DELTA (TESTING TERMS) WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
Discrete item (or discrete point) test correct answers tests one element of
language at a time. For example, the following multiple-choice item tests
only the learner's knowledge of the correct past form of the verb sing: 14.
When I was a child I .......... in a choir. a. sing b. singed c. song d. sung e.
sang
They have the advantages of often being practical to administer and mark,
and
objective in terms of marking. However, they show only the learners' ability
to recognise or produce individual items - not how s/he would use the
language in actual communication. In other words, they are inevitably
indirect tests
Integrative tests correct answers may be either direct or indirect. The use of
the term integrative indicates that they test more than one skill and/or item
of knowledge at a time. Dictation is an integrative test because it involves
listening skills, writing skills, recognition of specific language items,
grammar (eg in order to distinguish whether /əv/ should be written as have
or of) and so on
Direct tests correct answers they ask the learner to demonstrate their
ability to perform a specific "real life" communicative task by asking them to
actually do it. They therefore demonstrate the learner's ability to use the
language in actual communication.
An example of a direct test which is also integrative might be role-playing a
job
interview, where the learners have to listen and understand the
examiner's questions, choose the relevant grammar and lexis to express
their ideas, speak with intelligible/accurate pronunciation and intonation
etc.
Fit for Purpose correct answers good test needs to be fit for purpose - in
other words it needs to match the requirements of the situation in which it is
being used. This involves it demonstrating a number of qualities associated
with effective testing in general - reliability, transparency, coverage,
different types of validity, practicality etc - but also matching the needs of
the learners with whom it is being used - and this might include such factors
as age, level, culture, communicative needs and so on.
Coverage correct answers quality of a test, and refers to the number and
appropriacy of the items included. This should be balanced and reflect what
the learner has been taught and/or is expected to know. A test might have
inadequate coverage if:
a) it was too short overall
b) it over-emphasised some items at the expense of others
c) it overemphasised some systems/skills at the expense of others
d) it overemphasised some sections of a course at the expense of others
e) It was too easy or difficult
, Transparency correct answers test quality which refers to the extent to which
it is clear to the learner what s/he has to do. This may be affected by factors
such as the clarity of the instructions, a specific number of marks, time and
how much should be allocated to each task, etc.
norm referenced testing correct answers the percentage of the test cohort
(ie the people taking the exam) who will pass or get certain grades is
decided in advance. Eg if I have a class of 20 learners I might decide in
advance that, when the test is marked, the top 25% (ie the 5 learners with
the highest marks) will get Grade A, the second 25% Grade B, the third 25%
grade C, and the final 25% will fail.
criterion referenced testing correct answers measures learner
performance against a set of predetermined factors - ie descriptions of
what learners are expected to know and/or be able to do at a specific
stage of their learning
Achievement test correct answers A test given at the end of a course to test
whether the learners have assimilated what has been taught have passed
the course, and therefore (potentially) are ready to go on to the next level.
Example: many coursebooks include an "end of course" test, which can be
used for this purpose.
Backwash (Washback) correct answers Backwash (also called washback) is
the effect that knowledge of the contents of a test may have on the course
which precedes it. It may be positive or negative.
Example: If students are working towards an exam where all of the test
items focus on
grammatical accuracy, the teacher (possibly at the student's instigation)
may spend much of the preceding course focusing on this area - and
possibly neglecting other areas that they will need outside the course such
as spoken fluency or listening. Thus the test would have negative
backwash - it pushed the teacher into "teaching for the test" rather than
providing a balanced course which dealt with all the students' needs and
developed other areas of competence than just grammatical knowledge.
Test Battery correct answers test which involves more than one activity type
- in other words, the test is composed of a group of activities which may be
scored individually or whose scores may be combined into one overall score.
