Testing Listening

Marian Paz E. Callo

Specifying what the candidate should be
able to do
 Content

Operation
• Obtain the gist
• Follow an argument
• Recognize the attitude of the speaker
 Informational

• Obtain factual information

• Follow instructions
• Understand requests for information, help, and permission
• Understand expressions of need and apologies
• Follow sequence of event
 Informational

• Recognize and understand opinions

• Follow justification of opinions
• Understand comparison
• Recognize and understand suggestions, comments, excuses, expressions of
preferences, complaints, and speculation
 Interactional

• Understand greetings and introductions

• Understand expressions and agreement
• Understand expression of disagreement
• Recognize speaker’s purpose
• Recognize indications of uncertainty
 Interactional

• Understand requests for clarification

• Recognize requests for clarification
• Recognize requests for opinion
• Recognize indications of understanding, failure to understand
• Recognize and understand corrections by speaker
 Interactional

• Recognize and understand modification of statements and comments

• Recognize speaker’s desire that listener indicate understanding
• Recognize when speaker justifies or supports statement, etc. of other
speaker
• Recognize when speaker questions assertions made by other speakers
• Recognize attempts to persuade others
 Text type

• Specified: monologue, dialogue, or multi participant

• Further Specified: conversation, announcement, talk or lecture,
instructions, directions
 Text forms

• Description,
• Exposition,
• Argumentation,
• Instruction,
• Narration
 Speed of speech

• Expressed as words per minute (wpm)

• Syllables per second (sps)
 Dialects

• Standard or non-standard varieties

 Accents

• Regional or non-regional
Setting the tasks
 Selecting samples of Speech

Native speaker
• authentic speech
• Radio, television, spoken-word cassettes, teaching materials, internet, and
own recording of native speakers
 Non-native speakers

• Teaching materials and recording of native speakers

 Writing Items

1. Listen to the passage

2. Note down what it is that candidates should be able to get from the
passage
 Possible Techniques

Multiple Choice
• If multiple choice is to be used, then the alternatives must be kept short and
simple.
 Complex Example

When stopped by the police, how is the motorist advised to behave?

• a. He should say nothing until he has seen his lawyer.
• b. He should give only what additional information the law requires.
• c. He should say only what the law requires.
• d. He should in no circumstances say nothing.
 Simple Example: Understanding request for
help.
I don’t suppose you could show me where this goes, could you?
• Response:
• a. No, I don’t suppose so.
• b. Of course I can.
• c. I supposed it won’t go.
• d. Not at all.
Recognizing and understanding suggestions

I’ve been thinking. Why don’t we call Charlie and ask for his opinion?

Response:
a. Why is this his opinion?
b. What is the point of that?
c. You think it’s his opinion?
d. Do you think Charlie has called?
The candidate hears bat
and choose between pat mat fat bat
 Short answer

Gap filling

• Woman: Do you think you can give me a hand with this?

• Man: I’d love to help but I’ve got to go round to my mother’s in a minute.
The woman asks the man if he can___________________ her but he has to
visit his ______________.
 Information transfer

• useful in testing listening as it is in reading

• makes minimal demands on productive skills
• it involve such activities as the labelling of diagrams or pictures, completing
forms, making diary entries, or showing routes on map.
 Note Taking

• candidates take notes during the talk, and only after the talk is finished do
they see the items to which they have respond
• it is essential to use a passage from which notes can be taken successfully
• items should be written that are perfectly straightforward for someone who
has taken appropriate notes
 Partial dictation

• provides a rough and ready measure of listening ability

• it can also be used diagnostically to test students’ ability to cope with
particular difficulties
 Transcription

• candidates may be asked to transcribed numbers or words which are spelled

letter by letter
• the skill that items of this kind of test belong directly to the real world.
 Moderating the items

• It should be carried out using the already prepared recordings or with the
item writer reading the text as it meant to be spoken in the test
• the moderator begin by taking the test and then analyses their items and
their reaction to them
 Presenting the texts

1. The great advantage of using recording when administering a listening

text is that there is uniformity in what presented to the candidates in what
is presented to the candidates.
2. If the presentations are to be live, then greatest uniformity will be achieved
if there is just a single speaker for each test.
Scoring the listening test
 Reader activities

1. Choose an extended recording of spoken language that would be

appropriate for a group of students with whom you are familiar.
2. Design short items that attempt to discover whether candidates can
recognize: sarcasm, surprise, boredom, elation.
3. Design a test that requires candidates to draw simple pictures.
Thank you.