May 27, 2011

Proficiency Vs Achievement Tests

   I wrote the below reflection on school based exam which was IELTS-oriented in form and content.

I think we should make a distinction between IELTS exam and the IAT English exam. Yes, our ultimate target is to get students ready to do well in IELTS exam, but they should have equal opportunity to get into one of the higher education organizations in UAE. Don’t forget our students will compete with their counterparts from different schools to get a seat at a university; their average is decisive factor not only for university admission but also for college selection.

      My argument is that let us have IELTS –oriented questions for English IAT exam, but the contents (the reading, the writing, the listening) must match students’ level so that they can achieve, can try, and can celebrate achievement. Also, keep in mind that the discrepancy between IELTS bands and IAT marks: the IAT Target band is 6, this should equal to 100 marks in IAT Marking System,
not to 50 or 60. This explains the huge discrepancy between the course work marks and those of the end of term 1.

    
          When we write IAT exams, we should keep in mind that we assess what we teach, not only what students should learn for IELTS. For example, according to LC3 objectives students have been taught to write about graphs which is one of the IELTS components, the IAT English test then should assess this skill for a couple of reasons: 1.students have the skill and the input ( Vocabulary and expression) to write about graphs, and 2 it is one of the writing tasks for Academic IELTS. It is preposterous, as I see it, to ask them to write about a process or a complaint letter even if IELTS tests these skills. There will be time when students have enough input and skill to write about other components. You can’t ask me to write about Space or nuclear exploration without having enough and reasonable input.

For writing task 2 ( essay writing) students learn how to write argument essay, logically enough they should be tested in writing argument essay, not cause and effect or any other type. Equally important, they should be asked to write about relevant topics, topics that they have ideas about, lexical items and expressions and the proper language. I agree that writing is a skill and students should write on all topics; however, if they are asked to write about familiar, relevant, interesting topics, they are expected to do well.


Comments on LC 3  Grade 12 (SL) English Exam:

ü The exam comprises of three reading comprehensions and two writing tasks that to be answered within two hours.

ü Students should spend 20 minutes in scanning and skimming each reading to be able to tackle the questions for each reading. They also should spend 20 minutes in writing task 1, and 40 minutes in writing an essay (task 2).

ü Reading accounts for 60 % of the total mark, while 40% is given to the writing tasks. I am afraid this distribution of marks is not fair at all as reading (IELTS) is the most difficult skill and is the skill where students in my classes lost many points.

ü The test was totally IELTS – based format, and was obviously compiled from different IELTS tests. The current course which began in November 2007 doesn’t help the students to build solid foundations in IELTS exams as these need enough practice and familiarity with the exam to be able develop IELTS test-taking strategies. Surely, they are in the process towards grasping these.

ü IELTS exam is a proficiency test while the LC exams are achievement tests, aren’t they? It is unfair for the students to be assessed and evaluated within the academic year based on an international proficiency test. Honestly, the damage caused by the results of the test needs close and immediate attention from all parts.

ü Writing task 1: describing a table and compare the information given, while students learned how to describe trends.

ü Writing task 2: Students were given three topics to pick one to write on. The first one was tackled in the learning cycle one, the second ….


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