For example, the Cambridge English PET has three components :
- A Reading and Writing test
- A Listening test
- A Speaking test
The results are combined into a single score, which is then graded as Fail,
Pass, Pass with Merit, or Pass with Distinction
CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
Discrete item (or discrete point) test correct answers tests one element of
language at a time. For example, the following multiple-choice item tests
only the learner's knowledge of the correct past form of the verb sing: 14.
When I was a child I .......... in a choir. a. sing b. singed c. song d. sung e.
sang
They have the advantages of often being practical to administer and mark,
and
objective in terms of marking. However, they show only the learners' ability
to recognise or produce individual items - not how s/he would use the
language in actual communication. In other words, they are inevitably
indirect tests
Integrative tests correct answers may be either direct or indirect. The use of
the term integrative indicates that they test more than one skill and/or item
of knowledge at a time. Dictation is an integrative test because it involves
listening skills, writing skills, recognition of specific language items,
grammar (eg in order to distinguish whether /əv/ should be written as have
or of) and so on
Direct tests correct answers they ask the learner to demonstrate their
ability to perform a specific "real life" communicative task by asking them to
actually do it. They therefore demonstrate the learner's ability to use the
language in actual communication.
An example of a direct test which is also integrative might be role-playing a
job
interview, where the learners have to listen and understand the
examiner's questions, choose the relevant grammar and lexis to express
their ideas, speak with intelligible/accurate pronunciation and intonation
etc.
Fit for Purpose correct answers good test needs to be fit for purpose - in
other words it needs to match the requirements of the situation in which it is
being used. This involves it demonstrating a number of qualities associated
with effective testing in general - reliability, transparency, coverage,
different types of validity, practicality etc - but also matching the needs of
the learners with whom it is being used - and this might include such factors
as age, level, culture, communicative needs and so on.
Coverage correct answers quality of a test, and refers to the number and
appropriacy of the items included. This should be balanced and reflect what
the learner has been taught and/or is expected to know. A test might have
inadequate coverage if:
a) it was too short overall
b) it over-emphasised some items at the expense of others
c) it overemphasised some systems/skills at the expense of others
d) it overemphasised some sections of a course at the expense of others
e) It was too easy or difficult
, Transparency correct answers test quality which refers to the extent to which
it is clear to the learner what s/he has to do. This may be affected by factors
such as the clarity of the instructions, a specific number of marks, time and
how much should be allocated to each task, etc.
norm referenced testing correct answers the percentage of the test cohort
(ie the people taking the exam) who will pass or get certain grades is
decided in advance. Eg if I have a class of 20 learners I might decide in
advance that, when the test is marked, the top 25% (ie the 5 learners with
the highest marks) will get Grade A, the second 25% Grade B, the third 25%
grade C, and the final 25% will fail.
criterion referenced testing correct answers measures learner
performance against a set of predetermined factors - ie descriptions of
what learners are expected to know and/or be able to do at a specific
stage of their learning
Achievement test correct answers A test given at the end of a course to test
whether the learners have assimilated what has been taught have passed
the course, and therefore (potentially) are ready to go on to the next level.
Example: many coursebooks include an "end of course" test, which can be
used for this purpose.
Backwash (Washback) correct answers Backwash (also called washback) is
the effect that knowledge of the contents of a test may have on the course
which precedes it. It may be positive or negative.
Example: If students are working towards an exam where all of the test
items focus on
grammatical accuracy, the teacher (possibly at the student's instigation)
may spend much of the preceding course focusing on this area - and
possibly neglecting other areas that they will need outside the course such
as spoken fluency or listening. Thus the test would have negative
backwash - it pushed the teacher into "teaching for the test" rather than
providing a balanced course which dealt with all the students' needs and
developed other areas of competence than just grammatical knowledge.
Test Battery correct answers test which involves more than one activity type
- in other words, the test is composed of a group of activities which may be
scored individually or whose scores may be combined into one overall score.
For example, the Cambridge English PET has three components :
- A Reading and Writing test
- A Listening test
- A Speaking test
The results are combined into a single score, which is then graded as Fail,
Pass, Pass with Merit, or Pass with Distinction
