DESIGNING

ASSESSMENT
TASKS:
RESPONSIVE
SPEAKING
 Question and Answer
Being able to ask and answer students’
questions is an important part of teaching
and learning. Asking a questions helps you
to motivate students’ curiosity about the
topic and at the same time helps you assess
their understanding of the material.
 Types of Questions
Display questions intended to elicit a predetermined
correct response.
Example:
What is this called in English?
What are the steps government should take, if
any, to stem the rate of deforestation in tropical
country?
Referential questions in which the test-
takers is given more opportunity to produce
meaningful language response.
Responsive questions take the
following forms:
Questions eliciting open-ended responses
Test takers hear:
◦1. What do you think about the weather today?
◦2. What do you like about the English
language?
◦3. Why did you choose your academic major?
Test takers response with a few sentences at most.
Elicitation of questions from the test-
taker
Test-takers hear:

◦Do you have any questions for me?

◦Ask me about my family or job or interest?
◦If you could interview the president or prime
minister of you country, what would you ask the
person?
Test-takers respond with a questions.
Giving Instructions and
Directions
 Giving instructions is an integral part of
being a teacher. You are going to be
spending a lot of time telling the students
what to do and when to do it. However , if
the students do not understand what you
are saying , all your instructions are going to
be meaningless. so, how do we make sure
that we give instructions to our students
that they will actually understand?
 How to give directions
You know how to Ask for directions, but what happens when an English speaker ask YOU for directions. This is
not a time for small talk. Give only a basic directions with sort phrases. Do the best you can.
Questions you may hear
◦ How do I get to Main Street?
◦ Where is the closest gas station?
If you know the way…
Use basic English to offer directions. Short phrases are best. Speak slowly and use very careful pronunciation. Spell out a
word if necessary.
The easiest way is to…
The quickest way is to …
The best way is to …
Examples:
Go + direction (right, left, down, up, through) The easiest way is to go right on Commercial Avenue.
Take + road name The quickest way is to take Road Number 1.
Turn on + road name + distance or time The best way is to take right on the Main Street stay on Route 1
for about ten minutes.
There are two simple rules to keep in mind
when you are giving instructions, are they are:
◦ 1. Instructions must be comprehensible to the students.
◦ 2. Instructions must be logical.

Before you start giving out your instructions, try and ask
yourself theses question:

◦ 1. What should the students do in order to successfully complete this activity?

◦ 2. What is the most important information that I am trying to convey?
◦ 3. Which information should come first, which information should come last?
 Eliciting instructions or directions
Test takers hear:
◦ Describe how to make a typical dish from your country?
◦ What’s a good recipe for making ________?
◦ How do you access email on a PC computer?
◦ How would I make a typical costume for a ___ celebration in your
country?
◦ How do you program telephone numbers in a cell (mobile) phone?
◦ How do I get from _______ to ________ in your city?
Test-takers respond with appropriate instructions/directions.
 Paraphrasing
Involves taking a passage – either spoken or
written – and rewording it. Writer often
paraphrase to deliver information in a more
concise way. When paraphrasing, it is important
to keep the original meaning so that the facts
remain intact. Basically, you are writing
something in your own words that still expresses
the original idea.
Paraphrasing Sentences sometimes you only need to paraphrase the
information from more sentence. Here are some examples of paraphrasing
individual sentences.
Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change for women as they gained more rights
than ever before.
Paraphrase: She lived through the exciting era of women’s liberation.

Original: Giraffes like Acacia leaves and hay, and they can consume 75 pounds of food a day.
Paraphrase: A giraffe can eat up to 75 pounds of Acacia leaves and hay daily.

Original: Any trip to Italy should include a visit to Tuscany to sample the region’s exquisite
wines.
Paraphrase: Be sure to make time for a Tuscan wine-tasting experience when visiting Italy.
 Paraphrasing a story
Test-takers hear: Paraphrase the following little story in you own words.
My weekend in the morning was fabulous. The first day we backpacked into the
mountains and climbed about 2,000 feet. The hike was strenuous but
exhilarating. By sunset we found these beautiful alpine lakes and made camp
there. The sunset was amazingly beautiful. The next two days we just kicked
back and did little day hikes, some rock climbing, bird watching, swimming, and
fishing. The hike out on the next day was really easy—all downhill—and the
scenery was incredible.

Test-takers respond with two or three sentences.

Paraphrasing a phone message
Test-takers hear:

Please tell Jeff that I’m tied up in traffic so I’m going to be about a
half hour late for the nine o’clock meeting. And ask him to bring up
our question about the employee benefits plan. If he wants to
check in with me on my cell phone, have him call 415-338-3095.
Thanks

Test-takers respond with two or three sentences.

Test of Spoken English (TSE*)
The TSE (Test Spoken English) is an internationally administered
instrument for assessing nonnative speakers’ proficiency in speaking
English. The research foundation of TSE examination is currently
described in the Manual Score Users. This publication describes
technical characteristics of the test, including such psychometric
characteristics as level of difficulty, reliability and validity.
The tasks on the TSE are designed to elicit oral production in various discourse categories
rather than in selected phonological, grammatical, or lexical targets. The following
content specifications for TSE represent the discourse and pragmatic contexts assessed in
each administration:
1. Describe something physical.
2. Narrate from present material.
3. Summarize information of the speaker’s own choice.
4. Give directions based on visual materials.
5. Give instructions.
6. Give opinion.
7. Support opinion.
8. Compare/contrast.
9. Hypothesize.
10. Function “interactively”.
11. Define.
TSE Rating Scale
60 Communication almost always effective: task performed very competently; speech
almost never marked by non-native characteristics
Function performed clearly and effectively
Appropriate response to audience/situation
Coherent, with effective use of cohesive devices
Almost always accurate pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary

50 Communication generally effective : task performed competently, successful use of

compensatory strategies; speech sometimes marked by non-native characteristics
Function generally performed clearly and effectively
Generally appropriate response to audience/situation
Coherent, with some effective use of cohesive devices
Generally accurate pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary
40 Communication somewhat effective: task performed somewhat competently, some
successful use of compensatory strategies; speech regularly marked by non-native
characteristics
Functions performed somewhat clearly and effectively
Somewhat appropriate response to audience/ situation
Somewhat coherent, with some use of coherent devices
Somewhat accurate pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary
30 Communication generally not effective: task generally performed poorly, ineffective
use of compensatory strategies; speech very frequently marked by non-native
characteristics
Functions generally performed unclearly and ineffectively
Generally inappropriate response to audience/situation
Generally incoherent, with little use of cohesive devices
Generally inaccurate pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary.
20 No effective communication: no evidence of ability to perform task, no
effective use of compensatory strategies; speech almost always marked by
non-native characteristics
No evidence that functions were performed
Incoherent, with no use of cohesive devices
No evidence of ability to respond appropriately to audience/situation
Almost always inaccurate pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary