids give
the opportunity to record scores for the whole class as each
Project is in progress, awarding a score for each of the four
skills and a total mark for the Project up to a maximum of 40.
The calculation for an average score for the Project can then
be calculated (total score divided by four).
The Project lessons have been explicitly designed to
cover each of the 21st Century Skills. You can use these
notes alongside the rubrics for structured assessment. The
lessons encourage students to effectively engage, both
collaboratively and creatively. There is a communication
element, as students negotiate meaning and make decisions
together, while research and presentations engage students
in critical thinking techniques.
Before the Project begins:
• Ensure students are aware that their performance
during the Project will be assessed. Explain the criteria
that you will be using for the assessment, i.e. the
categories and grading scales of the 21st Century Skills
Assessment grid.
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Exam practice tests
Oxford Discover Futures includes five Exam practice tests per
level. A test is administered after every two units. The tests
focus on listening, reading, and writing, with Exam practice
speaking tests provided separately. The purpose of these
tests is two-fold: first, they evaluate how much of the target
language students have acquired; second, they are designed
to help students prepare for their exams by exposing them
to exam-type tasks. The task types have been modelled on
those of the Cambridge English Qualifications. Oxford Discover
Futures has been correlated to the Cambridge English
Qualifications in the following way:
CEFR
Level Cambridge English Qualification
level
1 A2 A2 Key for Schools (KET)
2 B1 B1 Preliminary for School (PET)
B1 Preliminary for School (PET) and
3 B1+
preparation for B2 First (FCE)
4 B2 B2 First (FCE)
B2 First (FCE) and preparation for C1
5 B2+
Advanced (CAE)
6 C1 C1 Advanced (CAE)
The Listening section of the Exam practice test can be
administered separately. You should play the audio twice.
The audio files are available on the Class Audio CD and the
Teacher’s Resource Center.
Before the Exam practice test begins:
• Hand out the test papers face down.
• Set a time limit for the test (e.g., 30 minutes for
Listening, Reading, and Writing, and 10 minutes for the
Exam practice speaking test).
• Explain to students that they will encounter a range
of exam-type tasks. Instruct them to read the rubrics
carefully before answering.
• Where required to write answers, students should use
clear handwriting.
• Students should leave themselves enough time to
complete all sections of the test.
• Instruct students to write their name at the top of the
test paper as soon as the test has begun.
• Notify students that they will be penalized in the
Writing section for writing less than the minimum
number of words. This is to simulate formal test
conditions.
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Administering and Scoring the Tests
Preparing students for tests
Teachers should guide students so as to minimize test
anxiety. Always notify students of the dates of the tests,
so that they are well-prepared. Being well-prepared may
include having sufficient time to review the classroom
materials, study with a group of classmates or friends, and
review homework and previous assessment materials. Lastly,
keep in mind that assessment is not only used to evaluate
learning outcomes, but also to facilitate the learning process.
Scoring
Scoring means assigning points to successfully completed
answers. A specific number of points are awarded for each
task. It is important for teachers to know how many points
are assigned to each task and what constitutes correct
answers before assigning scores.
For Selected Response tasks, the answers are either right
or wrong. Therefore, students will be given either the
maximum number of points (usually 1) for a right answer or
0 points for an incorrect answer. Limited Production tasks,
on the other hand, which require a sentence-level answer,
may measure multiple areas of language knowledge (e.g.,
grammatical form plus grammatical meaning, or grammar
plus vocabulary). Therefore, there may be 1 point, 1/2 point,
or 0 points for these tasks. For Limited Production tasks, a
half mark may be deducted if the student shows inaccuracy
when using the target unit grammar, or spelling of target
unit vocabulary. If students use non-target vocabulary and
incorrect spelling, you may feel it appropriate not to penalize
if the meaning can still be understood – the student may be
trying to make “linguistic jumps” in order to communicate,
using words in an experimental way.
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Scoring the Exam practice writing task
For the Extended Production task in the Writing section of
the Exam practice tests, scoring is based on whether and
how well the student has responded to the instructions
contained in the task description and the rubrics that
follow. For example, if the task description stipulates that
the student include four pieces of information in their
answer, they must include all four to get the top mark. The
descriptors below can be used for guidance.
5 marks
The student has responded appropriately to all
instructions in the writing task. There may be
minimal punctuation and spelling errors, but the
text is clear and comprehensible.
4 marks
The student has responded appropriately to all
instructions in the writing task, but their writing
contains some grammatical errors, compromising its
readability.
3 marks
The student has tried to respond to all of the
instructions in the writing task, but not all of their
points have been expressed clearly and require
interpretation. Their writing contains some
grammatical errors.
2 marks
The student has not responded to all instructions in
the writing task, or one or more of their responses
does not constitute a satisfactory response. Their
writing also contains serious grammatical errors.
Note that word counts are given for every writing task,
expressed as a minimum and maximum number of words,
e.g., 50–80. To simulate formal exam conditions, students
should not be penalized if they write over the maximum
number of words, but should lose a mark if they write under
the minimum.
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Administering the Exam practice
speaking test
It is easy for students to be nervous before taking a test,
especially a speaking test; therefore it is crucial to ensure
that students feel that their classroom is a supportive
environment. Before conducting an Exam practice speaking
test, ensure that you allow students time to warm up
beforehand. For example, ask students general questions
about their past weekend, their likes and dislikes, or their
plans for next weekend, prompting a range of tenses. Have
students answer freely in order to build their confidence.
Put them into pairs to ask and answer questions, so that
everyone gets an opportunity to speak. Mix up the pairs to
give students practice with a range of students.
For the Exam practice speaking test, you will need pairs of
students (Candidate A and Candidate B), who will speak
with each other in front of you as you moderate and assess
their individual performances. Invite the students to join you
in a corner of the classroom or separate room. Before you
administer the Speaking section, ask each student in the pair
a simple, unassessed question, such as How are you today?
or Did you have a nice weekend? to warm them up and help
them relax.
Present each student with the respective page of the Exam
speaking test paper (Candidate A or Candidate B). Guide
students through the directions on both pages, ensuring
they each understand their role in the conversation,
including who is asking for information and who is
answering. Note that in scenario 2, their roles are reversed.
Once both students are clear, begin the test.
Allow students the space to speak with each other while
you listen and assess their performance. If either candidate is
struggling, you may find it necessary to assist, or manage the
interaction if either student is dominating too heavily.
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Scoring the Exam practice speaking test
The Exam practice speaking test is worth 10 points in total.
These points are awarded based on the student’s fluency
level. This can be assessed using the following guide.
1 mark Needs further review
The student speaks but does not convey meaning.
Gives non-verbal responses such as nodding or
pointing.
2–4 marks Satisfactory
The student mostly conveys meaning, but with
many mistakes. Answers the questions incompletely.
5–7 marks Good
The student conveys meaning well. Answers
questions completely, but requires a word or phrase
as a prompt.
8–10 marks Excellent
The student conveys meaning well. Answers
questions completely and correctly.
Because of this award structure, all students should receive
above-zero scores, provided that they make some attempt
to speak or respond, even non-verbally. If a student struggles
to convey meaning, reassure them that they have still
received points. Praise the student for his or her effort, and
encourage the student to keep trying.
Recording scores
Below each task, the total number of points is included
in a score box. When marking each test paper, add these
together and write the total at the top of the first page,
below the student’s name.
To follow the class’s progress, make one copy of the Student
Assessment Chart (see page 5) for each student and
complete it with their scores from across the academic year.
The Student Assessment Chart can also be used to record
each student’s results from their Project work. Once all four
Projects have been completed, a total score and average
(total score divided by four) can be calculated for each
Project and each 21st Century Skill across the level, allowing
a clear picture to emerge of where the student’s strengths
lie. Add comments about the student’s progress if helpful.
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Student Assessment Chart
Student’s name

Unit test 6  / 70

Entry checker test  / 20 Exam practice test 3  / 20

Unit test 1  / 70 Exam practice speaking test 3  / 10

Unit test 2  / 70 Unit test 7  / 70

Exam practice test 1  / 20 Unit test 8  / 70

Exam practice speaking test 1  / 10 Exam practice test 4  / 20

Unit test 3  / 70 Exam practice speaking test 4  / 10

Unit test 4  / 70 Unit test 9  / 70

Exam practice test 2  / 20 Unit test 10  / 70

Exam practice speaking test 2  / 10 Exam practice test 5  / 20

Unit test 5  / 70 Exam practice speaking test 5  / 10

Cumulative test 1  / 30 Cumulative test 2  / 30

21st Century Skills Assessment

Project Collaboration Communication Creativity Critical thinking Total Average

1  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 40  / 10

2  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 40  / 10

3  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 40  / 10

4  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 40  / 10

Total  / 40  / 40  / 40  / 40  / 160

Average  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 10  / 40

Notes

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