Republic of Tunisia General Inspection of the

Ministry of Education Pedagogy of Education

Inspector Mohamed Miled

TEST GUIDE
Reviewers
Rachid Ali Brahim Lamjed Jamel
ELT Inspectors
Najar Souli Aloui Labidi Requiq

Contributors
English Teachers

2019 – 2020
TEST GUIDE
Contents

Preface p3
1 Guidance on developing and assessing tests p4
A Year 9 Diploma Recommendations p4
B Year 9 Diploma and Baccalaureate Examinations Recommendations p6
C General guidelines for developing and assessing tests p9
D Guidance on item writing and assessment p11
1. Common item formats / task types p11
a. Multiple Choice Items p11
b. True/False Items p12
c. Matching p12
d. Short Answer Items p13
e. Gap Fill p13
Annex 1: Guidelines for well-written test items: Features and Brief Descriptions p14
Annex 2: Test Marking Issues p15
2. Assessing common language task types p16
a. About the assessment approach p16
b. Using checklists for task development and assessment p16
Checklists for common language task types p18
c. Practice tasks p19
2 Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p25
A Zoom in on the text p25
Understanding and determining text complexity p25
Annex 3: Complexity rubric p27
Annex 4: Selected websites for assessment and teaching materials p29
B Zoom in on the questions p30
Annex 5: Question formats suitable for assessing different reading abilities p31
Annex 6: A Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension Questions p33
C Assessing and developing reading comprehension items p34
1 Practice Activities: Examining texts p34
2 Practice Activities: Examining and writing comprehension questions p41
3 Guidance on Writing Tasks p55
A Quality review of writing tasks – Checklists p57
B Practice Activities: Assessing free and guided writing tasks p59
4 Assessing the assessments p67
Checklists for developing and assessing tests p67
A Assessment of 9th Year Diploma Examinations p72
B Assessment of Baccalaureate Examinations p83
Glossary p93
Appendices p99
References p138
Preface

This guide is for all English Language Teaching educators, novices and veterans. It provides
a framework to improve the complex practices of test development and evaluation. Although
they have certain knowledge and skills in those practices, they need to upgrade their related
abilities due to changes occurring in the evaluation sphere.
Test Guide is not a finished comprehensive reference document; rather, it aims to fill a gap
in the field and complement the efforts of colleagues who produced works dealing with
various evaluation issues, such as Toumi Lafi’s paper on assessment (2003), Teaching and
Assessing Reading, by J. Ben Afia, R. Najar, E. Ammar, and A. Bahloul (2006) and Test Sampler,
undertaken by a team of colleagues and coordinated by M. F. Beji (2008).
In the first chapter, users will find recommendations and guidelines for developing and
assessing tests, with practice activities in language. Next, in order to provide ample practice
in the nuts and bolts of test construction, the following two chapters present guidance on
reading and writing activities, with materials to work on and assess, using checklists. The
fourth chapter provides national examinations to evaluate. At the end of the book, I have
added a concise glossary with key testing and assessment terms and useful appendices,
including Bloom’s taxonomy and the Ongoing Evaluation Documents for all levels.
This document is a joint project open to various contributions and seeks to help users
extensively in order to produce quality tests. For that aim, they need to take informed
decisions and appropriate actions. Indeed, that aim mainly rests on the relentless efforts of
qualified educators, who are aware of the complexity of testing issues – from development
and review, to marking and correction, to providing and getting feedback.
This work is a product of substantial collaboration generously provided by resourceful
devoted people. I would first like to express my deepest appreciation to Rachid Najar, Ali Souli
and Brahim Aloui for their invaluable insight and materials review. I would also like to extend
my deepest gratitude to ELT consultant and author Rod Bolitho, Chair of NILE Advisory Board,
for proficiently evaluating the work and providing helpful feedback. For your embracing
support and intellectual leadership, a humble thank you to all of you and to all the people
who push us to be the best that we can be.
I am deeply indebted to colleagues who supported me wholeheartedly, especially to
Lamjed Labidi and Jamel Requiq, for kindly reviewing my first draft and providing constructive
suggestions and feedback. I also appreciate the contributions of many English teachers who
provided some valuable materials used in the test design workshops over two years and also
in this guide which will be genuinely helpful to all practitioners.
I dedicate this work to educators who work with passion, patience and a genuine desire
for a positive change. I also dedicate it to the memory of my beloved mother, to my cherished
spouse, whose unwavering support has been a constant source of stimulation, and our
wonderful daughters and to my loving brother and his family. I finally dedicate it to my dear
colleague Salem Lasmar, who has obtained his doctorate in French literature with honours.

p3
 1. Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests

A. Year 9 Diploma Recommendations1

I. General issues
Test item writers should:
1. Vary the themes dealt with in the reading comprehension, the language exercises and the
writing tasks.
2. Give clear, simple and concise instructions.
3. Proof-read / revise for language accuracy and appropriacy and content validity.
4. Suggest accessible materials and tasks to the average pupil.
5. Make sure the test taker is familiar with the question types and the language used.
6. Avoid the heavy and demotivating cultural load and the depressing and shocking themes
in texts/paragraphs/tasks suggested.
7. Avoid time-consuming tasks.
8. Have a clear rationale for each suggested task/exercise/question, etc.
9. Avoid testing the same thing twice.
10. Avoid repetition or overuse of a question type.
11. Avoid suggesting materials taken from coursebooks and commercial extracurricular
workbooks “livres parascolaires”.

II. Specific issues

1. Reading Comprehension
Test item writers should:
1. Consider the number of words. (200 words general / 150 words technical)
2. Vary the questions to “demonstrate comprehension of text content and organization”
3. Suggest texts containing topical issues (recent, up-to-date themes, subjects which are of
particular interest at the present time)
4. Design comprehension questions (4 or 5) according to text suitability for a good
exploitation.
5. Avoid designing questions which require a variety of possible answers, with the exception
of the question which requires test takers to “express reaction to the content of the text
or the characters or people involved”.
6. When asking test taker to complete a summary with words from different paragraphs,
test developers should:
a. Indicate in the instructions the paragraphs where the words exist.
b. Ask the test taker to identify and copy the words as they are. That is to say; without
making any changes to the words.
7. Make sure the adjectives or adverbs suggested in the question type: ‘Circle / tick /
underline… the adj./adv. which apply to…’ are familiar to the pupils. That is to say, the
words are mentioned in the word lists/book maps/module maps/exist in lessons, etc. and
ask for no more than two items – two adj./adv. – to be identified in the list suggested.

1
These recommendations are provided for regional commissions involved in Year 9 exams proposals.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p4

8. In the question type: ‘Complete with details from the text…’
a. The detail ranges from one word to one full sentence, but no more.
b. The detail should be explicitly and completely written. Dots (…….), or ellipsis, are not
accepted and the answer is considered false.
9. Test item writers should design a correct option and distractors in the multiple choice
items of equal length: containing almost the exact number of words as in the correct
answer.

2. Language exercises
Test item writers should:
1. Provide a complete sentence at the beginning of the paragraph/ leave the first sentence
integral to set context.
2. Avoid ungrammatical words in the multiple choice items.
3. Spread items. Do not overload one or two sentences with test items.
4. Suggest “bare infinitive” in tense/form exercise as a rule. (Bracketed words)
5. Strike a balance between tenses and forms.
6. In the tense/form exercise, avoid items requiring a double task such as adding a prefix and
a suffix; e.g., (avoid) to get unavoidable.
7. Vary the items in the multiple choice question/technique (prepositions, tenses, forms,
lexical items, etc.)
8. Refer to the word lists/book maps/module maps/lessons to make sure the selected lexical
items exist. Broadly speaking, each lexical test item should be found somewhere in the
teaching materials in one of the official coursebooks in use (7 th/8th/9th forms).

3. Writing tasks
1. In the production task, suggest a topic that should interest and motivate the pupil to
write.
2. Suggest a theme that relates to the 9th form syllabus.
3. Design a task that allows the pupils to use their own ideas, activate and reinvest personal
knowledge and language resources and express attitudes. The task should not be suitable
for memorizing and learning off by heart data and ready-made sentences and rewriting
them. It shouldn’t lend itself to rote learning.
4. Avoid tasks that are ill-defined. The task should specify topic, a communicative situation,
purpose, audience, clear context, genre/text type.
5. Specify a clear functional organization (e.g. narrative, argumentative, description of a
process, contrast and comparison, cause and effect, making suggestions, etc.).
6. Suggest a task which is manageable within the time allotted and which doesn’t require
much background knowledge some pupils might not have.
7. Do not provide the test takers with helpful notes and hints in the free writing. Give the
instructions only.
8. Quotes - when used - should not confuse or mislead the test takers .They should be clear
enough, carefully selected, guiding and connected/related to the issue raised in the task.
9. Provide clear and appropriate lay-out.
10. Specify the length of the written text, i.e., the number of lines required.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p5

B. Recommendations for Year 9 Diploma and Baccalaureate Examinations2

I. General issues
Test item writers should:
1. Vary the themes in the Reading comprehension, Language exercises and Writing tasks.
2. Make sure test takers are familiar with the question types and the language used. Avoid
repetition or overuse of a question type.
3. Suggest accessible materials and tasks to the average pupil.
4. Have a clear rationale for each suggested task / exercise / question, etc. Avoid time-
consuming tasks.
5. Give clear, simple and concise instructions.
6. Avoid heavy and demotivating cultural load and depressing / shocking themes in texts /
paragraphs.
7. Avoid testing the same thing twice.
8. Not use materials from coursebooks and commercial workbooks “livres parascolaires”.
9. Revise and proofread for language accuracy and appropriacy and content validity.
NB Regional commissions involved in exams proposals are requested to provide copies of the
sources/references cover page and the pages containing the text, the language exercises and
the guided writing tasks.

II. Specific issues

1. Reading Comprehension
Test item writers should:
1. Consider the words number. (Basic: General: 200; Technical: 150. Secondary: 300,
Sciences. / Arts: 350 / Sport: 200.)
2. Suggest texts containing topical issues (themes / subjects: recent, up-to-date, of particular
present time interest). For Secondary levels: accessible literary texts conveying universal
values is possible.
3. Design comprehension questions according to text suitability for a good exploitation; the
following option has been considered a realistic and practical solution:
• 9th Y. (6 items): 4 or 5 questions
• The Arts (Lettres) branch (15 items): 6 or 7 questions maximum
• The Sciences branch (12 items): 5 or 6 questions maximum
4. Vary the questions to “demonstrate comprehension of text content and organization”.
5. Avoid designing questions which require a variety of possible answers, with the exception
of the question which requires testees to “express reaction to text content or characters /
people involved”.
6. When asking examinees to complete a summary with words from different paragraphs,
test developers should:
2
These recommendations are provided for regional commissions involved in exams proposals.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p6

 • indicate in the instructions the paragraphs where the words exist.
• ask the testee to identify and copy the words as they are—without making any
changes to them.
7. In the question type: ‘Circle / Tick / Underline… the adjectives/adverbs which apply to…’,
• make sure the adjectives or adverbs suggested are familiar to the pupils—the words
are mentioned in the word lists/book maps/module maps/exist in lessons, etc.
• ask for no more than two items – two adjectives/adverbs – to be identified in the list
suggested.
8. In the question type: Complete with details from the text,
• the detail ranges from one word to one full sentence, but no more.
• the detail should be explicitly and completely written. Dots (…….), or ellipsis, are not
accepted and the answer is considered false.
9. *For BAC exams/tests.+ For “identifying evidence that a given statement is false”, the
instruction is worded as follows:
• For each of the following statements, pick out one detail from the text showing that it
is false.
• Each statement is followed with the paragraph number—the paragraph where the
detail exists.
10. Test item writers should design a correct option and distractors in the multiple choice
items of equal length: containing almost the exact number of words as in the correct
answer.

2. Language exercises
Test item writers should:
1. Provide a complete sentence at the beginning of the paragraph—leave the first sentence
integral in order to set context.
2. Avoid suggesting ungrammatical words in the multiple choice items.
3. Spread items; do not overload one or two sentences with test items.
4. Suggest the bare infinitive in tense/form exercises as a rule. (Bracketed words)
5. Strike a balance between tenses and forms.
6. In the tense/form exercise, avoid items requiring a double task such as adding a prefix and
a suffix; e.g. avoid to get unavoidable.
7. Vary the items in the multiple choice question (prepositions, tenses, forms, lexical words,
etc.)
8. Refer to the word lists/book maps/module maps/lessons to make sure the selected lexical
items exist—each lexical test item should be found somewhere in the teaching materials
in one of the official coursebooks in use.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p7

3. Writing tasks

● For BAC exams

1. In developing full sentences from notes, test item developers should make sure notes are
not single words, but chunks/series of words separated by slashes.
2. Avoid overloading tables/biography data with many details and notes. Suggest a
reasonable amount of information to be developed in a paragraph/short text written in
the specified and provided number of lines.
3. Say: a correct sentence (not a coherent sentence) and a coherent paragraph.

● For 9th Year Diploma and BAC exams

Production task
1. Suggest a topic that should “interest and motivate the pupil to write”.
2. Suggest a theme that relates to the syllabus.
3. Design a task that allows the pupils to use their own ideas, activate and reinvest personal
knowledge and language resources, and express attitudes. The task should not be suitable
for memorizing and learning off by heart data and ready-made sentences and rewriting
them. It shouldn’t lend itself to rote learning.
4. Avoid ill-defined tasks—they should specify topic, a communicative situation, purpose,
audience, clear context, genre/text type.
5. Specify a clear functional organization (e.g. narrative, argumentative, description of a
process, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, making suggestions, etc.)
6. Suggest a task which is manageable within the time allotted and which doesn’t require
much background knowledge some pupils might not have.
7. Avoid scaffolding—do not provide the test takers with helpful notes and hints in the free
writing; give the instructions only.
8. Quotes – when used – should not confuse or mislead the test takers .They should be clear
enough, carefully selected, guiding and related to the issue raised in the task.
9. Provide clear and appropriate lay-out.
10. Specify the length of the written text – the number of lines required.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p8

C. General guidelines for developing and assessing tests
“An answer is only as good as the question, and a poorly constructed or vague question
can only result in a poor or useless answer.”3
This section offers guidelines and tips that will help further improve teacher skills of test
development and assessment. It is meant to complement the previous recommendations.
1. Make testing productive: make the test a less intimidating experience by explaining to the
students the purpose of the test and emphasizing the positive effects it will have.
2. Be Fair. To be valid, the test needs to be fair, giving all the students an equal chance to
show what they know and can do. Guard against bias (cultural, gender, etc.).
3. Let students excel. Give them a chance to demonstrate their best performance, by
designing tasks that are engaging and accessible and that permit the students to
demonstrate what they know or can do.
4. Make the test accurate and appropriate, providing the evidence it was meant to provide
and measure the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities you believe are important.
5. Test what you teach effectively; test what your students learn effectively4, avoiding any
‘mismatch’ between teaching and testing.
6. Provide in the test a representative sample of the objectives and tasks taught in class,
avoiding repeatedly focusing on specific language areas and themes covered – otherwise
“what is (frequently) assessed becomes what is valued, which becomes what is taught”.
7. Include texts, contexts, and tasks which simulate ‘real life’ and use situations and tasks
which are likely to be familiar and relevant to examinees.
8. Don’t assume the students understand the instructions. Wording in tests is critical.
Unclear directions can confuse test takers, affect responses, and lead to inaccurate
information about what the students actually know and can do.
9. Write questions that match the average student’s ability level. Test the questions by
actually taking the test; evaluate your answers and marking and identify the key
knowledge and concepts needed to gain maximum marks.
10. The main criterion for measuring the value of an item type is its appropriacy for use in
testing language in a particular situation and for a specified purpose – choose the item5
type that provides the most direct means of measuring the desired learning outcome.
11. Characteristics of what a “good question” is6:
Intention: Did the question assess what you intended to assess?
Demonstration: Did learners demonstrate that they learned what they needed to learn?
Progress: Were learners able to show progress in their learning?
Motivation: Did the question help motivate learners to further their academic pursuits
of the subject matter?
Distinction: Did the question help distinguish learners from “non-learners”?

3
Brian Allison et al. Research Skills for Students.
4
Bear in mind that in one test, we cannot assess ALL the things we expect students to learn well.
5
The term ‘item’ is used as a shorthand for a question on the test.
6
For more on this issue, see Annex 1, Guidelines for Well-Written Test Items, placed at the end of the next section.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p9

12. Item difficulty depends on the degree of complexity and range of knowledge it requires as
well as the cognitive operations that are required to process the item.
13. Avoid trick or catch questions in the test.
14. Design the test so that the students can complete it in the time available. A test that has
more questions than students can complete in the allotted time measures knowledge and
ability to perform rapidly and under time pressure. The results from such a test are
difficult to interpret: it is impossible to tell whether students who performed poorly did so
because they did not master the knowledge or skill being tested, or because they were
unable to demonstrate their ability in the allotted time.
15. The most common questions types used at various cognitive levels:
Factual Knowledge Application Analysis and Evaluation
Multiple Choice Multiple Choice Multiple Choice
True/False Short Answer Short answer
Matching Type Problems Essay
Sentence Completion Essay
Short Answer
16. Avoid setting tasks that may cause marking problems—look ahead to how the test will be
marked, and avoid items which would be sure to cause marking problems.7
17. Grade the test objectively. You can score all the papers for one component (e.g. reading)
as a group before going on to the next component (e.g. writing). Make notes on tests, to
explain marks, to help students understand their mistakes and correct them, etc.
18. After the test. In order to use test results to improve learning and teaching, return the
marked tests to the students in due time and
a) discuss the different ways the students responded to each task. Give them the
opportunity to revise their responses. This experience helps them learn how to
evaluate their work. Prepare remedial work based on your students’ identified needs.
b) provide constructive, high-quality feedback and ‘feedforward’ to the students. A score
alone doesn’t give students sufficient information about their performance on the
assessment. Tell students
• Their areas of strength and weakness
• What they did correctly and incorrectly and why
• What they can do differently next time to improve their performance
c) You can use a questionnaire to get students’ input about the course and the test.
Encourage them to tell you if they felt a question/task type was difficult/unfamiliar.
19. Check how the class as a whole as well as how the average student scored on the test
(calculate the average score; apply item analysis...), and guard against misinterpreting test
scores by assuming that high scores indicate good instruction, low scores indicate poor
students, etc.
20. Collaborate with colleagues to construct a joint test avoiding, as much as possible, pitfalls
of individually-made tests. Test development requires more than one individual’s skills
and effort in order to be effective and as error-free as possible – it is demanding and
rigorous.8

7
Bear in mind that the quality of task design and scoring are interdependent. When coordinated, scoring is more
effective, and the results are more valid. Regarding marking, see Annex 2: Marking Issues.
8
“To be able to prepare a good test, one has to have a mastery of the subject matter, knowledge of the pupils to be
tested, skill in verbal expression and the use of the different test formats.”

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p10

D. Guidance on item writing and assessment
1) Common item formats / task types
o Selected response, where the test takers choose answers from a number of available
options, e.g. MCQs, true/false, matching
o Short response, in which test takers must produce words, phrases, or short sentences to
complete the task, e.g. sentence completion, tense/form tasks
o Extended response, which requires the production of longer stretches of discourse, e.g.
essays

a. Multiple Choice Questions

 Use:
Frequently used to assess at the level of recall and understanding and, if carefully
constructed, can also be used to assess higher-order cognitive skills; commonly used in tests
of reading, listening, and language.
 Advantages:
• Allow considerable coverage of content • Guessing reduced • No writing for student •
Marking is quick, accurate, and objective.
 Limitations:
• Often difficult to construct good items which are unambiguously worded and which will
elicit the key • Often difficult to devise enough plausible distractors • Time-consuming to
write
 Tips for Writing Good Multiple Choice items:
a) Items should be independent of others.
b) The stem should contain as much of the information as possible, avoid unnecessary
material, and be stated in positive form, wherever possible.
c) Alternatives should be grammatically consistent with the stem, parallel in form, similar in
length, free from clues to the correct answer, and be presented in some order.
d) Alternatives should not contain any words repeated in each option, overlap in meaning, or
be synonymous with one another.
e) Distractors9 should be plausible, clearly/demonstrably incorrect, and similar to the key.
They should avoid merely stating the reverse of the key. They should use only correct
language. They should not be easily identified as wrong choices.
f) The answer should be fully correct or clearly the most appropriate10; it should not be too
obvious, relative to the other options (check whether it should be shortened, lengthened,
made less concrete...)11. The position of the key in the options should be randomised.

9
Distractors should not be tricky. Check whether there is any way you could justify one or more as an acceptable
correct answer. Avoid implausible distractors (arcane, trivial, overly implausible...); avoid providing too much specific
detail in the correct response alternative; this makes it simple for examinees to arrive at the correct response by
merely eliminating the less specifically worded distractors. Consider writing a brief Distractor Analysis.
10
Unlike Absolutely-Correct Type Test Items (in language tasks), Best-Answer Test Items (in reading comprehension
tasks) carry some risk for confusion & controversy – more than one response alternative will contain information that
involves some truth, is relevant or correct; however, one of these should be more complete or more relevant to the

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p11

b. True/False Questions12
 Use:
Alternative response items may be used to assess outcomes concerned with the recall of
information or the ability to discriminate; they are better used for self-assessment and
diagnostic assessment than for summative assessment.
 Advantages:
• Can test large amounts of content • Mostly used for testing reading and listening – testing
gisting or intensive understanding • Easy to construct and mark
 Limitations:
• They are easy. • It is difficult to discriminate between students that know the material and
students who don't. • 50-50 chance of getting the right answer by guessing. • Need a large
number of items for high reliability. • Not recommended for high-stakes tests and exams.
 Tips for Writing Good True/False items:
• Avoid lengthy and ambiguous statements; each statement is clearly true or clearly false.
• Use positive rather than negative statements.
• Avoid specific determiners (e.g. never, sometimes, only, may, few).
• Use only one central idea in each item.
• Don’t emphasize the trivial – trivial details should not make a statement false.
• Avoid quoting statements exactly from text.
• Make more false than true – students are more likely to answer true.
c. Matching
 Use:
Knowledge level; testing vocabulary and main ideas in reading and listening and some
comprehension level, if appropriately constructed
 Types:
• Terms with definitions • Phrases with other phrases • Causes with effects • Parts with larger
units • Problems with solutions
 Advantages:
• Maximum coverage at knowledge level in a minimum amount of space • Valuable in
content areas that have a lot of facts
 Limitations:
• Time consuming for students • Not good for higher levels of learning • One item in one list
might be able to be matched to several items in the other. • Can be difficult and time-
consuming to construct
 Tips for Writing Good Matching items:

specific information given in the item’s stem. This requires consensus of opinion among knowledgeable persons (the
item writer and other practitioners) that it is the most appropriate answer.
11
Novice item writers tend to produce keys that are longer and more detailed than distractors. Test-wise students will
be drawn to the longest response.
12
Types of true-false items: True-False/Right-Wrong and Yes-No.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p12

• In the instructions, clearly state the basis for matching and indicate whether responses can
be used more than once.
• Make all responses plausible.
• Keep the list of premises short with brief responses on the right.
• The answer list should be larger than the first list to reduce the chance of guessing by a
process of elimination.
• There should be no more than one correct response for each statement.
• Put responses in some logical order (chronological, alphabetical, etc.).
d. Short Answer Items – WH-questions, information transfer, etc.
 Use:
Good for most cognitive skills: recall, comprehension, application, analysis, etc.
 Advantages:
• Easy to construct • Minimizes guessing • Less time-consuming to construct than multiple
choice or matching items • Encourages more intensive study – student must know the answer
vs. recognizing the answer.
 Limitations:
• May overemphasize memorization of facts • Some writing is involved, which makes marking
difficult and subjective. • Questions may have more than one correct answer. • Scoring is
laborious.
 Tips for Writing Good Short Answer Items:
• Use direct questions, not an incomplete statement.
• Phrase the question so there is only one single, brief answer possible, or a very limited
number of acceptable answers.
• Phrase the item so that the examinee knows that the answer should be concise.
• In the instructions, specify whether badly constructed or misspelled responses are
accepted, whether they are awarded partial credit, etc.
e. Sentence completion / Gap Filling
 Advantages:
• Authentic and realistic task. • Easy to construct, administer and score. • Can test a broad
range of knowledge, skills, vocabulary, grammar, listening for specific words / details quickly.
 Limitations:
• Developing such tests to accurately measure more complex, higher-level thinking skills is
difficult and time consuming. • For reading, it tests knowledge of language.
 Tips for Writing Good Gap Fill Items:
• Omit only the key words and avoid omitting so many key words as to make the sentence
unintelligible; leave enough clues, but avoid grammatical clues.
• Leave the first sentence integral to give the student an idea of what the paragraph is
about.
• Leave blanks at nearly equal intervals; avoid putting several blanks close to each other
such that the overall meaning is obscured; and keep the blanks the same length.
• Require a single word or short statement for the answer.
• Avoid splitting an item between two pages.
• Two important issues related to scoring:
 Spelling and sentence structure.
 Students must be informed if these will be assessed on the test.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p13

Annex 1
Guidelines for well-written test items: Features and Brief Descriptions

Word frequency/familiarity.
Test items should use words that have a high frequency in common literature for that group
of test takers.
Word length.
Longer words tend to be less familiar and should be avoided where possible.
Sentence length.
Not only should sentences be shorter but their grammatical structure should be simple.
Voice of Verb Phrase.
Passive voice should be avoided.
Length of Nominals.
Noun phrases with several modifiers are troublesome to ELL test takers.
Complex question phrases.
Longer questions with a complex structure are also troublesome to ELL test takers.
Comparative structures.
Comparative constructions are another source of construct-irrelevant difficulty to test takers.
Prepositional phrases.
ELL students have difficulty with prepositional phrases.
Sentence and discourse.
Sentences in a paragraph may have different discourse structures that confuse some ELLs.
Subordinate clauses.
Subordinate clauses are more complex than coordinate clauses and thus challenge the ELL.
Conditional clauses.
Conditional and adverbial clauses contribute to text difficulty.
Relative clauses.
Some test takers have limited exposure to relative clauses, which may cause them to perform
lower than expected.
Concrete versus abstract.
Narrative presentations tend to be better understood than expository presentations.
Negation.
Negation is harder to comprehend. Negation is not recommended as a general item writing
principle.
Source: Linguistic Modification, Abedi-Sato, 2006.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p14

Annex 2: Test Marking Issues
Key Principles & Recommendations
 Major concern of marking: To ensure student work is marked reliably and accurately. Aim
for: accuracy, consistency, objectivity, and fairness.
a Accuracy—doing things in an exact way without making a mistake; = exactness,
correctness, precision; ≠ inaccuracy, carelessness
b Consistency—always behaving or performing in a similar way; = regularity, agreement; ≠
inconsistency
c Fairness—treating people equally or in a way that is reasonable / making judgements free
from discrimination or dishonesty; conformity with rules or standards; = equity,
impartiality, honesty; ≠ dishonesty
d Objectivity—freedom from bias or partiality; = disinterest, impartiality, impersonality; ≠
bias, partiality, prejudice, subjectivity
 Give students the benefit of the doubt: When there is ambiguity, students should receive
benefit of the doubt.
Marking errors
Errors occur when questions are ambiguous / poorly designed. On a high-stakes exam, one
poorly written question can determine a student’s classification as “passing” or “failing,” and
reversal is difficult. Guard against marking errors: Leniency; Strictness; Restriction of range;
Inconsistency; Halo...
a Leniency / generosity—evaluating all students as outstanding and giving inflated ratings;
rating higher than deserved
b Strictness / severity—marking all Sts at the low end of the scale; being overly/too critical
of performance
c Restriction of range—restricting marks to:
i. one particular polarity of the scale (either lenient or severe ratings) OR
ii. the midpoint of the scale (central tendency), failing to employ ratings in other
portions of the scale. Markers with central tendency error avoid both extremes of
the scale marking every work as average and hesitating in giving out extreme
marks/judgments. Rating everyone in the middle is often due to “anchoring” on the
middle level by assuming that everyone is average (or proficient) unless there is a lot
of evidence he/she is not.
d Inconsistency—applying one or more marking scales in a manner inconsistent with the
way in which the other markers apply the same scales; the marker exhibits more random
variability than expected in his/her ratings
e Contrast effect—evaluating a student relative to other students rather than the test
requirements
f Halo—rating on one dimension determined by rating on another
g Similarity—rating influenced by how similar the observed classroom or school is to yours,
how similar the practice observed is to yours, or how similar the person being observed is
to you
h Context effects—performance of peer group influences ratings

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p15

2) Assessing some common language task types
a. About the assessment approach
Like any other human product, a test will have its development strengths and weaknesses.
Nonetheless, because item-writing flaws may render test questions easier or more difficult
than intended, directly affecting validity, and because of potential test impacts on students
and parents, on teachers and schools, and on the whole education system, considerable
effort and professionalism are required from both test developers and test evaluators in
order to produce quality tests, and eventually, inform and improve learning-teaching.13
Educators cannot afford to stand helplessly in front of errors – developing tests with the
fewest errors is not beyond reach. We need to bear in mind that improvement comes with
practice – and for high effectiveness, item writing and assessment are best done using a team
approach at various stages of the exercise (Together Everyone Achieves More.).
Objective of assessment:
Improving test construction and evaluation skills in accordance with given recommendations
and guidelines, through rigorous development and assessment/review of test items
What is not a set purpose of assessment:
Looking for weaknesses in the works of others, holding people accountable for faulty
practices, and stopping at that stage, rather than exploiting invalid items and making good
use of the identified errors by fixing them and learning from them
Key considerations for item writing and assessment – Reminder: For each item, we
need to consider the timing, grade appropriateness, difficulty level, and potential sources of
bias. We also have to make sure that item validity is not affected by factors that unnecessarily
increase the difficulty of the item, such as unfamiliar or overly difficult vocabulary,14 grammar,
directions, contexts, or stimulus materials.

b. Using checklists for task/test development and assessment

 Aim at making each checklist item actionable. A checklist is a detailed number of
concise and actionable items that can be used repeatedly to identify weaknesses in
developing and assessing tests. The power of a quality checklist is that you can take
action on each item and ensure you are meeting the intent of that item.
 Don’t skip anything on the list. Use your checklist fully each time; if you find yourself
skipping questions, you should ask if the checklist is properly designed for your
purposes.

13
In England, a “serious” error in a GCSE English exam in 2017 meant the paper was “not fit for purpose” and
cost the exam board OCR a £175,000 fine. See “Shakespeare rewrite means six-figure fine for exam board OCR.”
2 July 2018 <http://www.bbc.com>.
14
In 2018, a year 13 history exam question asked for New Zealand high school students to write an essay on
whether they agreed with a quote from Julius Caesar which reads: “Events of importance are the result of trivial
causes”. The students have demanded examiners ignore that they don’t know what the word “trivial” means.
They claimed the “unfamiliar word” was too hard and left many confused, and the exam should now be marked
according to each student’s different understanding and interpretation of “trivial”. See “Students say they don't
know what 'trivial' means in exam question fiasco.” 16 Nov. 2018 <http://www.theguardian.com>.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p16

Item construction and assessment approach
The suggested checklists15 aim to be as useful, purposeful, and practical as possible. They
are intended to assist educators in addressing a number of aspects of test components
required for consideration in the Ongoing Evaluation documents. They are intended to
streamline and create consistency within the test development/assessment process, not to be
definitive measures. For details on any checklist item/dimension, you can refer to related
chapters as convenient; navigation between the checklists and the related materials will
hopefully be easy and meet your needs. You can use the suggested checklists:
o when developing a test, to ensure that your work conforms to the ‘standards’, as
much as possible, and to identify strengths and weaknesses in your item writing.
o when assessing your work or the work of others, to ensure a rigorous, methodical
assessment of test item quality.
When developing and assessing items, you can use the suggested checklists and
guidelines as they stand, or adapt and adopt them as you see fit for your purposes and
contexts. Then you can use the ‘satisfactory’ items as models for future reference; as for the
‘unsatisfactory’ items, you can work with other colleagues in order to make improvements as
accurately as possible.

How to use the checklists

Each aspect/item has to be assessed on its own before reaching a final evaluation of the
whole component addressed.
Step 1: Check the PRESENCE of the items – all of the checklists items are REQUIRED for a
quality test. Make sure no item is missing; otherwise, the quality and validity of the test is
affected.
Step 2: Check the QUALITY of the items – once you ensure all of the checklists items are
there, you can now proceed to assess the appropriateness and relevance of each item.
You can indicate the degree of satisfaction on a scale ranging from 4 points for an
excellent / outstanding test item to 0 point. Any aspect that receives a low score (less than 2)
has to be changed. The best possible score within a dimension, 4 points, indicates that the
item would be of optimal benefit to students.

Ratings:
4 = Excellent.
3 = Good.
2 = Satisfactory.
1 = Unsatisfactory.
0 = Totally lacking.
(NA: Not applicable)

15
Sources: Mostly based on Ongoing Evaluation documents, Year 9 Diploma and BAC Exams Recommendations,
materials provided by inspectors, and a number of select print and electronic sources.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p17

Checklists for common language task types
General guidelines for most language tasks
a) Is the item format correctly matched to the purpose and content of the item?
b) Is the task manageable and appropriate in terms of difficulty and time? Free of
tricks/trivia?
c) Is language simple and clear—accessible to students?
d) Is the task material authentic? Is the task contextualized?
e) Is the first sentence of the paragraph integral, providing enough context?
f) Are the items well spaced out (evenly spread)?
g) Are the items free of clues within and among them?
h) Is there only one key for each item?16
i) Is the mark scheme indicated on the test paper?
j) Is the task well laid out, with adequate spaces for answers, on the same page?
k) Has the task been revised and proofread?

(a) Fill in Task

1 Do the blanks include a balance of content words and function words?
2 Do the options include a balance of content words and function words?
3 Do the options include two plausible distractors?
4 Do the options appear in the textbook word list?
5 Do the options precede the gapped paragraph, in a box, separated by slashes?
6 Are blank lines (__) of equal length used? Are these numbered?

(b) Tense/Form Task

1 Is the instruction precise? (Put the bracketed words in the appropriate tense/form.)
2 Are the bracketed words supplied in the base form, in bold type?
3 Are students familiar with the bracketed words?
4 Are students familiar with the tenses/forms required?
5 Is there a balance between tense and form in the task?
6 Are items requiring a double task, e.g. adding a prefix & suffix (able  disabled), avoided?
7 Are lines (__) used for the blanks? Are these numbered?

(c) Multiple-Choice Task

1 Is the instruction precise? (Circle the correct option.)
2 Do options in the same item share the same part of speech – 3 adjectives, 3 adverbs, etc.?
3 Does the item test one thing at a time—e.g. tense OR form?
4 Is there a balance between content words and function words?
5 Are distractors plausible but clearly incorrect?
6 Do distractors include only correct forms and vocabulary?
7 Are all the bracketed options in bold type?

16
Are misspelt answers penalized?  No credit is given to answers with spelling or capitalization errors.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p18

(d) Matching Task
1 Are premises and options rather short in order to reduce the amount of reading?
2 Are premises longer than options?
3 Are the premises in the right order?
4 Are the options and premises related to one central theme, familiar to testees?
5 Are there more response options than premises?
6 Have the task sentences been divided into sentence parts only once?
7 Are the premises numbered (1, 2, 3...) and the options identified by letters (a, b, c...)?
8 Are the instructions appropriate?17

c. Practice tasks
Review the quality of the items / tasks below, using the suggested checklists.
Consider these two examples.
Tick the correct alternative.
(1) He went to the UK ___.
 a. because he wanted to learn English.
 b. because he wanted to get a better job.
 c. because he wanted to stay with his parents.
 Assessment: Badly constructed item
 Justification: Problem: redundant wording—needless repetition, which is a common
problem in item writing, particularly of multiple-choice type items.
 Correction/improvement (when necessary):
He went to the UK because he wanted to ___
 a. learn English.
 b. get a better job.
 c. stay with his parents.

(2) I ___ here since three o’clock.

 a. have been
 b. am being
 c. am be
 Assessment: Badly constructed item
 Justification: Problem: Negative washback through non-occurrent forms—Through use of
incorrect structures of the language it is possible to teach errors to the students. Option c (am
be) does not exist in the English language. The possibility exists that a learner might think that
‘am’ may serve as an auxiliary of ‘be’.
 Correction/improvement (when necessary): change option be; e.g., c. will be

Now assess each item below.

 Assessment: .......................................................................................................................

17
E.g. Match each sentence part in Column A with its corresponding part in Column B to get a coherent
paragraph. The sentence parts in Column A are in the correct order. Use each part in Column B only once.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p19

  Justification: .......................................................................................................................
 Correction/improvement (when necessary): ....................................................................
1. Multiple-Choice Items  As part of the ritual, objects (symbolize / symbolizing / symbolic)
different professions are arrayed in front of a child.
 (Gamers / Researchers / Physicians) at Liverpool Moore’s University compared the energy
expenditure of adolescents when playing sedentary and new generation active computer games.
 A 2009 American analysis concluded that online students performed much (swifter / better /
easier), on average, than those getting face-to-face instruction.
2. Fill in the blanks with six words from the box.
strong / but / party / old / could / office / in
Rachel wanted to give Michelle a special birthday gift. 1_____________ she didn’t have any
money. One afternoon Rachel noticed that Mrs. Will next door was giving away 2. _____________
furniture. Old chairs and tables were stacked on the sidewalk. Rachel asked Mrs. Will if she 3.
_____________ take one of the wooden chairs. “Sure,” said Mrs. Will. The chair was covered with
cuts and marks, but it looked 4. _____________. Rachel found cans of old paint 5. _____________
her garage. Carefully she painted a bright sky and lots of flowers on the chair. Then she took it to
Michelle’s birthday 6. _____________. She hid it behind a bush until it was time to open presents.
“I love it!” screamed Michelle when she saw the chair. What a special gift the chair made!
Key: 1 But/but; 2 old; 3 could; 4 strong; 5 in; 6 party
3. Circle the correct option.
Rachel wanted to give Michelle a special birthday gift. (1. So/But/And) she didn’t have any
money. One afternoon Rachel noticed that Mrs. Will next door was giving away old (2.
furniture/clothes/baggage). Old chairs and tables were stacked on the sidewalk. Rachel asked
Mrs. Will if she (3. should/could/must) take one of the wooden chairs. “Sure,” said Mrs. Will. (4.
The/That/A) chair was covered with cuts and marks, but it looked strong. Rachel found cans of
old paint (5. at/in/on) her garage. There were lots of different colours. Carefully she painted a
bright sky and lots of flowers on the chair. Then she took it to Michelle’s birthday party. She hid it
behind a bush until it was time to open (6. presents/things/projects). “I love it!” screamed
Michelle when she saw the chair. What a special gift the chair made!
Key: 1 But; 2 furniture; 3 could; 4 The; 5 in; 6 presents
4. Put the words in brackets in the correct tense/form.
Rachel wanted to give Michelle a special birthday gift. But she (1. not have) ________ any
money. One afternoon Rachel noticed that Mrs. Will next door was giving away old furniture. Old
chairs and tables were stacked on the sidewalk. Rachel asked Mrs. Will if she (2. can) __________
take one of the wooden chairs. “(3. Sure) __________,” said Mrs. Will. The chair was covered with
cuts and marks, but it looked strong. Rachel found cans of old paint in her garage. (4. Careful)
_________ she painted a bright sky and lots of flowers on the chair. Then she took it to Michelle’s
birthday party. She hid it behind a bush until it was time (5. open) presents. “I love it!” screamed
Michelle when she (6. see) _________ the chair. What a special gift the chair made!
Key: 1 didn’t have; 2 could; 3 Surely/Sure; 4 Carefully; 5 to open; 6 saw

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p20

5. Fill in the blanks with six words from the box.
recycle – don’t – cause – up – garbage – smog – clean – fumes
Pollution can be found anywhere. Garbage, dust and dirt are bad for your health; they can
1.___________ sickness. There are ways to keep your environment healthy. Keep it clean and 2.
___________ pollute. Clean your home every week. Get the whole family involved. Keep your
kitchen and bathrooms 3. ___________. Help keep your children’s school or a nearby park clean.
5. ___________ cans, bottles and paper. Pick 4. ___________ trash and throw your trash in 6.
___________ cans. Children are always watching and learning from their parents and other
adults. We need to model good environmental health.
Key: 1 cause; 2 don’t; 3 clean; 4 recycle; 5 up; 6 garbage

6. Circle the correct option.

People start smoking for a variety of different reasons. Some think (1. they/it/its) looks cool.
Others start (2. so/because/too) their family members or friends (3. smokes/ smoking/smoke).
Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 tobacco (4. uses/using/users) start before they are 18 years
old. Most adults (5. which/who/when) started smoking in their teens never expected to become
(6. addicted/addiction/addict). That’s why people say it's so much easier not to start smoking at
all.
Key: 1 it; 2 because; 3 smoke; 4 users; 5 who; 6 addicted

7. Put the words in brackets in the correct tense/form.

Rita trembled as she waited backstage. “In a few minutes, I (1. go) __________ onstage and
sing,” she thought. She practiced every day for many months. So she (2. not know) why she felt
so (3. frighten) ___________. She took several deep breaths to calm down. Then she thought
about the song she was going to sing. (4. Sudden) ___________, her mind went blank. She (5. can
not) ____________ remember any of the words! “What am I going to do?” she thought. Then her
music began, and she walked onstage. The audience looked up at her, and she looked back at
them. She began (6. sing) ___________ in a clear, strong voice. When she finished her song, the
audience cheered. “Bravo! Bravo!” they shouted. Rita bowed, and she smiled from ear to ear.
Key: 1 ’ll go; 2 didn’t know; 3 frightened; 4. Suddenly; 5 couldn’t; 6 singing

8. Fill in the blanks with eight words from the box.

those – symptoms – surveys – better – income – those – likely – than – protect – for
New research suggests that people who live close to the sea are happier. They have (1)
___________ mental health than people who live in land .This is for the rich and the poor. The (2)
___________ looked at data from (3) ___________ of 26,000 people, asking people questions
about their happiness, lifestyle and (4) ___________. They found that (5) ___________ who live
within one kilometre of the coast are 22 per cent less (6) ___________ to show any signs of
mental health problems. People who lived more (7) ___________ 50 kilometres from the coast
had more (8) ___________ of mental health problems. The area along coasts seemed to protect
people from experiencing mental health problems and improve people’s health and wellbeing.
Key: 1 better; 2 researchers; 3 surveys; 4 income; 5 those; 6 likely; 7 than; 8 symptoms

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p21

9. Fill in the blanks with seven words from the box.
despite – on – technology – great – him – born – at – although – academically
Stephen hawking was an English physicist, cosmologist, author, and director of research at the
centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. He was (1) ____________ on
January 8, 1942, and he showed an interest in science and (2) ____________ at an early age.
Although known at school as “Einstein”, he was not successful (3) ____________ at first. With
time, he began to show (4) ____________ aptitude for scientific subjects and decided to study
mathematics at university. His father advised (5) ____________ to study medicine, concerned
that there were few jobs for mathematics graduates. (6) ____________ his illness, he developed a
reputation for brilliance; his scientific work included research (7) ____________ the origins and
structure of the universe. His illness gradually paralyzed him over the decades. He died on 14
March 2018 at the age of 76.
Key: 1 born; 2 technology; 3 academically; 4 great; 5 him; 6 despite; 7 on
10. Circle the correct option.
Stephen hawking was an English physicist, cosmologist, author, and director of research at
the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. He (1. born – was born –
birth) on January 8, 1942, and he showed an (2. interested – interested – interest) in science and
technology at an early age. Although (3. known – know – knew) at school as “Einstein”, he was
not successful academically at first. With time, he began to show great aptitude for (4. science –
scientific – scientist) subjects and decided to study mathematics at university. His father advised
him (5. study – studying – to study) medicine, concerned that there were few jobs for
mathematics graduates. (6. Although – Despite – In spite) his illness, he developed a reputation
for brilliance; his scientific work included research (7. in – at – on) the origins and structure of the
universe. His illness (8. gradual – gradually – graduate) paralyzed him over the decades. He died
on 14 March 2018 at the age of 76.
Key: 1 was born; 2 interest; 3 known; 4 scientific; 5 to study; 6 Despite; 7 on; 8 gradually
11. Put the bracketed words in the appropriate tense/form.
Stephen Hawking was an English physicist, cosmologist, author and director of research at the
centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. He (1. birth) _____________ on
January 8, 1942, and showed an interest in science and technology at an early age. Although
known at school as “Einstein”, he was not (2. success) ______________ academically at first. With
time, he began to show great aptitude for scientific subjects and (3. decide) _____________ to
study mathematics at university. His father advised him (4. study) ______________ medicine,
concerned that they were few jobs for mathematics graduates. Despite his illness, he developed a
reputation for brilliance; his (5. science) ______________ work included research on the origins
and structure of the universe. His illness (6. gradual) ______________ paralysed him over the
decades. He died on 14 March 2018 at the age of 76.
Key: 1 was born; 2 successful; 3 decided; 4 to study; 5 scientific; 6 gradually
12. Circle the correct option.
Martin Luther King did more than dream. He worked hard to make his dream (1. come / go /
have) true. He talked with leaders about the unfair treatment of black people. He gave (2. speaks

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p22

/ speechless / speeches) to huge crowds. He (3. stressed / discouraged / dealt) that we should
judge people by their actions and words, not by their skin colour. His message was clear – black,
white or brown, all should be treated (4. equal / equality / equally). Black families suffered (5. to
/ from / about) racism. They (6. are / being / were) forced to sit at the back of city buses, could
not use the same bathrooms (7. as / of / on) white people and were sometimes beaten, just
because of their skin colour. King listened to their stories and gave them (8. word / hope / thank).
He worked to make changes in the law. He did much more than dream!
Key: 1 come; 2 speeches; 3 stressed; 4 equally; 5 from; 6 were; 7 as; 8 hope

13. Put the bracketed words in the appropriate tense/form.

Garbage collectors in the Turkish capital Ankara are recycling the books they find in the trash.
They (1. create) ________________ a mobile library, full of books that people have thrown away.
There (2. be) ________________ now 9,000 books on the library’s shelves, divided into 20
categories, (3. include) ________________ drama, thrillers, romance, healthy living, etc. It is
inside a truck that tours schools in the suburbs. The garbage collectors hope to create a greater
passion for reading in children, (4. special) _______________ in the age of mobile phones and
tablets. Many schools (5. not have) _______________ a reading room or their own library. The
library has got a lot of attention in the country and there is now a campaign for it to grow. People
(6. send) _______________ books to it. “The interest is growing,” said its director. “Each day we
have guests coming here to borrow books or have a quiet time to read.”
Key: 1 have created; 2 are; 3 including; 4 especially; 5 do not have; 6 are sending

14. Fill in the blanks with six words from the box.
trouble / rate/ preferably / actually / employees / valued / contribute / ignored
Working women today have it better than ever before. But few people agree on how to help
them rise further. If both female and male ___________ become more “gender intelligent” about
how their work and behavioural preferences are innate. It would ___________ to a more
harmonious workforce. Women have been choosing to leave companies at twice ___________ of
men. Women often tell their bosses that they are quitting for personal reasons, but the majority
____________ leave because they feel excluded from teams and not ___________ for their
contributions. Yet, the reality is that women often have ___________ communicating with other
women at work as well. Women also often lack the financing that male entrepreneurs enjoy.
Key: employees – contribute – rate – actually – valued – trouble

15. Match the sentence parts in column A with those in column B to get a coherent paragraph.
There is one extra-part in column B. Write your answers in the space provided.
A B
1- Exposure to continuous noise a- may cause headaches.
2. In some cases, it leads b- on our health and mind.
3- It affects concentration and c- creates discomfort and irritation.
4- Therefore, it has harmful effects d- increase the quality of life.
e- to complete deafness.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p23

Now use some of the paragraphs below to develop language tasks of your choice. Check
the quality of your work using the suggested checklists.
1. There is a nice park near Grandma’s home. Pam and Grandma are going to have a picnic.
Grandma made good things to eat. “Yum!” said Pam. “I can’t wait!” Pam got her games and
books. Grandma put their things in the car. But then it started to rain! “What about our picnic?”
Pam asked. “Don’t give up on it,” said Grandma. She took the things out of the car. Pam helped.
“Let’s go inside,” said Grandma. She lit the fireplace. “Are we having a picnic here?” asked Pam.
“Yes, we are!” said Grandma. They had a great time!
2. Cats make wonderful pets. Like dogs, they can be very loving. They like to rub up against
people with their soft fur. When people pet cats, they purr to show they are happy. Cats are also
good at telling you what they need. They will meow when they are hungry. They will scratch at a
door if they want to be let inside. Sometimes cats like to be left alone, so they will not take up a
lot of your time. They sleep more than most other animals. Some cats sleep 16 hours a day! When
they wake up, they may want you to play with them. Some cats are shy and would rather hide
behind a chair or a desk. But you will see them soon enough when it is feeding time!
3. Football is the number one sport for British teenagers! They wear football clothes all the
time – they even wear football pyjamas in bed! They have posters of famous footballers in their
bedrooms. Girls play football, too. Gabriella, 17, is the captain of her school team. ‘People think
that girls don’t like football, but it’s not true. I love playing football.’ Charlotte, 16, doesn’t agree.
She says, ‘I hate football. My brothers watch it on TV all the time, and I go to my bedroom and
listen to music or read a book. When I grow up, my children aren’t going to play football, or watch
it – there will never be a football in my house!’
4. Joker is a 2019 American thriller movie inspired by the characters of an American comic
book company. Its story is set in 1981 and follows Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian who turns to a
life of crime and chaos in Gotham City. Always feeling alone in a crowd, the joker looks for getting
connected to others as he walks the streets. He lives a poor life with his mother. He is isolated,
bullied and disregarded by society. So he embarks on a slow descent into madness as he
transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the joker. The movie premiered at the 76th
Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2019, where it won the Golden Lion and was released in the
U.S. on October 4, 2019. It polarized critics; while Phoenix's performance was praised, the dark
tone, portrayal of mental illness, and handling of violence divided responses.
5. A Japanese university has said it will no longer hire teachers who smoke. It wants to create
a healthier environment for its workers and students. Its president said: “Our job as a university is
to look after our staff. We feel we have to discourage them from smoking.” Many companies have
also started not recruiting smokers. The president said there would be a ban on smoking
anywhere in the university by teaching and other staff from August. In addition, staff and students
will be banned from taking cigarettes into any areas of the university from April 2020. The no-
smoking policy taken by the university is part of a growing trend in Japan to ban smoking in public
spaces. There are currently bans in many public places, including restaurants and bars, in the lead-
up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
6. Thai Ngoc from Vietnam hasn’t slept since 1973. Doctors say he should have died in 1973
when an illness stopped him from being able to sleep. It is believed he caught a fever and hasn’t
slept at all since that time. Investigators have watched him for several days and nights and said he
really doesn’t sleep. They said that during the night, Thai works on his small farm. No doctors
have been able to help him. Sleeping medicines have no effect on him. Nobody can explain how
Thai is still alive, or how he can keep going for such a long time without any sleep. Thai said his
dream was to sleep and have a dream. Unfortunately for Thai, his dream has never come true.

Chapter One Guidance on Developing and Assessing Tests p24

 2. Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks

A. Zoom in on the text

1. The choice of appropriate texts involves student-related factors – students’ levels,
interests, background knowledge..., and text-related factors – relevance1, authenticity2,
complexity3... Texts should also display craft – at a level that is noteworthy and widely
recognized, and contain interesting, engaging, and significant ideas / themes. Eventually,
text choice depends on experience, judgment and a certain amount of common sense –
qualities that a handbook cannot provide; practice is necessary.
2. Testees need to be familiar with genre categories: article, letter, report, speech, story,
biography, etc., and type categories: narrative, expository, persuasive, argumentative,
descriptive.
3. You can modify4 a text; be careful about removing some of the features which make it
authentic or making it difficult to follow the links which make it cohesive. Note that
newspaper articles may not be clearly organised: they often have short paragraphs, not
necessarily clearly linked (with the first paragraph usually summing up the whole story).5
4. The text should not be a close approximation to texts students have already dealt with.
5. Do not repeatedly select texts of a particular kind simply because they are readily
available.
6. Texts that cannot be selected display some of the following,
• unfamiliar/unsuitable topics/concepts (war, death, religious beliefs, etc.); topics outside
the experience of students’ age group, unsuitable for their maturity level or interests
• linguistically dense; too high a level of difficulty of vocabulary or concepts
• complex grammatical structures (e.g., passive sentences, conditional phrases or long,
complicated sentences with embedded clauses)
• too great an assumption of cultural knowledge
7. Teacher teams can collaborate to select and make use of suitable quality sources of
reading materials.6 ‘Suitable’ text sources include magazines, newspapers, text-based
websites, etc., such as The Guardian, BBC News, CNN, She magazine, Woman magazine,
etc. See Annex 4 for a list of selected websites for possible assessment and teaching
materials.

1
The topic, the type of text and the information the text sustains make it relevant. Consider whether the text
acts as a window or a mirror – culturally responsive text selection includes finding texts that both reflect the
students’ identities, experiences and motivations (mirrors) and provide insight into the identities, experiences
and motivations of others (windows).
2
Authenticity in its broader concept – the text itself as well as its context and related tasks should be authentic.
3
See Annex 3, placed at the end of this section: Understanding and Determining Text Complexity
4
Modification, involving simplification and/or elaboration, purposes: “Text adaptations aim to fit readability
requirements and to fit acceptable standards of content, language, and values.” (Goodman, Shannon, Freeman,
and Murphy; 1988). What is needed is simplification of the task, not the text.
5
Regarding text length – How many extra words to tolerate beyond the recommended length: an extra 10% may
be tolerable, e.g., for Year 1, a text having 275 words instead of 250, especially if the text is not ‘complex’.
6
The text cannot be taken from extra-curricular, commercial books, previous exams, etc.

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p25

Understanding and Determining Text Complexity
Text complexity refers to the level of challenge a text provides (i.e. how simple or complex it
is) based on a trio of considerations:
a. its quantitative features,
b. its qualitative features, and
c. reader/text factors.
When teachers know what aspects of the text are likely to be challenging for students, they
can make decisions about the suitability/appropriateness of a text.
a. Determining the quantitative measures of the text
What is the degree of “readability” of the text, measured by computer software?
Readability formulas attempt to assign difficulty based on a combination of semantic features
(vocabulary) and syntactic features (sentence-length). A computer program will tell you
about:
 Word length
 Word frequency
 Word difficulty
 Sentence length
 Text length
 Text cohesion (features that can be counted or quantified; ‘how’ the text is complex),
but not about the content of the text.
Using technology to help determine the degree of complexity a text:
o MS Word – see the appendices for details on using it.
o Free online tools – see the appendices for a few online tools websites.
b. Analyzing the qualitative measures of the text
How can teachers measure the complexity of the content of the text?
To determine the complexity of a text based on its qualitative features (‘why’ the text is
complex), you need to consider the students who will be reading the text and use criteria
keyed to each dimension to analyze those areas that may interfere with students’
comprehension.
Dimensions to analyse:
 Text Meaning / Purpose
 Text structure
 Language features
 Knowledge demands
Estimating the level of text complexity – sample questions to ask:
 Does the passage have a single level of meaning or multiple meanings?
 Is the purpose explicitly stated, or is it vague?
 How is the text organized: chronologically or in another logical fashion?
 Is the text laid out in a simple format of a main idea with details to help convey meaning?
 Are vocabulary and sentence structure accessible to the average student?
 How much background knowledge will a student need in order to understand the
passage?
 How easy/complex are the comprehension questions?
The following chart clarifies the various issues related to text complexity.

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p26

 Annex 3: COMPLEXITY RUBRIC
Comfortable Moderate Challenging
1. PURPOSE and MEANING
 Purpose: simple, clear, concrete, easy to identify; text  Implied but easily identified based on context; may be  Abstract, implicit, ambiguous; student must use
has a singular perspective; purpose or main idea directly somewhat subtle/abstract and requires interpretation interpretative skills to identify it; revealed through the totality
stated at the beginning of text of text; text may contain multiple purposes.
 Meaning: The information is clear, ideas are simple,  The information includes simple and complex, abstract  The information is abstract, intricate; significant density
concepts are concretely explained; single and literal levels ideas and extensive details; more than one level of and complexity; multiple layers of content topics. Theme:
of meaning. Theme: obvious, revealed early in text. meaning. Theme: clear, revealed early in text. implicit/subtle/ambiguous, revealed over entirety of text.
2. TEXT STRUCTURE: Genre + Organisation + Connections between ideas + Signal words
 Genre: familiar; text is consistent with the genre rules.  Text exemplifies one genre, but deviates from typical  Unfamiliar; the text bends and expands the genre rules;
 Organization: ~Single, clear structure (chronological, characteristics of that genre. may include other embedded genres.
sequential); focuses on facts; connections between  ~More than 1 conventional structure; includes facts and /  ~Intricate, may combine multiple structures / genres,
concepts, processes, or events are clear and explicit or a thesis; connections between concepts, processes, or abstract; connections between concepts, processes, and
(informational text). events may be implicit and subtle (informational). events are intricate and subtle (informational).
~Simple conventional chronological plot pattern, with few/no ~Somewhat unconventional; may have two or more ~Intricate and unconventional, with multiple subplots and
shifts in point of view or time; plot is highly predictable; storylines and shifts in time and point of view; plot is shifts in time and point of view; plot is unpredictable;
relationships among ideas or characters are clear and sometimes hard to predict; relationships among ideas / relationships among ideas/characters are complex and
obvious (narrative text).  Signals and transitions are overt. characters are subtle & complex (narrative).  Signal words embedded, and must be inferred (narrative).
and phrases are present.
3. LANGUAGE CONVENTIONALITY and CLARITY: Style + Vocabulary + Sentence structure
 Language: explicit, literal; style is simple, conversational  Language: largely explicit, literal, with some occasions  Language: Generally complex, abstract, ironic, and/or
 Vocabulary: mostly contemporary and familiar; can be for complex meaning; style is objective figurative
determined through context clues  Familiar and academic vocabulary combined  Archaic, academic, demanding, domain-specific
 Sentences: mostly simple with a few concepts  Variety of sentence structures, with subordinate phrases  Variety of sentence structures, with subordinate phrases
or clauses. and clauses and transition words
4. KNOWLEDGE DEMANDS. To what extent does the passage correspond with the knowledge of the intended audience?
The text is complex when…  Background knowledge (Life Experiences). Demands on the student extend well beyond his or her personal life experience. General topic is unfamiliar with
many/most details unknown to the student.
 Prior knowledge (Subject-matter Knowledge). Demands on the student extend well beyond what he or she has been formally taught in school. Specialized / technical content knowledge is
presumed; little review or explanation of these concepts is present in the text.
 Cultural Knowledge (Culture and Literature). Demands extend well beyond student’s cultural experiences, may include references to archaic/historical cultures.

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p27

c. Student and Task Considerations
Exploring the Student / Exploring the Tasks / Exploring the Questions
 TEXT AND STUDENT
 Reading skills and cognitive capabilities.
• Do the students have the literal and critical comprehension skills to understand this text?
• Will the students have the ability to infer the deeper meanings of the text rather than just
achieve literal understanding?
• Does the information / story involve the appropriate level of cognitive engagement?
 Prior knowledge, experience, and engagement.
• Vocabulary / topical knowledge. Do the students have the adequate prior knowledge &
academic vocabulary / topical knowledge required for navigating this text and managing
the material that is presented?
• Genre familiarity. Are the students familiar with this particular text genre and its
characteristics in order to manage the material that is presented?
• Type familiarity. Are the students familiar with this particular text type and its
characteristics?
• Topic familiarity. Do the students have adequate prior knowledge and/or experience
regarding the topic of this text to manage the material presented?
• Text relevance and validity; Content suitability. Does the text match the students’
interests; is its content useful, meaningful, and interesting for them? Is it relevant for their
lives and related to their real-world reading purposes? Can they relate to the topic?
 Content and/or Theme Concerns
• Do the students have the maturity level required to address the text content/theme?

 TEXT AND TASKS / QUESTIONS

Matching Text to Tasks/Questions: Teachers should consider what students will be asked to
do with what they read (Task Concerns/Demands):
 Exploitability. Is this text ideal for the tasks? Does it lend itself to the expected task and its
purpose, e.g. skimming for information, identifying text structure, comparing / contrasting,
etc.?
 Familiarity. How much experience do the students have with these types of tasks /
questions?
 Accessibility. What is the level of difficulty of the tasks / questions associated with this text?

In brief
 Literary texts tend to be more complex if they involve...
o Multiple layers of meaning
o Subtle themes subject to interpretation
o Several narrators, speakers, or points of view
o Unfamiliar or archaic vocabulary

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p28

 o Varied sentence structure
o No predictable narrative, dramatic, or poetic pattern
o Numerous shifts in time and place
o Characters using ambiguous, subtle, or ironic language
o Reliance on background knowledge of literary genres
o Many unexplained allusions to other texts
o Reliance on knowledge of cultural experiences and situations unfamiliar to most 21 st-
century (young) students

 Informational texts tend to be more complex if they involve...

o Several abstract ideas and concepts
o Complicated connections among ideas, processes, or events
o Several organizing structures (e.g., sequential, cause and effect, problem and solution)
o Reasoning hard to follow due to dense, ambiguous, or inconsistent ideas
o Illustrations and other graphics containing essential information
o Dense and academic vocabulary
o Many compound-complex sentences
o Many references to other texts, ideas, or theories
o Reliance on knowledge of historical, scientific, technical, or artistic content unfamiliar
to most 21st-century young students

Annex 4: Selected websites for assessment and teaching materials

 The Guardian: www.theguardian.com
 BBC: www.bbc.com/news
 Time: www.timeforkids.com
 The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning
 www.newsela.com
 https://breakingnewsenglish.com/
 www.tweentribune.com
 https://www.readingvine.com/
 https://www.rif.org/
 https://www.readworks.org/
 https://www.dogonews.com/
 https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/
 https://teachingkidsnews.com/
 https://learningenglish.voanews.com
 https://youngzine.org/
 http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/news-lessons/monthly-topical-news-lessons/
 https://learnwithnews.com/

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p29

B. Zoom in on the comprehension questions
1. Items should measure important knowledge, skills, and understandings. They should not
focus on incidental or insignificant material in the text.
2. Items should not elicit knowledge or skills unrelated to reading (e.g., mathematics).
3. Craft questions that assess comprehension skills as directly and authentically as possible
by employing a range of question types relevant to instruction and life.7
4. Ensure that the questions are motivating, engaging and relevant to students.
5. Develop questions that are accessible, valid, accurate, authentic, respectful in
representation, and consistent with universal design principles.
6. Questions should have varied difficulty levels. Refer to Bloom’s taxonomy in the
appendices.
7. Answers have to be derived from what is stated or implied in the passage (and graphics, if
any) rather than from prior knowledge of the topics – avoid items which can be answered
without using the text, e.g. using background knowledge only.8
8. Avoid items which can be answered without understanding the text – such items usually
involve simply matching a string of words in the question with the same string in the text.
9. The sequence of items should approximate the manner in which readers would typically
process the target text.
10. Items requiring skimming, searching, and so forth should precede prompts requiring
careful (bottom-up) skills. Also, order the questions from general to specific.9 You may
present items in the order in which the answers can be found in the text.
11. Items must cover the entire passage; avoid creating several items all concentrated on a
single paragraph while leaving the rest of the passage without any item coverage. Ensure
the entire task offers a good and complete coverage of the passage.
12. Items should use language at or slightly below grade level to avoid any misunderstanding
of what is being asked, be clear and concise leaving no doubt as to what the question is
asking and avoid using contractions and multiple-meaning words.
13. Ensure the item is written in clear, accurate language. Simplify the instructions in order to
provide maximum readability and comprehensibility – avoid double barrelled, loaded,
leading, ambiguous, or biased items; avoid including superfluous information in order to
minimise the reading load, etc.
14. Review every question multiple times to ensure that the questions are written in a way
that models good instruction for the teacher and productive work for the student.
15. Responses should make minimal demands on writing ability – students may read the text
perfectly well but difficulties in writing prevent them demonstrating this.
16. We should not expect test taking strategies such as the following to appear:
• Matching words in the question with the same words in the passage.

7
See Annex 5: Reading Comprehension Items: Item formats suitable for assessing reading abilities.
8
The question to cater for is: Is all information necessary for comprehension in the passage itself?
9
The order in which questions are presented should be as natural as possible, with general questions about
central ideas, themes, point of view, overall text structure, and the like coming early in the sequence (so that
students can first build and demonstrate an understanding of the passage as a whole), followed by more
localized questions about details, words in context, evidence, and the like (after students have had an
opportunity to consider the whole passage and how its parts interrelate).

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p30

 • Using clues appearing in other questions to answer the question under consideration.
• Using one’s existing knowledge or experience to answer the questions.
• ‘Blind’ guessing not based on any particular rationale.

Annex 5:
Reading comprehension item formats suitable for assessing different reading abilities.
The most
Skill to assess
appropriate item The instructions to use
(objectives)
formats to use
1) Reading for gist • Multiple choice • Circle/underline/tick the most appropriate option.
(skimming) • Matching • Match each paragraph with its main idea / title.
• Fill in / Complete the following table with the
appropriate information.
• Complete the following table with causes, effects...
• Multiple choice as appropriate.
2) Reading for detail • Fill-in • Complete the following sentences / paragraphs
(scanning) • Short response with the appropriate information from the text – One
• False/justify word per blank.
• WH-questions
• For each of the following false statements, pick out
one detail from the text showing that it is false.
3) Identifying main
ideas and supporting • Matching • Match each paragraph with its supporting details.
details
4) Inferring logical
• Match each cause with the appropriate effect.
relationships • Matching
• Complete the following causes or effects as
(sequence, cause- • Fill-in
appropriate.
effect...)
5) Identifying the • Match the following utterance(s) with the
• Matching
functions of appropriate function(s).
• Short response
utterances... •What do(es) the following utterance(s) express?
6) Summarizing main Complete the following paragraph with the
• Fill-in
points appropriate information from the text.
7) Identifying
• What do the underlined words in the text refer to?
reference • Short response
 ...... in paragraph X refers to: ......
relationships
• What does the underlined word in each sentence
mean? Circle / Underline the most appropriate
option.
8) Inferring meaning • Multiple choice • For each of the following words / expressions, find
from context • Short response one word in paragraph X that means approximately
the same.
• For each of the following definitions, find one word
in paragraph X that means approximately the same.
• WH-questions
9) Reacting to content • Short response
• Yes / No questions; justify.
Chart prepared by Inspector M. Gbahi.

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p31

Notes:
1) a. Regarding ‘Select the words that apply to...’ items: Care should be taken when marking
this item type – if the question asks for two items: for an answer providing:
 2 correct items plus one incorrect item  1 mark is allotted rather than 2.  2 correct
items plus 2 incorrect items  no credit.  1 correct item plus 1 incorrect item  1 mark.
 1 correct item plus 2 incorrect items  no credit.
b. A similar marking issue may arise when marking a test item that asks examinees to pick
out from the text, say three pieces of information (causes, problems, details, etc.) and
write each one in one table cell (information transfer), e.g. causes: (a) ... | (b) ... | (c) ... :
for an answer providing:  all 3 correct items written in one cell (e.g. cell (a))  full credit
(3 marks).  3 correct items plus one incorrect item all written in one cell  partial credit
(deduce 1 mark from total mark: 2 marks instead of 3).  3 correct items written in one
cell plus one incorrect item written in another cell  partial credit (deduce 1 mark: 2
marks instead of 3).
2) Regarding the Paragraph Completion item: The instructions should specify the policy
towards misspelled answers: normally, a misspelt answer is accepted as long as meaning
is not altered, e.g. forgoten.
3) Regarding the False/Justify Item type: The instruction should specify that the detail
ranges from one word to one full sentence, but no more, and that it should be written
entirely, without using ellipsis (…….).
4) Regarding Short-Answer Questions: These are not easy to construct. The question must
be worded in such a way that all possible answers are foreseeable. The reliability, fairness,
and practicality of scoring short-answer items depend on a complete answer key that
accommodates unanticipated student responses (Airasian & Russell, 2008; Alderson, 2000).
5) Regarding the Reaction-to-Text Item Type: Student response should be reasonably
worthy of the mark allotted, e.g. it should not lift expressions/ideas literally from text or
be trivial, etc.
6) Regarding the difficulty level of the questions: You can code each question as asking for
higher-level or lower-level ideas from the text. Consider the following types of questions:
a. Literal Questions, like ‘How many people were in the boat?’: These ask for the direct literal
meaning of a word, sentence or idea in context. They may ask for details (locating or
identifying facts), main ideas, sequence (order of incidents or actions) and recognition of
character traits.
b. Interpretive Questions, like ‘Do you think the people will be safe in the boat?’: These probe
for greater depth than literal comprehension, asking for meanings not directly stated in the
text. They include questions that ask for generalizations, cause and effect, anticipation of
endings and the sensing of motives.
c. Critical Reading Questions, like ‘Do you think it was a good idea to go out in that boat?’:
These ask for evaluation and personal judgment. They may also be concerned with underlying
assumptions in the text. ‘Why do you think the author has chosen to write about girls (and not
boys) sailing the boat?’
d. Creative Reading questions, like ‘What would you do if you were in the boat?’: These ask the
reader to go beyond the author’s text to obtain or express new ideas.
Also, consider the questions taxonomy below, suggested by Diana Freeman, divided into
three categories: they are the types of questions that require the student to understand
the Content, the types of questions that require the student to carry out Language-
related tasks, and the types of questions that address student Affect regarding the text.

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p32

Annex 6: Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension Questions10
Categories Comprehension Description
question types
Content 1) Textually Explicit The answer to the question can be found stated directly in
questions the text. There is word-matching between the question and
the text. The information required is in sequential sentences.
2) Textually Implicit The answer to the question is stated directly in the text but is
not expressed in the same language as the question (no
word-matching). The information is not all in the same order.
It is separated by at least one sentence.
3) Inferential The answer to the question is not stated explicitly in the text
Comprehension but rather alluded to. The student has to combine their
background knowledge with the information in the text and
make the necessary connections.
Language 4) Reorganization This type requires the student to reorder, rearrange or
questions transfer information in the text.
–Putting sequences in chronological order
–Transferring data into parallel forms (e.g. label pictures /
maps, complete a table, translate)
5) Lexical This type requires the student to focus specifically on
vocabulary, not information. Included in this category are
exercises where the student
– guesses the meaning of a word or phrase from the context
– matches definition A with word/phrase B
– uses a dictionary
Word attack and text attack strategies are included in this
level.
6) Form This type requires the student to focus specifically on
grammar or form, not information. Examples of form
questions include exercises where the student
– changes a sentence from the affirmative to the negative
– forms the question that goes with a given answer
– explains the use of one tense rather than another (e.g.
present perfect not past simple)
Affect 7) Personal This type requires the student to offer their personal reaction
questions Response to the text in terms of likes/dislikes, what they found funny,
surprising etc. The student can be asked to transfer the
situation in the text to their own cultural context and
comment. Highly subjective, there is no ‘right’ answer.
8) Evaluation This type requires the student to make a judgement or
assessment of the text/information according to some
understood criteria. These criteria can be
– formally recognized independent sources
– teacher provided
– student-set standards
The student is also expected to provide a rationale or
justification for their view.
10
Source: Reading Comprehension Questions: The Distribution of Different Types in Global EFL Textbooks pp72-110,
by Diana Freeman; in English Language Teaching Textbooks: Content, Consumption, Production; Nigel Harwood, Ed.

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p33

C. Assessing and Developing Reading Comprehension Items
(1) Practice activities: Examining Texts
a. Look at each text below and determine whether you would select or reject it. Use the
suggested checklist below. Then complete the table for each examined text.

 Quality review of the text

1 Is the content interesting, useful, meaningful, and suitable?11 Are the issues up-to-date?
2 Does the text represent high quality writing? Is the source acknowledged?
3 If the text is adapted, is it accessible for all students appropriately?
4 Theme relation to syllabus and topic familiarity?12
5 Genre familiarity?
6 Type familiarity?
7 Length appropriateness?
8 Is there a match between text and students’ reading skills and cognitive capabilities?
9 Is there a match between text and students’ prior knowledge, experience, and
motivation?
10 Is the text appropriate for assessing a range of reading skills?
11 Is the text suitable for a good exploitation?
12 Is the complexity level of the text acceptable?13

Target grade level: ....................... Suitable for term n°: .......................

Reasons for selection: Reasons for rejection:
.................................................................... ....................................................................
.................................................................... ....................................................................
.................................................................... ....................................................................
What aspects of the text will likely pose the most challenge for my students?
o Content or theme concerns or challenges?
o Text structure challenges?
o Language feature challenges?
o Knowledge and experience demands?
o Motivation for and interest in the text?

Other possible challenges for students:

...........................................................................................................................................
Overall appropriateness and quality of the passage: ...... / 10

11
Upsetting issues – war, death, suicide, etc. are avoided.
12
See Appendices for themes/topics included in Tunisian textbooks (Basic and Secondary Education).
13
Helpful hints:  Simple/concrete IDEAS (vs. complex/abstract) + single layer of MEANING (vs. multiple levels) +
obvious THEME (vs. implicit)  Simple text FORMAT with an explicit purpose/main idea and details (vs. implicit /
intricate)  Simple, explicit ORGANIZATION (e.g. chronological) (vs. complex/implicit)  Accessible LANGUAGE STYLE
(literal, conversational vs. complex, unfamiliar), VOCABULARY (clear, contemporary vs. figurative, academic), and
SENTENCE STRUCTURE (simple + compound vs. complex)  Moderate KNOWLEDGE DEMANDS (vs. extensive).

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p34

b. Select a text and highlight “juicy” sentences to exploit for literal questions and “juicy”
sentences to exploit for inferential questions. Ensure you identify the core understandings
and key ideas of the text—keeping one eye on the major points being made is crucial for
fashioning an overarching set of successful questions.
c. Identify the sections of the text that will present the greatest challenge (sections with
difficult syntax, particularly dense information, and tricky transitions or places that offer a
variety of possible inferences) and locate the most powerful words in the text that are
connected to the key ideas and understandings. Think of questions that draw students’
attention to these specifics so they can become aware of these connections. Vocabulary
selected for focus should be academic words that are likely to be encountered in future
reading and studies.

Text n°1: Writing a story

Today our teacher asked us to write a story. She said we could draw pictures to go
with it. I decided to write my life story. I started with the night I was born. I drew a
picture of me as a tiny baby. I wrote about what my first words were and how I liked to
play.
When I was little I was always making tall towers. My grandfather thought I would
build hotels when I grew up. I also liked to ride my scooter and swing on the swings in the
park. The next picture is of me licking an ice cream cone and getting it all over me. I still
love chocolate ice cream.
Then I wrote about my first day at school. I wrote about how I cried and cried because
I didn’t want my mother to leave me. I made a drawing of me with a sad face. The last
page is about my last birthday party. I drew of picture of me blowing out the candles on
my birthday cake.
https://www.fusd1.org (176 words)

Text n°2: A rock star

I’m Kate. I’m fourteen, and I live in Yorkshire with my parents and my three sisters.
And I’m bored! I go to school all day, and I do homework all night. At the weekends, I can’t
go out with my friends, because I have to do more homework. My parents want me to go
to university and be a doctor when I grow up. I want to play in a band. I’m a rock star, not
a doctor! My parents don’t understand me. I don’t understand them.
Music is the love of my life. When I’m not doing my homework, I listen to music.
(Sometimes when I am doing my homework I also listen to music – but my mum comes to
my bedroom and switches it off.) I’m listening to music now. Yes, it’s loud, but I like it.
Mum doesn’t like it. I hope she’s still at the supermarket.
Oh no! Mum’s banging at my door! She’s shouting ‘Switch it off, Kate!’. Clearly, my
mum doesn’t want me to be a rock star!
http://oup.com/elt (174 words)

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p35

Text n°3: Our birthdays

Great-Grandma and I shared the same name and the same birthday. When my 18th
coincided with her 90th, I couldn’t understand why my parents decided to have one big
party for both of us. She was a short woman and liked to wear black blouses. Her rigid
face often frightened me. When I was a teenager, she made my life horrible with her
observations. “Trousers aren’t suitable for the female form,” she said once. When we
disagreed on anything, I was near to tears. I complained to my parents, but it had little
effect. They said she was an old lady, and we had to make excuses for her.
Finally, we agreed on something for the first time – the double party. We both hated
the idea. But my friends and I arranged to meet at a club the following night. On the day of
the party, I was unhappy until Great-Grandma called me to her room. She smiled as she
gave me a cheque for £250 and said, “You could buy new jeans for your party with your
friends tomorrow night”. She also gave me a birthday cake, “ordered especially for you
and your friends”. I was very surprised and happy. When we came down the stairs
together arm-in-arm, I couldn’t help but notice the looks on my parents’ faces.
Woman, 30 March 1998 (adapted) (220 words)

Text n°4: Sarah Cawood

Sarah Cawood is a British TV presenter. She has presented The Girlie Show, Top of the
Pops and Live & Kicking. “Ballet was my life when I was at school,” she says about her
school experience. “I used to dance very often and fit in my school work around it. I was
lucky because my school was supportive. Although I knew from an early age that I was
going to be a ballet dancer, I still loved school. My dad asked me if I wanted to go to a
specialist ballet school when I was 11, and I said, ‘I’ll go when I’m 16.’
I was excited every day to go to school. I remember the headmaster telling us that we
could do anything we wanted to do. Because it was a girls’ school, I liked all the gossiping
about boys. I liked History and Latin, but my favourite lesson was French. Working in
languages appealed to me, so it seemed like a good plan.
I got into the Royal Ballet School when I was 16. It was one of the worst experiences of
my life; your character is not really encouraged. I got kicked out at the end of my first
year. I felt like such a failure then. But now I can see that it set me on the path to where I
am now.”
The Guardian; 18 January 2005 (adapted) (227 words)

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p36

Text n°5: Dindim the penguin

In 2011 on a beach in Brazil, fisherman Joao de Souza, 71, found a little penguin
covered in oil and close to death. He took him home. He cleaned his feathers and fed
him, naming him Dindim. When he was healthy again, he released him back into the
sea. He never expected to see his new friend again.
The penguin liked his new friend so much that he decided to stay for another
eleven months! Dindim eventually returned to his home in Argentina. But he soon came
back a few months later to see his old friend once more. Souza was walking on the
beach one day when he saw his friend wagging his tail and honking with delight. By
now it was apparent that Dindim would see this as a home from home. Each year for
the past few years, the penguin has spent most of the year living with Souza before
returning to his place during the mating season.
It is estimated that Dindim swims up to 8000 kilometres each year to be reunited
with his friend. Each year he seems to be happier than ever at their reunion. He is
content to sit on Souza’s lap and pecks at anyone else who tries to get close to the pair.
“I love the penguin like it’s my own child,” said Souza, “and I believe he loves me.”
www.dailymail.co.uk; 8 March 2016 (adapted) (230 words)

Text n°6: Video games

1. Playing video games can be a fun way to unwind or spend time with friends. In schools,
teachers use games like Minecraft to encourage teamwork and critical thinking. But for some
players, gaming is an unhealthy habit. At night, they are glued to a screen. Schoolwork suffers.
The video-game world seems a friendlier place than the real one. Mental health experts have
taken notice. In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) added gaming disorder to its list
of diseases and health conditions. A person may have the disorder if gaming has damaged his
or her relationships with family and friends, and if it has affected his or her daily activities.
2. Not all experts agree that excessive gaming should be called a disorder. They say people
hooked on video games may be suffering from other mental health problems. These should
be treated first. Others think WHO made the right call. Psychiatrist Clifford Sussman treats
gaming addiction. He says kids often have feelings of anxiety. They get angry when a parent
pries them from a device. “It becomes a self-destructive activity,” Sussman told TIME.
3. What makes video games addictive? Playing excites the brain’s reward centre. After a
while, the brain becomes numb to pleasure. You feel bored without a controller in your hand.
So you play even more. Sussman advises tracking how long you play. He says you should take
at least an hour-long break after every hour of play. The brain needs time to recover. Young
gamers who think they might have a problem should ask an adult for help. Sussman suggests
you first answer a simple question: “Are you in control, or is the game in control?”
www.timeforkids.com/g34/hooked-on-games/ Brian S. McGrath. September 14, 2018 (280 words)

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p37

Text n°7: Claudia Schiffer
1. Claudia Schiffer is a famous supermodel. She first gained worldwide recognition by
appearing in advertisements in early 1989.
2. Born on August 25th, 1970, Claudia was raised in Düsseldorf. Her mother was a
homemaker and her father was a lawyer. As a child, she had no plans to be a model; in fact,
she wanted to be a lawyer in her father’s law firm. Claudia’s ambition to become a lawyer
changed one night when she went to a nightclub in October 1987. A modelling agent, Michel
Levaton, saw Claudia and was impressed with her. Claudia flew off to Paris for her first test
shoot and a star was born.
3. Claudia’s first big success came from the popular cover shot for Elle magazine. After
that, magazines all over Europe wanted Claudia on their front covers. Guess? Magazine made
Claudia their Guess? girl in a huge advertising campaign.
4. She has been on TV many times throughout her career on shows such as Larry King Live,
The Tonight Show and The Late Show. Besides her television appearances, Claudia has also
starred in a number of feature films dating back to 1994. Her most recent role was in the film
Black & White.
5. Claudia is also a businesswoman. She is one of the founders of the trendy restaurant
chain, Fashion Café. She opened the restaurant with her fellow modelling friends in 1995. As
for her hobbies, Claudia likes riding horses, painting, playing tennis, reading, skiing and
dancing. Claudia speaks many languages including German, French and English.
6. Claudia is still one of the top supermodels in today’s modelling industry. She says that in
the future she wants to do more acting and she would like to have a large family.
www.askmen.com (290 words)

Text n°8: LeBron James

1. There’s a new public school in Akron, Ohio. Teachers greeted students on opening day
with cheers and big smiles. But no one had a bigger grin than basketball hero LeBron James.
“This is a huge moment in my life,” he said at the July 30 opening. The I Promise School is his
parting gift to Ohio. He recently announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now he
plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
2. IPS opened with 240 students in grades 3 and 4. Students receive free uniforms and
bikes. When IPS students graduate from high school, they will get a full scholarship to the
University of Akron. Many IPS students struggle with assignments. Some have had behaviour
problems. Others are distracted by worries at home. IPS works to help them overcome these
challenges. “LeBron was a public school kid,” said a director at the LeBron James Family
Foundation. The group developed IPS with Akron Public Schools. She adds, “Helping kids just
like him is very important to him.”
3. James grew up poor in Akron. He moved a lot; he missed 83 days of school in fourth
grade. Support from the community helped him get back on track. The school wants to
support kids in the same way. Every day, the school begins with an “I Promise circle.” There,
kids talk through what is bothering them. It also has a food pantry. “All of these things
combined create an atmosphere where students feel loved and valued at school,” said Nicole
Hassan. She works with Akron Public Schools and IPS. One student says she is already happier
at I Promise. “I feel thankful. This school helps me be a better person.” IPS has one more
feature that seen as being especially cool: “It has all of LeBron’s game shoes.”
https://www.timeforkids.com/g34/g3lebron/ - October 19, 2018 (295 words)

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p38

Text n°9: Wilma Rudolph
More than sixty years ago, Wilma Rudolph was born into a hard-working family with little
money. She was one of twenty-two children. Wilma had been small and weak at birth.
Because of this, she suffered one illness after another. Her family could not afford a doctor;
her mother cared for her as best she could. When she was six years old, she fell ill with polio.
The disease left her legs weak, and doctors said she would never be able to walk. Mrs.
Rudolph finally found a hospital willing to help Wilma. The workers there helped Wilma gain
strength in her legs. At home, her brothers and sisters helped with the treatments, too. By the
time she was twelve, Wilma was walking without help.
Wilma not only walked, she ran, and ran quickly. She decided to become an athlete. At
first, she played basketball. Soon she became a star, leading her team to a state
championship. She also developed her track skills. By age sixteen, she had won a bronze
medal in a relay race at the Olympic games. She went on to become the first American
woman to win three gold medals at the Olympics. She won three different races, two sprints
of different distances and one relay race. Using her fame as an athlete, she reached out to
others. She coached students in high schools and colleges. She made regular appearances on
TV and radio shows. She also set up a group to help bring sports into poor neighbourhoods.
Wilma was African American. At the time she was born, many opportunities were not
equally available for all people. It would be many years before the laws and opportunities of
the country were applied equally to all people. Her successes were all the more meaningful
because of the many challenges she faced. Today, women and men from all backgrounds
remember Wilma Rudolph with pride and respect.
http://wilsonteacher.weebly.com/professional-resources.html (320 words)

Text n°10: Alternative education

In the past few years, more young people than ever have been studying beyond the age of
16. In 2009-10, 70.6% of 16- to 18-year-olds were in full-time education while 47% of 17- to
30-year-olds went into higher education. But will this continue to be the case? Chairman of
Whole Education says: “Whether to go to university has become both an educational and an
economic question. For an increasing number, the answer will be ‘no’.” So what might
happen in the future, particularly for those who decide not to go to university? The chairman
predicts that more young people will try setting up their own business or working for
companies that offer training or a degree alongside the job. Others who did not enjoy school
might look beyond the classroom for different ways of learning.
Mentoring – where experienced individuals offer guidance to others starting out on the
same path – is an increasingly important part of a broader education. Young people need
motivation to realise their potential and mentoring can be key to this. The Prince’s Trust, for
instance, runs an enterprise programme for unemployed young people who want to start
business and offers start-up services including grants and business mentoring. Sue Taylor, 25,
from Doncaster is an award-winning entrepreneur whose chain of beauty salons will make
£260,000 this year. But her teenage years did not point to such success. “I was rebellious at
school,” she says. “I dropped out at 15, so I did not sit my GCSEs.”
Taylor had a variety of jobs, including working in a department store, but was unemployed
when she became pregnant. At a drop-in centre for single mums, she said she wanted to
become self-employed so that she could work while caring for her son. In September 2008,
the centre introduced her to the Trust. She had earned a diploma in beauty and spotted a gap

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p39

in the market for an eyelash and hair extension salon. It gave her a £3,000 loan and a £500
grant to pay for training and marketing. In September 2009, at 23 she became the youngest
person to rent places in her local shopping centre when she opened the Original Lash and Nail
Bar. In August, she opened another branch in Leeds. She advises potential entrepreneurs to
have great perseverance and seize the abundant opportunities.
The Guardian, 19 November 2011 (Adapted) (386 words)

Comparing two versions of a text

I have a dream (Original)
1. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister. He lived in the 1950s and noticed that
equality among people did not exist. People of colour were discriminated against and treated
very poorly. During this time period, the Supreme Court ruled on the case Brown v. Board of
Education. This case was about ending segregation in public schools.
2. King fought for civil rights for all people. He made many speeches and marched in
protests. He was trying to get the government to allow freedom to all people. King was
eventually arrested and thrown in jail.
3. When he got out, he organized a march in Washington, D.C. On the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial, he delivered his most famous speech. This speech talked about his dream that one
day all children could sit and work together regardless of the colour of their skin. His speech also
talked about all Americans deserving the same rights.
4. Thousands of people heard this speech. This speech helped lead to laws like the Civil
Rights Act of 1964. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was, and still is, an inspiration to many.
I have a dream (Simplified)
1. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked for a church. He lived in the 1950s. He saw that equality
between people did not exist. White people treated black people very poorly. The Supreme
Court made a decision on the Brown v. Board of Education case in the 1950s. The case was about
black children and white children going to public school together.
2. King fought for freedom for all people. He gave speeches. He marched in protests. He
wanted the government to give freedom to all people. King was arrested. He was put in jail.
3. When he got out, he planned a march in Washington, D.C. He gave a famous speech. The
speech talked about his dream. He wanted all children to be able to sit and work together. His
speech also talked about all Americans having the same rights.
4. Lots of people listened to this speech. This speech helped make new laws. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. was, and still is, an inspiration to people.

Breakdown of the Implemented Modifications

Modification Additional information
Low frequency word replaced with high frequency word 15 Original Simplif.
Definition of synonym added - Number of 15 20
Verb tense changed (passive to active) 1 sentences
Deletion of unnecessary information 3 Total number of 193 172
Pronoun replaced by name of noun 1 words in text
Compound sentence broken into two simple sentences 3 Average number of 12.3 8.2
Topic is fronted 1 words per sentence
Source: The effects of two types of text modification on English language learners’ reading
comprehension: simplification versus elaboration, by S. Maxwell (Master of Arts capstone; March
2011)

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p40

(2) Practice activities: Examining and writing comprehension questions
Review the quality of the comprehension questions below developed by groups of
teachers for some of the texts suggested above.

 Checking the relevance and quality of the comprehension questions and key
1 Are the questions accessible to the average student?
2 Is the used language accurate, simple, clear and familiar?
3 Do the questions avoid focusing on one or two paragraphs?
4 Do the questions have answers within the text?
5 Are the questions free of clues within and among them? Free of overlapping?
6 Is the number of questions as recommended? (Basic Ed.: 5; Secondary Ed.: 6–7)
7 Are the questions types varied? Are they familiar?
8 Are the questions levels varied (Balance of literal and higher-order Qs)? Are they familiar?
9 Are the instructions clear, adequate and in conformity with the recommendations?
10 Multiple-Choice Items   Tick the ‘most appropriate’ option.  Most information is in the
stem, without unnecessary material.  Alternatives are the same length, parallel and brief,
without repeated material.  Distractors are plausible.
11 Paragraph completion (Instruction: Complete the paragraph with words from paragraph(s)
X (and Y) without making any changes to them. One word per blank.)
12 ‘Select the words that apply to...’  Identify two items that describe or apply to X? (NB All
items have to be familiar to testees. (Refer to textbook word lists.))
13 False/Justify (Instruction: For each of the following statements, pick out one detail from
paragraph X showing that it is false.)
14 True-False   Circle/Tick ‘True or False’ (not ‘Write’).  The statement is not lifted from
text and slightly modified.  The statement is worded so carefully that it can be judged
clearly true or false.  The statement is relatively short, without unnecessary material, and
positively stated.
15 Are items requiring several possible answers avoided? (Except reaction to text)
16 Do the responses make minimal demands on writing ability?
17 Scoring criteria and answer key: Are they adequate?   All correct and possible answers
/ responses are included.  The mark scheme is indicated on the test paper.
18 Task revision: Has the task been revised for content validity and language accuracy and
appropriacy according to guidelines? (Self / Peer review)
(Where applicable. Presentation and layout: Are they appropriate? (Items are well laid,
legible, and spaced so that they can be read, answered, and scored without difficulty.)

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p41

 Comprehension Questions for Text n°2: A rock star
1. Tick the most appropriate alternative. (1 mark)
The text is mainly about Kate’s
a) daily routine
b) strict parents
c) school day
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

2. Are the following statements true or false? Tick () the correct box. (2 marks)
Statements True False
a) Kate enjoys her studies at school.
b) Music is Kate’s favourite hobby.
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

3. Answer the following question with reference to the text. (1 mark)

How does Kate feel?
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

4. What does the underlined word in the text refer to? (1 mark)
‘it’ (para. 2) refers to: ..........................................................................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

5. Give a personal justified answer to the following question. (1 mark)

Do you share the mother’s opinion about music?
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

Answer key
1. b
2. a) False. b) True
3. She feels bored / fed up / annoyed.
4. music
5. Yes, because music is a waste of time.
Or: No, because music is a means of entertainment.

Criteria + ratings:
C1 ...... ; C2 ...... ; C3 ...... ; C4 ...... ; C5 ...... ; C6 ...... ; C7 ...... ; C8 ...... ; C9 ...... ; C10 ...... ; C11
...... ; C12 ...... ; C13 ...... ; C14 ...... ; C15 ...... ; C16 ...... ; C17 ...... ; C18 ......

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p42

 Comprehension Questions for Text n°5: Dindim the Penguin

1. Tick the most appropriate option. (1 mark)

The text is mainly about
 a) a fisherman who saved a penguin.
 b) a fisherman and a penguin friendship.
 c) the death of a penguin on the beach.
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

2. Are the following statements true or false? Tick () the correct box. (2 marks)
Statements True False
a) Joao de Souza and the penguin agreed to meet again.
b) The penguin goes back to the sea at all times in the year.
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

3. Read paragraph one and answer the question below. (1 mark)

How was the penguin when the fisherman first found it?
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

4. What does the underlined word in the text refer to? (1 mark)
‘His place’ (para. 2) refers to: .........................................................................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

5. Circle the adjective that best describes the bird. (1 mark)

aggressive / funny / desperate / loyal
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

Answer key
1. b
2. a) False. b) False.
3. It was covered with oil and close to death. Or: It was sick. Or: It was dirty.
4. Argentina / his home in Argentina
5. loyal

Criteria + ratings:
C1 ...... ; C2 ...... ; C3 ...... ; C4 ...... ; C5 ...... ; C6 ...... ; C7 ...... ; C8 ...... ; C9 ...... ; C10 ...... ; C11
...... ; C12 ...... ; C13 ...... ; C14 ...... ; C15 ...... ; C16 ...... ; C17 ...... ; C18 ......

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p43

Comprehension Questions for Text n°7: Claudia Schiffer

1. Tick the right option. (1 mark)

The text is:
a) a biography 
b) an autobiography. 
c) a diary. 
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

2. Complete the table with information from the paragraph. (3 marks)

a) Name: Claudia Schiffer
b) Dream: ........................................................................................................
c) Her career: ........................................................................................................
d) Future plans: ........................................................................................................
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

3. For each of the following statements, pick out one detail from the text showing that it is
false. (3 marks)
a) Claudia Schiffer was raised in a poor family. (para. 2)  Low-level or high-level ideas?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
b) Claudia failed to attract international attention. (para. 3)  Low-level or high-level
ideas?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
c) Claudia had her own restaurant chain. (para. 5)  Low-level or high-level ideas?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................

4. Complete the text summary with three words from paragraph 4. (3 marks)
Claudia Schiffer has reached celebrity. Her .............................. didn’t stop in the level of
fashion. She played a .............................. in Black & White film in addition to other
participations in other feature films. Not only that, but also .............................. in TV enabled
the superstar to climb the ladder of fame.
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

5. What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (2 marks)

a) ‘her’ (para. 2) refers to ..........................................................................................
b) ‘their’ (para. 3) refers to ..........................................................................................
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p44

6. Find the synonyms of the following words in the text. (3 marks)
a) well-known (para.1) = ..............................
b) fascinated (para.2) = ..............................
c) fashionable (para.5) = ..............................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

7. Give a personal justified answer to the following question. (1 mark)

If you were in Claudia’s place, would you do the same thing?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

Answer Key
1. a 
2. b) a lawyer. c) a model / a businesswoman. d) To do more acting and to have a large family
3. a) “Claudia Schiffer’s mother was a house maker and her father was a lawyer.”
OR: “She wanted … firm” OR: “her father ...a lawyer.”
b) “Claudia’s first big success came from the popular cover shot for Elle magazine.”
c) “She is one of the founders of the trendy restaurant chain, Fashion Café.”
OR: “She opened the restaurant with her fellow modelling friends in 1995.”
4. career – role – appearances
5. a) Claudia. b) magazines
6. a) famous. b) impressed. c) trendy
7. Accept any plausible answer.

Criteria + ratings:
C1 ...... ; C2 ...... ; C3 ...... ; C4 ...... ; C5 ...... ; C6 ...... ; C7 ...... ; C8 ...... ; C9 ...... ; C10 ...... ; C11
...... ; C12 ...... ; C13 ...... ; C14 ...... ; C15 ...... ; C16 ...... ; C17 ...... ; C18 ......

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p45

Comprehension Questions for Text n°9: Wilma Rudolph

1. Tick the most appropriate alternative. (2 marks)

a) The text is mainly about
i. A success story 
ii. An athlete’s career 
iii. An African-American activist 
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?
b) The most appropriate title for the text would be: (1 mark)
i. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. 
ii. Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. 
iii. Opportunity did not knock until I built a door. 
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

2. Complete the following table with information about Wilma. (4 marks)

a) Occupation b) Awards c) Social accomplishment
....................................... i. ....................................... .......................................
ii. .......................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

3. For each statement below, pick out one detail showing that it is false. (2 marks)
a) Doctors expected Wilma’s recovery. (par. 1) (1 mark)  Low-level or high-level ideas?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................
b) After going to the hospital Wilma had no noticeable improvement. (par. 2) (1 mark)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................

4. Answer the following questions with reference to the text. (2 marks)

a) Apart from poverty and sickness, what was the other obstacle that black people in America
faced? (1 mark)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?
b) How did Wilma use her name as a famous athlete? (Focus on par. 2.) (1 mark)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p46

5. What do the underlined words refer to? (2 marks)
a) ‘there’ (par. 1) refers to: ………………………………………………………………..
b) ‘Her’ (par. 3) refers to: ……………………………………………………………………
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

6. Find out words meaning nearly the same as: (2 marks)

a) To have enough money to be able to do something (par. 1) = ………………………….
b) Taught or trained someone (par. 2) = ………………………….
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

7. Give a personal and justified answer to the following question. (1 mark)

Do you think that Wilma Rudolph is an inspiring woman? Why? Why not?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

Answer Key
1. a) i. . b) ii. 
2. a) coach.
b) i. (first American woman to win) (three) gold medals at the Olympics. ii. bronze medal.
c) Setting up a group to help bring sports into poor neighbourhoods
3. a) “Doctors said she would never be …”
b) “Wilma not only walked, she ran, and ran quickly.”
4. a) They suffered from inequality. / Racism. / Racial discrimination. / Segregation.
b) She reached out to others. / She coached … / She made regular…
5. a) Hospital. b) Wilma (Rudolf)
6. a) Afford. b) Coached
7. Accept any plausible answer.

Criteria + ratings:
C1 ...... ; C2 ...... ; C3 ...... ; C4 ...... ; C5 ...... ; C6 ...... ; C7 ...... ; C8 ...... ; C9 ...... ; C10 ...... ; C11
...... ; C12 ...... ; C13 ...... ; C14 ...... ; C15 ...... ; C16 ...... ; C17 ...... ; C18 ......

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p47

Comprehension Questions for Text n°10: Alternative education

Comprehension questions (A) (Developed by one group)

1. Tick the most appropriate option from the text. (1 mark)
a) School success 
b) A success story 
c) Self-employment 
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

2. Fill in the table with information from the text. (2 marks)

a) Name b) Age c) Marital status
Sue Taylor ………………………….. …………………………..
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

3. For each statement below, pick out one detail showing that it is false. (3 marks)
a) There are no alternatives for those who did not like school. (par. 1) Low-/high-level
ideas?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
b) She continued working while on pregnancy. (par. 3)  Low-level or high-level ideas?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
c) Taylor was denied a grant to start her business. (par. 3)  Low-level or high-level ideas?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................

4. Answer the following question with reference to the text. (1 mark)

What do young people need to achieve their potential?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

5. Pick out 2 details from paragraph 2 to show what the enterprise program offer to young
people. (2 marks)
a) ……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………
b) ……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

6. Find words in the text meaning nearly the same as: (3 marks)
a) Estimate something will happen in the future (par. 1) = ……………………………..………

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p48

b) Showing / guiding (par. 2) = ……………………………..………
c) In great quantity (par. 3) = ……………………………..………
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

7. What do the underlined words in the text refer to: (2 marks)

a) ‘their’ (par. 1) = ……………………………..………
b) ‘It’ (par. 3) = ……………………………..………
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

8. Is success in life only associated with success in education? Why or Why not? (1 mark)
……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………....................................
 Answer: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

Answer Key
Comprehension questions (A)
1. b 
2. b) Age: 25. c) single mum (not married/unmarried/without a spouse)
3. a) might look beyond the classroom for different ways of learning (others who did not
enjoy school might look beyond the classroom..ways of learning)
b) was unemployed when she was pregnant.
c) It gave her a 3000 loan and 500 grant.
4. young people need motivation to realize their potential
5. a) start up services including grants.
b) business mentoring
6. a) predict. b) mentoring. c) abundant
7. a) young people. b) the Trust
8. Accept any plausible answer.

Criteria + ratings:
C1 ...... ; C2 ...... ; C3 ...... ; C4 ...... ; C5 ...... ; C6 ...... ; C7 ...... ; C8 ...... ; C9 ...... ; C10 ...... ; C11
...... ; C12 ...... ; C13 ...... ; C14 ...... ; C15 ...... ; C16 ...... ; C17 ...... ; C18 ......

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p49

Comprehension questions (B) (Developed by a second group)
1. Tick the most appropriate option. (2 marks)
a) The text is mainly about
i. school attendance 
ii. a business failure 
iii. a success story 
b) The purpose of the text is
i. to inform people of the importance of education 
ii. to encourage people to look for new ways of learning 
iii. to persuade people to start their own projects 
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

2. Complete the table with information from the text. (3 marks)

a) Name b) Social status c) Qualification d) Occupation
Sue Taylor ……………………. ……………………. …………………….
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

3. For each statement below, pick out one detail showing that it is false. (2 marks)
a) Going to universities is the only way to guarantee young people’s future. (par. 1)  Ideas?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................
b) Sue was eager to be an employee in a beauty salon. (par. 3)  Low/high-level ideas?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................

4. Write short answers to the following questions. (2 marks)

a) What is the Prince Trust’s role?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................
b) What’s Sue’s advice for unemployed people?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

5. What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (2 marks)

a) ‘Their’ (par. 2): ……………………………..…………
b) ‘It’ (par. 3): ……………………………..…………
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p50

6. Find synonyms of the following words. (3 marks)
a) someone who starts his or her own business (par. 2) = ……………………………..……
b) persistence in doing something despite difficulties (par. 3) = ……………………………..…
c) a sum of money given by a bank (par. 3) = ……………………………..
 Answers: stated or implied? | Ideas: low level or high level?

7. Give a personal justified answer to the following question. (1 mark)

Would you like to work for other people or start your own project?
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................
…………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………….......................................

Answer Key
1. a) iii. . b) ii. 
2. b) a single mum / an unmarried woman. c) a diploma in beauty. d) a business owner
3. a) Young people might look beyond the classroom for different ways of learning
Or: Setting their own business or working for companies that offer training or a degree
alongside the job
b) She wanted to become self employed
4. a) It offers grants and business mentoring.
b) To have great perseverance. / To seize the abundant opportunities.
5. a) young people. b) the trust enterprise
6. a) entrepreneur. b) perseverance. c) a loan
7. Accept any plausible, personal and justified answer.

Criteria + ratings:
C1 ...... ; C2 ...... ; C3 ...... ; C4 ...... ; C5 ...... ; C6 ...... ; C7 ...... ; C8 ...... ; C9 ...... ; C10 ...... ; C11
...... ; C12 ...... ; C13 ...... ; C14 ...... ; C15 ...... ; C16 ...... ; C17 ...... ; C18 ......

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p51

More comprehension items to assess
Check whether each item below is appropriate/correct or needs improvement. What
category of question is it?
Reminder:
1. Content category:
 Literal comprehension (LOTS): answer explicitly there OR answer implicitly there
 Inferential comprehension (HOTS): answer has to be inferred
2. Affect category (HOTS): Response to text OR Evaluation
3. Language category (LOTS): Guessing word meaning from context
Notes related to (2) Affect category
a) Personal Response: requires responses on a purely personal level, with no ‘correct’
answers, whereas in the second question type in this category the response is on a deeper,
evaluative level. This is the ‘lower’ of these two levels; it covers all questions which call for
the student ‘simply to record his reaction to the text’ (Nuttall, 1996: 189) in terms of
like/dislike, surprise, amusement, etc. The frequent ‘What do you think?’ textbook reading
questions are an example of this question type.
b) Evaluation question types: This is the ‘higher’ level; they require a considered and
possibly reflective response with a reasoned justification based on evidence presented in
the text and/or background knowledge or experience.

Examples:
1 When did Harry meet Sally?  Textually explicit
Text reads: Harry met Sally in 1995 or Harry met Sally 15 years ago.
2 When did Harry meet Sally?  Textually implicit
Text reads: Sally and Harry first came across each other in 1995.
3 Read the sentence from the passage.
“Once when he sat down to chat, he told us that in the immigrant car ahead there was a
family from ‘across the water’ whose destination was the same as ours.”
Question: Which emotion is conveyed through the use of the word chat?
A. friendliness B. contemplation C. indifference D. embarrassment
 Students are asked to draw conclusions about the connotation of the word “chat.”
Students should use the context to determine the emotion associated with the use of the
word.
Option A is the correct answer. “Friendliness” is the emotion conveyed with the word “chat.”
The conductor is starting a conversation with the main characters, showing that he is friendly.
Options B, C, and D are incorrect connotations for “chat.” Students may choose these
incorrect options if they do not understand what the author is suggesting through the use of
the word “chat.”
4 Which facts in Pizza Trivia do you find most interesting?  Personal Response
5 In the context of the 20th century and its two world wars, what message is the writer
trying to make about nature and the importance of individual human beings? 
Evaluation

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p52

1) Say whether you agree or disagree with the following statement about the childcare
program.
I feel welcomed by staff and other youth at the centre.

2) Answer the following question. Circle Yes or No.

More people have attended the movie, Gone with the Wind, than any other motion picture
produced this century. Have you seen this movie? (Yes / No)

3) Tick the right alternative.

a. The text is mainly about: (Year 9 Diploma Exam)
-Raising children -Doing housework -Sharing it all
b. Did they first hear about the incident:
-from a friend or relative -at work
-from a newspaper -from the television or radio or other electronic media?
c. The text is mainly about a man who lost and recovered his voice and (BAC Exam)
-gained money -gained experience -gained fame
d. In the story, the merchant was unhappy because it
A rained.
B was windy.
C was windy and rainy and he had forgotten his overcoat.

4) Had you been a student in Anna’s school, would you have supported her? Why or Why not?
(BAC Exam)

5) True / false Statement: Rowan Atkinson has two brothers.

Text reads: Everyone knows Rowan Atkinson, or Mr. Bean. He is the youngest of three boys
born into a wealthy family in the north-east of England.

6) The Fisher and the Little Fish; by Aesop

It happened that a Fisher, after fishing all day, caught only a little fish. “Pray, let me go,
master,” said the Fish. “I am much too small for your eating just now. If you put me back
into the river I shall soon grow, then you can make a fine meal off me.” “Nay, nay, my little
Fish,” said the Fisher, “I have you now. I may not catch you hereafter.”
A little thing in hand is worth more than a great thing in prospect.

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p53

Checking for understanding
 What was the fish trying to do in this text?
 What does the moral of the story mean? How else could you word it?

Developing Reading Comprehension Questions

Top tip: Why understanding the comprehension questions is vital for students
In a Reading test, the students will concentrate on the questions and answer
choices (if any) because that’s where the points are. The passage is just a place
for the test writers to stash facts and details. Students will find them when
they need to. Therefore, writing ‘good’ questions requires a lot of care and
craft.

 Select a number of texts.

 Select the appropriate question types in order to test different reading abilities and
different levels of comprehension.
 Craft appropriate comprehension questions.
 Remember to write the expected answers as you write the questions, anticipating (all)
possible answers and responses. Revise and ask others to revise.
 Identify the questions whose answers are stated (LOTS questions).
 Identify the questions whose answers are implied (HOTS questions).

Chapter two Guidance on Reading Comprehension Tasks p54

 3. Guidance on Writing Tasks1

1. Requirements for the selection of a topic and tasks include the following characteristics:
• A topic that is meaningful, relevant, and motivating to written communication
• A task that is authentic and conducive to academic writing
• A task that requires comprehension of and/or response to a specific assigned topic
• A task that requires the integration of rhetorical strategies common in academic
writing

2. Tasks should be developed with the target test takers in mind, without favouring or
discriminating against test takers who have certain characteristics.
3. The key questions to ask about a rubric are as follows.
o How clear is it? (Is it possible to misinterpret the nature of the task?)
o How easy to understand is it? (Is the language used at an appropriate level? This is
particularly important in language testing at the lower levels.)
o How adequate is it? (Is all the necessary information given?)
o How relevant is it? (Is only necessary information given?)
4. A well-written task will have well-written evaluation criteria2 clearly understood by the
students. At the same time you’re writing the task, specify what would constitute
completion of the task and what to include in order to achieve full marks, and provide a
description of the response elicited by the prompt and a model response / outline. This
should help minimize the subjective effects of grading. Consider the following samples.
Sample 1
The writing prompt:
If you were planning a trip, either in Tunisia or abroad, do you think you would find social
media (such as travel blogs, Facebook, etc.) useful when planning and organising your trip?
Explain your answer in a twelve-line article for your school magazine.
Marking guidelines:
• Students should explain whether they would find any form or aspect of social media useful
when planning and organising a trip away, either in Tunisia or abroad.
• Students are free to agree or disagree (or both) that they would find social media useful in
the circumstances. Consideration should be given to the quality of all aspects of the response.
Indicative material:
• Social media useful – a great research tool; source of advice; travel tips and experience
from fellow travellers; revealing reviews of accommodation, restaurants; a cheap, readily
available source of information, etc.

1
More guidance on developing/assessing writing tasks is provided here because this area requires much
attention due to the poor writing scores our students get on tests. Beware of two particular issues:  Validity –
Am I measuring what I intend to measure?  Reliability – Subjective judgments will always be made (lower
reliability) but reliability can be improved by following guidelines.
2
The mark scheme has to indicate the point at which a response which is not entirely correct may be considered
acceptable or not in order to avoid problems of this kind which make the process of assessment more subjective
(Response accuracy).

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p55

• Social media not useful – can be misleading; not all posts on social media are honest /
accurate; better sources of advice / information available in guidebooks, etc.
Sample 2
The writing prompt:
A travel company is running a competition for BAC students. The prize is a post-examination
holiday to a destination chosen by the winner. Entrants are required to outline where they
would like to go, give reasons why they would like to travel there, and explain why they
deserve to win the holiday. Write the competition entry you would submit.
Marking guidelines:
Students should write a piece suitable as an entry for the competition outlined above. All
elements of the task should be attempted; giving an outline of where they would like to go,
why they would like to travel there, and why they deserve to win the holiday. Consideration
should be given to the quality of all aspects of the response.
Use of Codes. To assist with forming a judgement when scoring the student’s response, it will
be helpful to place an accurate tick at the points identified in the answer.3
5. Questions regarding a student’s opinion on a certain issue should focus not on the opinion
but on the way it is presented and argued.
6. Consider providing students with a few helpful directions of the kind:
• Your essay will be judged on how clearly you express your ideas. Use the appropriate format
for a letter / article, etc.
• Write your essay inside the box ONLY. What you write outside the box will NOT be scored.
• Extra sheets of paper or scratch paper will not be scored.
• You will not be graded on the appearance of your paper, but your handwriting must be
readable.
7. After the task or prompt has been written, try responding to it yourself — or have a
colleague try it — to find out whether it will really get the kind of results you desire.
8. Length4 – Writing well below the word count is generally an indication of ideas not being
fully developed and of poor control over text organization. Writing well above the word
count is generally an indication of poor planning and poor control over text organization.
(Some extra amount of writing is tolerable.)
9. After the test has been administered, analyze the kind of responses it produced. If it didn’t
elicit what you consider valuable outcomes, you might need to rewrite the task before
using it again — don’t automatically assume the students did not learn or that the
performance assessment is useless.
10. When marking, use the full range of marks available.
11. Example of a scoring rubric:

3
When marking for mechanical accuracy, you should decide how many errors to tolerate.
4
For over-lengthy answers: the whole answer is assessed at first reading. At the second reading, a line is drawn
across the page at the approximate place where the correct length is reached and close assessment is confined
to what comes above this line.

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p56

Criterion Description
1. Content and organisation 1. Opening and closing
Extent to which the response is: 2. Single, clear focus
• focused on task, purpose, and audience 3. Sense of unity; completeness
• supported by relevant and elaborated details 4. Even development of key ideas
• clearly and logically ordered 5. Logical progression of ideas
6. Appropriate and varied details
7. Clear transitions
8. Coherence and fluency
2. Language 10. Correct tense formation
- Extent to which the response is written in 11. Subject-verb agreement
standard written English 12. Correct pronoun usage and agreement
- Extent to which the response includes 13. Effective and varied word choice
complete and controlled sentences 14. Use of proper modifiers
15. Correct sentence construction (syntax)
16. Variety in length and structure
17. Controlled use of words and phrasing
3. Mechanics 18. Few errors in spelling
Extent to which the response is technically 19. Few errors in capitalization
correct 20. Few errors in punctuation

Quality Review of Writing Tasks

(1) Free Writing Checklist
1 Is the item format correctly matched to the purpose and content of the item?
2 Is the task manageable and appropriate in terms of difficulty and time?
3 Is it clear and focused, sufficiently narrow/broad for the time available?
4 Does it cater for the conventions of a communicative task?   Communicative situation
 Purpose  Audience  Genre  Type
5 Is the topic syllabus related?
6 Does it consider the educational level and background of the students?
7 Does it interest and motivate them to write a personal, creative essay, without
memorization?
8 Is it free of tricks/trivia? Free of scaffolding?
9 Is language simple, accurate, and suitable for the students’ reading level?
10 Is the response length clearly specified?
11 If quotes are used, are they relevant and appropriate?
12 Are the evaluation criteria/mark scheme indicated on the test paper?
13 Is there in the answer key a model response or an outline of the major points to include?
14 Is the task well laid out, with adequate space for the response, on the same page?
15 Have you left wide enough margins for your comments, points, etc.?
16 Has the task been revised and proofread?

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p57

(2) Guided Writing Checklists

a. Information transfer
1 Is the item format correctly matched to the purpose and content of the item?
2 Is the task manageable and appropriate in terms of difficulty and time? Is it free of tricks
and trivia?
3 Is the examinee’s task clearly defined?
4 Is the data provided relevant and appropriate?
5 Is overloading tables/biography data with many details/notes avoided? (Suggest a
reasonable amount of information to be developed in a paragraph written in the specified
and provided number of lines.)
6 Is language simple, accurate, and suitable for the students’ reading level?
7 Is there a written model/sample response included in the answer key?
8 Is the mark scheme indicated on the test paper?
9 Is the task well laid out, with adequate space for answers, and on the same page?
10 Has the task been revised and proofread?

b. Developing notes into sentences

1 Is the item format correctly matched to the purpose and content of the item?
2 Is the task manageable and appropriate in terms of difficulty and time? Is it free of tricks and
trivia?
3 Are the instructions appropriate and clear? (Develop full sentences from the following
notes to get a coherent paragraph; supply the correct grammatical form, including
changes in word form and addition of such elements as prepositions, articles, auxiliary
verbs, etc.)
4 Are the notes made up of chunks/series of words rather than single words?
5 Are the notes in the right order?
6 Are there slashes that indicate where an addition or change should be made?
7 Is language simple, accurate, and suitable for the students’ reading level?
8 Is the task material authentic? Is the task contextualized?
9 Is there a written model/sample response included in the answer key?
10 Is the mark scheme indicated on the test paper?
11 Is the task well laid out, with adequate spaces for answers, on the same page?
12 Has the task been revised and proofread?

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p58

Practice activities: Assessing Writing Tasks
1) • Writing situation: Topic: meeting a person who has had a positive impact
• Writing directions: Describe for your readers how the meeting went and how that person
has positively impacted your life today.
Assessment: Poorly constructed task
Justification:
 The format for the response and the specific audience are missing from this directive. It is
necessary to identify a specific format for the students; they need to know to whom they
are writing.
 “Describe” is too vague.
 “Impacted” may be unfamiliar to many students. A more accessible word such as
“affected” would be more appropriate.
Revision:
Write a speech to present to your classmates about this person and how he/she has affected
your life today.

2) This is part of a letter you receive from your English penfriend.

Help! It’s my brother’s 14th birthday next month and I can’t think of a present
to give him. What do teenage boys like getting as presents in your country?
Now write a letter answering your penfriend’s question.
Assessment: Acceptable/Good task.
Justification:
 This is a writing task with detailed input, a more situationally authentic task, where the
students are provided with input (in the form of letters or other documentation) requiring
a response directed towards a specific reader, with a register determined by the input.
 Detailed input produces a more uniform set of responses from the students, which makes
marking quicker, easier and more reliable.
 It also means that reading as well as writing skills are being tested, which may detract
from the objectives and raise questions about the validity of the task as a test of writing.

3) A British TV company is thinking of making a film about life in your area and has asked you
to give them some information. Write a report describing the advantages of living in your
area and saying how the area might change in the future. (200 words)
The marker will use the mark scheme below drawn up specifically for this writing task.
Content Report should describe advantages of living in writer’s area
and possible changes in the future.
Range Language of description, opinion & explanation.
Vocabulary related to towns/countryside, housing etc
Organisation & Cohesion Clearly organised with introduction & conclusion. Sub-
headings an advantage.
Register & Format Consistent register (neutral / formal). Formal report layout
not essential.
Target Reader Would be informed about writer’s area.

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p59

Assessment: High quality task
Justification:
 The task gives detailed input (more than a short essay question), and includes the text-
type to write, a reason for writing and sense of who the target reader will be.
 The students are able to express personal ideas and to some extent to adapt the topic to
their own interests.
 The response is more controlled than is possible if only a title is set.
 The mark scheme outlines the likely content, together with criteria for assessing linguistic
performance.

4) Your school is planning to start an English language school magazine and has asked
students to write articles with the title “Thoughts about my school”. You have decided to
write an article in which you describe what you like and dislike about your school and explain
your reasons. (150 words)

Assessment: High quality task

Justification:
This is an example of a framed prompt.
Strengths: rich context; usually describes a situation from which the students can understand
who they are, why they are writing, what they are writing about, and who will read their
texts. The contexts described in such prompts present contexts familiar to test takers or
contexts that they can imagine themselves in. They are therefore modelled on real-life
situations and are much preferred by task designers since life is an inexhaustible source of
authentic situations in which writing occurs.

5) Do you agree or disagree with the opinion that men make poorer teachers than women?
Why?

Assessment: Poorly constructed task

Justification:
This is an example of a base prompt.
Weaknesses: Does not provide information about the writing context and the exact content
to be developed. It most resembles writing tasks set by language teachers who want to check
whether their students can apply their knowledge about a particular grammar point in
practice or whether they have learnt certain vocabulary items.

6) You must see your friend, Samir(a), before tomorrow evening.

Write a note to Samir(a).
Say:
• Why you want to see him/her.
• Where and when to meet you.
Write 30-40 words.

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p60

7) Write a short paragraph about your favourite subjects. Why do you like them more than
any other subjects? How important are they for your future?
These hints might help you:
Maths, History, English, Physical Education, important, like, love, fun, entertaining, good, bad.

8) Rose is your penfriend. She is American. She is coming to Tunisia this summer to spend the
holidays with you. Write her a letter to tell her about your plans for this vacation. (6 lines):
 the places that you and Rose are going to visit: Ain Drahem, Hamamet, Sousse…
 the activities that you and Rose are going to do: swimming, riding camels, going to parties,
shopping, making new friends …
You must use:
 The simple future tense (will + verb) or (be + going to + verb)
 Sequential adverbs: first, second, third …

9) Like all teenagers, you have many problems with your parents about money, clothes,
friends, school results... Write a letter to your friend to tell him/her about these problems and
ask him / her for advice. (Year 9 Test)

10) Your parents organized a party to celebrate your success in the national exam. At the end
of the party, you decided to show how grateful you feel towards them for every good thing
they did to you. Write your speech below. (Year 9 Diploma Examination)
Dear Mum and Dad,
……
Your loving son / daughter

11) Version (A):

Think about what you believe high schools should teach in order to prepare students for adult
life. Write an editorial for a newspaper about the extent job-related skills should be taught in
high school.
Version (B):
What should high schools teach to prepare students for jobs and careers? Write an editorial
for your community newspaper stating your position and reasons for it.

12) The Ministry of Education has created a Facebook page on which people share ideas
about educational matters .Write a 12-line post in which you suggest ways to improve
education in your country. (10 marks) (BAC Examination)

13) You have read the following statement in an e-magazine: “Scientific inventions are meant
to serve humans.” Write a 12-line article for your school e-magazine to explain the statement.
Support your explanation with concrete examples. (8 marks) (BAC Examination)

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p61

14) As tourism in Tunisia is going through hard times, you have decided to write a ten-line
advertisement, to post on your Facebook page, in which you encourage tourists to visit your
country.

15) Your teacher asked you to write an article for the school magazine, in which you list the
causes and effects of pollution.

16) Write an article for your school magazine where you talk about pollution; you may talk
about the types, causes and effects of pollution and suggest some solutions to the problem.

17) You booked a vacation through a travel agency. However, when you arrived at the hotel
you were surprised that the reality was really different from what you saw in the brochure.
When you returned back home, you decided to write a short precise email to your travel
agent in which you talk about the horrible conditions and the trip you had. Don’t forget to
mention examples about the bad experience you lived.

18) You recently took part in a class discussion about choosing an interesting job. Your
teacher has now asked you to write a composition, answering the following question and
giving reasons for your choice.
Would you rather be a politician, a teacher or a musician?

19) Your friend has serious financial problems. He decided to leave school and start working
in order to support his family.
Write him a 10-line-letter in which you try to convince him not to leave school at an early age
and remind him about the importance of studying at the university and getting better
qualifications.

The writing tasks below, with suggested outlines, have been written by groups of
teachers. Assess their quality and then try to write quality tasks, including outlines.
1. In his last letter, your penfriend asked you to describe your favourite room in your house.
Write your reply in an eight-line email.
Outline:
o Hi (name of your friend);
Para. 1:
o Naming your favourite room (living room, bedroom, dining room…)
o Locating it: using the prepositions (in, on, on the right, on the left, in the middle,
under, between...)
o Describing it (nice/ small/ big/ large/ has a nice view…)
o Expressing your feeling when sitting in this room and the different activities that you
do there (listening to music, playing video games, watching T.V, eating…)
Para. 2:
o Naming, describing and locating the furniture (carpet / sofa/ bed/ curtains/ wardrobe,
table, chairs, traditional, antique, comfortable, modern, colourful…)

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p62

2. You received the following letter:
Dear reader,
I am a heavy smoker and I become addicted to smoking. I want to give it up.
Please help me.
Peter
Write back a ten-line letter to Peter to warn him about the harmful effects of smoking and
what he should do to stop this nasty habit.
Outline
Pupils are supposed to write a letter to Peter:
o No more than 10 lines.
o Warn him about the harmful effects of smoking: lung cancer, heart disease, asthma,
addiction ...
o Tell him what he should do to stop it: reduce the number of cigarettes a day, not sit
near someone who smokes, practise sport, take part in campaigns against smoking ...

3. Nowadays, rainforests are really endangered because of Man’s irresponsible behaviour.

Write a 12-line post for your school forum to suggest some practical solutions to preserve
them.
Outline
1) Introduction: Introducing the problem.
2) Body of the post: Suggesting solutions, such as
o Punishing offenders.
o Setting up natural reserves to protect the endangered animals.
o Planting trees.
o Teaching children to respect nature.
o Launching campaigns to sensitize people.
o Sticking posters and distributing leaflets.
o Delivering speeches.
3) Conclusion: Expressing opinion/ encouraging others to be more positive…..

4. On the occasion of Earth Day, you wrote an article for your school magazine to warn peer
schoolmates about the impact of pollution. Write your article below.
Outline:
1) Introduction: Types of pollution: air / land / water / noise.
Transitional line: pollution can be visible or invisible.
2) Body:
Part 1:
Man is responsible for pollution
Man builds factories which release fumes containing particles; it’s the main cause for air
pollution and could be the cause for diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, and other

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p63

breathing difficulties. / Logging and building fire in forests is another cause added to many
other causes for air pollution.
Man throws rubbish everywhere and pollutes the environment around him, and at his best he
collects trash to unload it in landfills. (Landfills release gases which pollute the air).
Ships spill oil into the sea and kill sea life.
Noise is another type of pollution since it may lead to earaches and even to deafness.
Part 2:
Advice: to stop pollution and protect the environment by planting trees, reduce, reuse and
recycle trash.
3) Conclusion:
Let everyday be an Earth Day because if Earth is destroyed, there will be no other planet to
live on.

5. In his last letter, your American pen friend Noah informed you that he failed in quitting
smoking and asked your help. Write him a 12-line-letter to help him achieve his goal with
some practical tips.
Outline:
The test taker is required to help with practical tips and avoid dealing with the dangers of
smoking. (irrelevant)
1) Sender’s address + 2) Date + 3) Salutation + 4) Opening phrase
5) Body:
a. Opening remarks: e.g. Congrats for taking this important decision !
b. Practical tips to quit smoking, e.g.:
o Keep reminding yourself of smoking dangers.
o Visit a doctor to get an expert’s help
o Join a support group.
o Practice a hobby to keep yourself busy.
o Drink a lot of water.
o Avoid stressful situations/staying with smokers /going to smoking areas...etc
c. Closing remarks
6) Closing phrase + 7) Signature

 Assessing guided writing tasks

1) Use the notes in the table below to write a 5-line paragraph about the 2015 United
Nations Climate Conference. (5 marks) (BAC Examination)
Date 30 November – 12 December, 2015
Location Le Bourget in the suburb of Paris, France
Participants 195 nations / all continents
Expected outcome Signs /agreement/reduce global warming / keep it below 2°celsius

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p64

2) Use the information in the table below to present Hbiba Ghribi in a 5-line paragraph. (4
marks) (BAC Examination)
Nationality Tunisian
Date of birth 19/04/1984
Sport Long distance runner
Achievements 2009 Best sportswoman (Assahafa newspaper)
2012 Summer Olympics gold medal winner

3) Use the notes to develop a four-line paragraph about parents and kids. (BAC
Examination)
Parents: - no basic literacy - little interest in learning
Kids: - poor reading and writing - no parents' help with homework

4) Use the notes below to develop a four-line paragraph about bullying. (BAC Examination)
Bullying: conscious – repeated hostile practice.
Characteristics: imbalance – power – threat of aggression.
Effect on victim: feeling of terror.

5) Develop full sentences from the notes below – given in the right order – to get a coherent
paragraph. Add any missing words and put the verbs in the right tense or form. (BAC
Examinations)
a. It – to be – said – computers – to transform – classrooms – in the future.
b. They – to offer – pupils – exciting opportunities – to personalize – learning.
c. At – same time – teachers – be liberated – their traditional role.
Key:
a. It is said (that) computers will transform classrooms in the future.
b. They will offer pupils exciting opportunities to personalize learning.
c. At the same time, teachers will be liberated from their traditional role.

a. We - often - to take - presence - clean water - granted.

b. Unfortunately - laws and technology - to protect - vital resources - to remain - insufficient
- so far.
c. Increasingly - human activities - to threaten - water resources - which - we all - to depend.

a. Doris Lessing / award / Nobel Prize / literature / 2007.

b. At 88, Lessing is / old person and only / 11th woman / win the award since it / start in
1901.
c. In a career / more than 50 years, she / touch generations / readers / her stories of colonial
Africa, feminism and politics.
d. Her / famous book, The Golden Book, / become / iconic text / the Women’s Movement.

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p65

-Text messages disturb young people - sleep - German health newsletter - report.
-2,500 youngsters - be asked - how often they were awakened - incoming text messages
through cellular phones.
-Ten per cent of the youngsters awakened by messages - least once - week.
-The findings suggest - mobile telephones may be having a major impact - the quality of sleep
of a growing number of adolescents.
-Parents should - sure that - child's mobile phone is switched off at night.

6) Complete the conversation with an artist working at home.

A: 1.___________________________________________________________________?
B: I normally work about eight hours a day. Sometimes I work longer hours, in the evenings or
at weekends, when I’m in a hurry to finish a picture.
A: 2.___________________________________________________________________?
B: I earn from about £250 to £3,000 for a picture. Sometimes I have a lot of work, but
sometimes I don’t. That’s a problem. And I don’t have paid holidays.
A: 3.___________________________________________________________________?
B: Yes. I love it, because every day is different, and I like using my imagination.
A: 4.___________________________________________________________________?
B: It’s stressful at times. Especially when I need to work fast and the ideas don’t come. And
sometimes it’s lonely when you don’t work with other people.
Key
1. How many hours do you work?
2. How much money do you earn?
3. Do you like your job?
4. What don’t you like about your job?

7) Complete the conversation with suitable utterances. (BAC Examination)

Man: __________________________________________
Woman: Well, let’s look at this city guide here. Here’s something interesting. Why don’t we
first visit the art museum in the morning?
Man: __________________________________________
Woman: How about going to an Indian restaurant? The guide recommends one downtown a
few blocks from the museum.
Man: __________________________________________
Woman: Well, to tell the truth, I’m not really interested in going there. Why don’t we go
shopping instead? There are supposed to be some really nice places to pick up souvenirs.
Man: __________________________________________
Woman: No problem. We can use YOUR credit card to pay MY new clothes.

Chapter three Guidance on Writing Tasks p66

 4. Assessing the Assessments

Checklist 1: Quality review of the whole test1

1 Is the test acceptable societally, institutionally, and in the eyes of teachers, parents, and
administrators?
2 To what extent does the test measure what it is intended to measure and provide useful,
accurate results? (Validity)
3 Does the test measure student performance accurately and consistently? (Reliability)
4 Is the test reasonable and practicable in terms of time and resources? (Manageability)
5 Are the materials and tasks authentic, meaningful and bias free? (Authenticity and
Fairness)
6 Does the test match the test specifications—text length, questions number, etc.?
(Alignment with Specs)
7 Does the test content match the syllabus content—vocabulary, grammar, writing, etc.?
(Alignment with Syllabus)
8 Is the test appropriate to the overall abilities of the test takers? Does it measure what
they know and can do?
9 Does the test assess what has been taught and learned effectively?
10 Are the suggested materials and tasks accessible to the average students? Is the difficulty
of the items appropriate for them? (Accessibility)
11 Do the tasks avoid tricks (trapping testees) and trivia (assessing unimportant
information)?
12 Is there variety of themes in the Reading, Language, and Writing tasks? (Theme variety)
13 Are test takers familiar with the topics suggested? (Topic familiarity)
14 Are knowledge demands minimised and upsetting themes avoided in the test materials?
15 Are the test items written according to rules of construction for the type(s) chosen?
16 Does the test involve a balance between knowledge, skills, and attitudes/values?
17 Are the instructions clear, adequate, and concise? (Instructions clarity)
18 Is language simple, suitable for the students’ reading level, and familiar? (Language clarity
and familiarity)
19 Are test takers familiar with the question types used? (Question familiarity)
20 Are the test items, as a group, free of overlapping and of clues within and among them?
21 Is there a clear objective for each item (task/question)? Is each item format correctly
matched to the purpose and content of the item?
22 Has a marking scheme covering all the test items been provided, with all correct and
possible answers/responses?
23 Does the marking scheme provide adequate detail and direction for another examiner to
mark the exam? Is the scale for each task/item indicated on the test paper?
24 Is the test well laid out and legible? Are the items spaced so that they can be read,
answered, and scored with the least amount of difficulty? Is the formatting consistent?
(Presentation and layout)
25 Has the test been revised for content validity and language accuracy and appropriacy
according to guidelines? (Self / Peer review)

1
Two additional test checklists are provided in the appendices.

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p67

Checklist 2: Quality review of the reading comprehension component
1 Is the content interesting, useful, meaningful, and suitable? Are the issues up-to-date?
2 Does the text represent high quality writing? Is the source acknowledged?
3 If the text is adapted, is it accessible for all students appropriately?
4 Theme relation to syllabus and topic familiarity?
5 Genre familiarity?
6 Type familiarity?
7 Length appropriateness?
8 Is there a match between text and students’ reading skills and cognitive capabilities?
9 Is there a match between text and students’ prior knowledge, experience, and
motivation?
10 Is the text appropriate for assessing a range of reading skills?
11 Is the text suitable for a good exploitation?
12 Is the complexity level of the text acceptable?
13 Are the questions accessible to the average student?
14 Is the used language accurate, simple, clear and familiar?
15 Do the questions avoid focusing on one or two paragraphs?
16 Do the questions have answers within the text?
17 Are the questions free of clues within and among them? Free of overlapping?
18 Is the number of questions as recommended? (Basic Ed.: 5; Secondary Ed.: 6–7)
19 Are the questions types varied? Are they familiar?
20 Are the questions levels varied (Balance of literal and higher-order Qs)? Are they familiar?
21 Are the instructions clear, adequate and in conformity with the recommendations?
22 Multiple-Choice Items   Tick the ‘most appropriate’ option.  Most information is in the
stem, without unnecessary material.  Alternatives are the same length, parallel and brief,
without repeated material.  Distractors are plausible.
23 Paragraph completion (Instruction: Complete the paragraph with words from paragraph(s)
X (and Y) without making any changes to them. One word per blank.)
24 ‘Select the words that apply to...’  Identify two items that describe or apply to X? (NB All
items have to be familiar to testees. (Refer to textbook word lists.))
25 False/Justify (Instruction: For each of the following statements, pick out one detail from
paragraph X showing that it is false.)
26 True-False   Circle/Tick ‘True or False’ (not ‘Write’).  The statement is not lifted from
text and slightly modified.  The statement is worded so carefully that it can be judged
clearly true or false.  The statement is relatively short, without unnecessary material, &
positively stated.
27 Are items requiring several possible answers avoided? (Except reaction to text)
28 Do the responses make minimal demands on writing ability?
29 Scoring criteria and answer key: Are the adequate?   All correct and possible answers
/ responses are included.  The mark scheme is indicated on the test paper.
30 Task revision: Has the task been revised for content validity and language accuracy and
appropriacy according to guidelines? (Self / Peer review)
(Where applicable. Presentation and layout: Are they appropriate? (Items are well laid,
legible, and spaced so that they can be read, answered, and scored without difficulty.)

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p68

Checklists 3: Quality review of the language component
General guidelines for most language tasks
a) Is the item format correctly matched to the purpose and content of the item?
b) Is the task manageable and appropriate in terms of difficulty and time? Free of
tricks/trivia?
c) Is language simple and clear—accessible to students?
d) Is the task material authentic? Is the task contextualized?
e) Is the first sentence of the paragraph integral, providing enough context?
f) Are the items well spaced out (evenly spread)?
g) Are the items free of clues within and among them?
h) Is there only one key for each item?
i) Is the mark scheme indicated on the test paper?
j) Is the task well laid out, with adequate spaces for answers, on the same page?
k) Has the task been revised and proofread?

(a) Fill in Task

1 Do the blanks include a balance of content words and function words?
2 Do the options include a balance of content words and function words?
3 Do the options include two plausible distractors?
4 Do the options appear in the textbook word list?
5 Do the options precede the gapped paragraph, in a box, separated by slashes?
6 Are lines (__) (not dots) of equal length used for the blanks? Are these numbered?

(b) Tense/Form Task

1 Is the instruction precise? (Put the bracketed words in the appropriate tense/form.)
2 Are the bracketed words supplied in the base form, in bold type?
3 Are students familiar with the bracketed words?
4 Are students familiar with the tenses/forms required?
5 Is there a balance between tense and form in the task?
6 Are items requiring a double task, e.g. adding a prefix & suffix (able  disabled), avoided?
7 Are lines (__) used for the blanks? Are these numbered?

(c) Multiple-Choice Task

1 Is the instruction precise? (Circle the correct option.)
2 Do options in the same item share the same part of speech – 3 adjectives, 3 adverbs, etc.?
3 Does the item test one thing at a time—e.g. tense OR form?
4 Is there a balance between content words and function words?
5 Are distractors plausible but clearly incorrect?
6 Do distractors include only correct forms and vocabulary?
7 Are all the bracketed options in bold type?

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p69

(d) Matching Task
1 Are premises and options rather short in order to reduce the amount of reading?
2 Are premises longer than options?
3 Are the premises in the right order?
4 Are the options and premises related to one central theme, familiar to testees?
5 Are there more response options than premises?
6 Have the task sentences been divided into sentence parts only once?
7 Are the premises numbered (1, 2, 3...) and the options identified by letters (a, b, c...)?
8 Are the instructions appropriate?

Checklists 4: Quality review of the writing component

(1) Free Writing Checklist
1 Is the item format correctly matched to the purpose and content of the item?
2 Is the task manageable and appropriate in terms of difficulty and time?
3 Is it clear and focused, sufficiently narrow/broad for the time available?
4 Does it cater for the conventions of a communicative task?   Communicative situation
 Purpose  Audience  Genre  Type
5 Is the topic syllabus related?
6 Does it consider the educational level and background of the students?
7 Does it interest and motivate them to write a personal, creative essay, without
memorization?
8 Is it free of tricks/trivia? Free of scaffolding?
9 Is language simple, accurate, and suitable for the students’ reading level?
10 Is the response length clearly specified?
11 If quotes are used, are they relevant and appropriate?
12 Are the evaluation criteria/mark scheme indicated on the test paper?
13 Is there in the answer key a model response or an outline of the major points to include?
14 Is the task well laid out, with adequate space for the response, on the same page?
15 Have you left wide enough margins for your comments, points, etc.?
16 Has the task been revised and proofread?

(2) Guided Writing Checklists

a. Information transfer
1 Is the item format correctly matched to the purpose and content of the item?
2 Is the task manageable and appropriate in terms of difficulty and time? Is it free of tricks
and trivia?
3 Is the examinee’s task clearly defined?
4 Is the data provided relevant and appropriate?

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p70

5 Is overloading tables/biography data with many details/notes avoided? (Suggest a
reasonable amount of information to be developed in a paragraph written in the specified
and provided number of lines.)
6 Is language simple, accurate, and suitable for the students’ reading level?
7 Is there a written model/sample response included in the answer key?
8 Is the mark scheme indicated on the test paper?
9 Is the task well laid out, with adequate space for answers, and on the same page?
10 Has the task been revised and proofread?

b. Developing notes into sentences

1 Is the item format correctly matched to the purpose and content of the item?
2 Is the task manageable and appropriate in terms of difficulty and time? Is it free of tricks
and trivia?
3 Are the instructions appropriate and clear? (Develop full sentences from the following
notes to get a coherent paragraph; supply the correct grammatical form, including
changes in word form and addition of such elements as prepositions, articles, auxiliary
verbs, etc.)
4 Are the notes made up of chunks/series of words rather than single words?
5 Are the notes in the right order?
6 Are there slashes that indicate where an addition or change should be made?
7 Is language simple, accurate, and suitable for the students’ reading level?
8 Is the task material authentic? Is the task contextualized?
9 Is there a written model/sample response included in the answer key?
10 Is the mark scheme indicated on the test paper?
11 Is the task well laid out, with adequate spaces for answers, on the same page?
12 Has the task been revised and proofread?

Overall quality review of each examination

 Test strengths:
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................

 Test weaknesses and possible improvements:

..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................

 Comparing the adapted version and the original version (where applicable):
..................................................................................................................................................

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p71

A. Assessing the 9th Year Diploma Examination of 2018

Examen du Diplôme de
Durée : 1 heure
Fin de l’Enseignement de Base Général
Coefficient : 1
Session 2018

I. READING COMPREHENSION 6 marks

Read the text and answer the questions.

The text2

(1) I‘ll never forget the day when one of my ten-year-old students shyly raised his hand
and said that he had never received a gift. We were discussing a reading story about a
boy who was not going to get anything for his birthday. Jace‘s honesty surprised the
whole class. Was he exaggerating? He was not the type. Then I remembered that Jace
was from a poor family and that his father didn‘t have a permanent job.
(2) A couple of weeks later, Jace was absent from school. This happened to be the
period of the classroom gift exchange. Traditionally, each pupil had to bring a gift for
another pupil. As we were talking about the event, one of the pupils suggested that we
buy gifts for Jace instead.
(3) With great excitement, the gifts began to come in. I remember being so proud of
my thoughtful, selfless and helpful students. After several days of absences, we learned
that Jace moved away because his father lost his job! I decided to call Jace and I
explained the story to him. Then I drove to his house and together, we filled the room with
all the wrapped gifts. He was so surprised and grateful.
(4) As I went to sleep that night, I thought about my thoughtful students and I was
thankful to be a part of one of the most important ―lessons‖ of their lives.

Adapted from Chicken Soup for the Soul

Jack Canfield

2
The original version of the proposed text is provided after the answer key of this exam.

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p72

Comprehension Questions

1. Tick (  ) the right alternative. (1 mark)

The text is mainly about Jace‘s
a) frequent absences 
b) classmates‘ solidarity 
c) birthday presents 

2. Fill in each blank with only one word from paragraph 1. (1 x 2 = 2 marks)

Although he was a shy student, Jace dared tell the whole class about the birthday
………………………… This unexpected truth showed his …………………………

3. Answer the following question with reference to paragraph 3? (1 mark)

How did the teacher feel about her students‘ act?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. What does the underlined word in the text refer to? (1 mark)

‘event’ in paragraph 2 refers to : ……………………………………………………

5. Give a personal and justified answer to the following question. (1 mark)

What do you think of the teacher‘s behaviour towards Jace? Why?

I think ………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………… because …………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p73

 II. LANGUAGE 8 marks

1. Fill in the blanks with six words from the list below. (0.5 x 6 = 3 marks)

events – off – globe – alive – for – live – forgotten – protect

Earth day is celebrated every year. It was meant to encourage respect
...................................... life on earth and highlight growing concern about different kinds
of pollution. It seems we have ...................................... what a beautiful gift planet Earth is.
It is our home that we need to ...................................... in order to stay healthy and
...................................... . Over 20 million people participated in ...................................... to
mark the first Earth Day. It turned out to be so contagious that today, over a billion people
all over the ...................................... celebrate Earth Day.

2. Match the sentence parts in column A with those in column B to get a coherent
paragraph. There is one extra part in column B. Write your answers in the space
provided. (0.5 x 4 = 2 marks)

A B

1. More elephants are killed every day a. an elephant is.

2. Their biggest threat is humans b. than are born.

3. If such behaviour continues, future c. take action against illegal hunting.

generations will never know what

4. Governments and organizations ought to d. to save them from extinction.

e. who hunt them for ivory.

Answers:

1 + ….. 2 + …. 3 + …… 4 + …..

3. Circle the right option. (0.5 x 6 = 3 marks)

I can remember my first day of school like it was yesterday. I didn‘t need (wake / to
wake / waking) up to my alarm clock. I was (too / enough / so) excited that I couldn‘t
wait to meet my new teacher. My mom dropped me off at school making sure that
everything was all right. I was very quiet at school. I was (safe / shy / indifferent) and
didn‘t know who to talk to. My school year went by fast; and here ten years later, I (wish /
imagine / want) I could go back to those days and not have a care in the world. I (advice
/ advise / advised) everyone to cherish those days because if you don‘t, then you (will
regret / are regretting / regretted) it.

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p74

III. WRITING 6 marks
You believe that success is the result of hard work while some of your classmates
think that they can achieve it through cheating.
Write a ten-line post in your school forum to explain that cheating does not help
learning and to suggest some solutions to stop this nasty habit.

DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME OR YOUR SCHOOL NAME.

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p75

Answer Keys

Eléments de réponse Barème

I- Reading 6 marks

1 b 1 mark

2 gift (accept ‗story‘ too) – honesty 1 x 2 = 2 marks

3 (so) proud 1 mark

4 (classroom) gift exchange / each pupil had to bring a gift for 1 mark
another pupil

5 (Accept any personal justified, plausible answer.) 1 mark

II- Language 8 marks

1 for – forgotten – protect – alive – events – globe 0,5 x 6 = 3 marks

2 1+b 2+e 3+a 4+c 0,5 x 4 = 2 marks

3 to wake – so – shy – wish – advise – will regret 0,5 x 6 = 3 marks

III- Writing 6 marks

 Adherence to task and content adequacy 3 marks

 Grammatical accuracy and lexical appropriacy 2 marks

 Mechanical accuracy (punctuation, spelling, and capitalization) 1 mark

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p76

The original version of the reading passage
Gifts for Jace
The giving of love is an education in itself. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
I‘ll never forget the day that one of my students shyly raised his hand and said that he had
never received a gift. My shocked fifth-graders were discussing a reading story about a boy
who was not going to be getting anything for his birthday because money was tight that year.
Even though this class was very open during reading discussions, Jace‘s honesty surprised
even me. What was even more eye-opening was the fact that this sweet, fifth-grade boy had
gone ten years and never experienced the joy and surprise of receiving a present.
I searched my internal data bank for a reason that he might be saying this. Did he want
attention from his peers? No, that was definitely not his style. Was he exaggerating? Again, he
was not the type. Then I remembered his story. His mother was out of the picture and he lived
alone with his dad. His father had a hard time holding down a job, and come to think of it, I
didn‘t see his father at enrolment or parent-teacher conferences. Even though on the outside
Jace was a bit dishevelled, he always came to school with a smile and sincere enthusiasm for
learning.
A couple of weeks after Jace‘s comment, he was absent from school. This happened to be
the day I was sending home the annual note about the classroom Christmas gift exchange.
Traditionally, each boy was to bring a gift for a boy in the three-dollar range and the same was
true for each girl.
As we were discussing the specifics, a girl raised her hand and matter-of-factly suggested
that we do away with our traditional policy, and each buy a gift for Jace instead. The
enthusiasm grew as the students discussed the kinds of things they knew Jace would like,
such as art supplies and Star Wars figurines. We took a quick vote and unanimously agreed to
go ahead with this wonderful idea.
With great excitement, the gifts began to come in. Students with bright eyes would eagerly
tell me how they found the ―perfect gift‖ and how their parents spent more than three dollars
on Jace‘s gift! One student bought a complete art set, knowing that Jace loved to draw.
Another student found toy aliens for him, remembering a paper Jace had recently written
about aliens where he surprised us all with a paper plate spaceship prop he had made. As the
gifts poured in, I remember being so proud of my thoughtful, selfless students who were truly
demonstrating the spirit of Christmas.
After several days of absences, you can imagine our disappointment when we learned that
Jace‘s absences were due to the fact that he had moved away! I was sure of one thing. I
couldn‘t let my students or Jace down.
I found my information sheet and called every number listed. Apparently, Jace‘s father had
lost his job, causing them to relocate. No one knew where they were, and the cell phone
number I had would ring with no response despite my continuous efforts. Even into our
Christmas vacation, I constantly gave the phone number a shot. Finally, at 9:30 PM on
Christmas Eve, I decided to try one last time. By then, I really didn‘t worry about calling at a
late hour. I was so used to no answer that I was startled to hear a response. Amazingly, Jace
answered the phone!
I explained the story to Jace and told him how his classmates really wanted to do this for
him. I spoke with his father and the next thing I knew, I was driving to Jace‘s home.
As I drove down his road, I saw the porch light of his trailer flicking on and off signalling
which home was his. I was thrilled to see Jace. It took several trips back and forth to my car to
get all of the gifts inside. We filled the room with all of the carefully wrapped gifts that were
especially for him. He was so surprised and grateful. I was glad that I had an unopened box of
chocolates that I could give to his dad. Jace‘s joyful smile that evening lit up the sky like a
strand of twinkle lights.
I went to sleep that night thinking about Jace and all of the fun he was going to have
playing with all of his new presents during Christmas break. I thought about my thoughtful
students and how excited I was to tell them all about finding Jace. With a smile of my own, I
was thankful to be a part of one of the most important ―lessons‖ of their lives.
~Angela N. Abbott

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p77

● Assessment of the 9th Year Diploma Examination of 2017

Examen du Diplôme de Fin de l’Enseignement de Base Général Durée : 1 heure

Session 2017 Coefficient : 1

I. READING COMPREHENSION 6 marks

Read the text and answer the questions.

THE TEXT

1. On her first day back to work after a four-month maternity leave, Amy Vachon
woke up early to nurse her daughter, Maia. Then, she fixed herself a healthful
breakfast, prepared a bottle of milk for the girl to drink later, kissed her goodbye and
headed for the door. But before she left, she reached over to her husband, Marc, who
would not be going to work that day in order to be home with Maia. She handed him a
list on which she scribbled the ‗how much‘, ‗how long‘, and ‗when‘ of Maia‘s napping
and eating.

2. The Vachons would not be the kind of parents theirs had been. Instead, they
would create their own model, one in which they were parenting partners. After Maia
was born, Amy and Marc negotiated part-time schedules: how often should the dishes
be done? What constitutes ―doing the laundry‖? Washing it, folding it or ironing it?

3. Slowly, an agreement has emerged. The cooking is done by whoever is home

that day. The laundry is done in the same way. Gender should not determine the
division of work at home. The point they say, is to think over the chores you are doing
with ―no nagging‖, ―no arguing‖ but mutual understanding.

Adapted from
The New York Times Magazine
June 15, 2008

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p78

Comprehension Questions
1. Tick (√ ) the right alternative. (1 mark)
The text is mainly about:
a- Raising children
b- Doing housework
c- Sharing it all

2. Fill in each blank in the following paragraph with only one word from paragraphs
2 and 3. (1 x 2 = 2 marks)

Unlike their parents, Amy and Marc ………………………… their roles at home and
reached an ………………………… based on mutual understanding.

3. Read paragraph 3 and find an expression which has the same meaning as: (1
mark)

Being a man or a woman = …………………………

4. What does the underlined word in the text refer to? (1 mark)

‘the girl’ in paragraph 1 refers to : …………………………

5. Give a personal and justified answer to the following question. (1 mark)

Do you like the Vachons‘ model of parenting? Why? Why not?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p79

II. LANGUAGE 8 marks

1. Fill in the blanks with six words from the list below. (0.5 x 6 = 3 marks)

to – personally – purchase – might – save – about – should – goods

Online shopping has become very popular because it has many advantages. With just
a click of the mouse, you can ....................................... your shopping orders, which can
....................................... time. When buying items online, there are no long lines you have
to endure just to buy your ....................................... . However, there are some
disadvantages that online shoppers complain ....................................... . They are unable
to touch, see and test the product ....................................... . Moreover, the description
and the photos of the merchandise ....................................... be different from those of the
real one.

2. Match the sentence parts in column A with those in column B to get a coherent
paragraph. There is one extra-part in column B. Write your answers in the space
provided. (0.5 x 4 = 2 marks)

A B

1. Exposure to continuous noise a. may cause headaches.

2. In some cases, it leads b. on our health and mind.

3. It affects concentration and c. creates discomfort and irritation.

4. Therefore, it has harmful effects d. increase the quality of life.

e. to complete deafness.
Answers:

1 + ….. 2 + …. 3 + …… 4 + …..

3. Circle the right option. (0.5 x 6 = 3 marks)

Is chocolate good for our health? Kim Hoffman, a dietician, (warns / advises /
invites) that the sugar in chocolate is not good (at / for / to) us. But doctors say there are
also healthful substances which (lead / make / create) a happy feeling like anti-
depressants. Some experts say uncooked pure chocolate may contain (fair / just /
enough) the right balance. The (bigger / big / biggest) value in eating cocoa and dark
chocolate may be their (danger / impact / ability) to lower blood pressure. This comes
from the experience of cocoa butter melting in your mouth.

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p80

III. WRITING 6 marks

Your parents organized a party to celebrate your success in the national exam. At the
end of the party, you decided to show how grateful you feel towards them for every good
thing they did to you.
Write your speech below.

DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME OR SIGN.

Dear Mum and Dad,

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

Your loving son / daughter

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p81

Answer Keys

Eléments de réponse Barème

I- Reading 6 marks

1 c 1 mark

2 negotiated – agreement 1 x 2 = 2 marks

3 gender 1 mark

4 Maia / her daughter 1 mark

5 (Accept any answer that justifies the student‘s choice.) 1 mark

II- Language 8 marks

1 purchase – save – goods – about – personality – might 0,5 x 6 = 3 marks

2 1+a/c 2+e 3+a/c 4+b 0,5 x 4 = 2 marks

3 warns – for – create – just – biggest – ability 0,5 x 6 = 3 marks

III- Writing 6 marks

 Adherence to task and content adequacy 3 marks

 Grammatical accuracy and lexical appropriacy 2 marks

 Mechanics of writing 1 mark

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p82

Assessment of the Arts BAC Examination of 2018

Examen du Baccalauréat Section: Lettres Durée : 2 heures

Session 2018 Session principale Coefficient : 2

Le sujet comporte 4 pages.

I. READING COMPREHENSION (15 marks)

THE TEXT

(1) Arthur Bamsey, 82, has been left with catastrophic damage to his brain after he was
struck by a car whose driver was distracted by his mobile. Guilty motorist Ryan Niner, 19,
was trying to ring his mother as he drove his car through a Welsh town centre, and hit the
pensioner who was trying to cross the road. His car struck Bamsey and sent the elderly
man flying into the air, before landing on his head, causing serious and life-changing
injuries.
(2) The teenager, who was 18 when the accident happened, was trying to call his mum but
went straight to voicemail. Just seconds later, he drove straight into Bamsey, who was on
his way from home to pick up cakes and the morning newspaper. Passers-by, including an
off-duty nurse, ran to his aid and called for an ambulance.
(3) The former steelworker spent five months in intensive care at the University Hospital of
Wales before being transferred to Neath Port Talbot Hospital. Bamsey is now barely able to
communicate and requires a tube to be fed. But his family are hopeful that he will ultimately
come home. He is able to leave his hospital room for a few minutes, but he needs help with
most of his personal care.
(4) Judge Paul Thomas said drivers who used their mobile phones at the wheel were a
‗public menace‘. He told Niner: ―You would have had ample time to see the pedestrian
crossing the road ahead of you had you not been distracted.‖ Niner was sentenced to 20
months in a young offenders‘ institution, and banned from driving for two years.
(5) Paul Jones, from South Wales Police, said Bamsey‘s family‘s lives had been ‗changed
forever.‘ He said: ―Talking on the phone while driving is one of the main contributory factors
in all road collisions. With the increase in mobile technology and social media, it is believed
that a third of all motorists text, make a call or access social media while driving. We would
ask all drivers to consider their actions and the consequences of the choices which they
make – the only safe option is to turn your phone off and put it out of sight.‖
Adapted from the Daily Mail
December 3, 2016

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p83

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Complete the table with information from paragraphs 1 and 4. (3 marks)
A driver hit an elderly man
Cause of the accident Decision of the court
a. ....................................................................
........................................................................
b. ....................................................................

2. For each of the following statements, pick out ONE detail showing that it is false. (3
marks)
a) Nobody helped the victim after the accident. (paragraph 2)
..............................................................................................................................................
b) Everybody was sure that Arthur had no chance to leave the hospital. (paragraph 3)
..............................................................................................................................................
c) Using mobile phones at the wheel is a minor cause of road accidents. (paragraph 5)
.............................................................................................................................................

3. Focus on paragraph 3 and pick out three (3) details describing the victim’s bad
state at present. (3 marks)
a) ...........................................................................................................................................
b) ...........................................................................................................................................
c) ...........................................................................................................................................

4. Tick () the correct alternative. (3 marks)

a) The accident happened in 2014  2015  2016 
b) ‗off-duty‘ (paragraph 2) nearly means
not working at present  quite busy as usual  not doing the job properly 
c) ‗ample’ (paragraph 3) nearly means
hard  enough  spare 

5. What do the words underlined in the text refer to? (2 marks)

a) ―the pensioner‖ (paragraph 1) refers to …………………………………………
b) ―We‖ (paragraph 5) refers to ………………………………………………….

6. Give a personal and justified answer to the following question. (1 mark)

Should drivers like Ryan Niner be severely punished? Why? Why not?
I think that such drivers ………………………………… be severely punished because
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p84

II- WRITING (15 marks)
1. Use the table below to write a 5-line report about the School Food Plan. (5 marks)
Launching date of the plan September 2014
Purpose provide nutritious meals
Beneficiaries 55,000 infant pupils / 350 schools in England
Effects on the pupils higher attendance / more concentration in class / better
communication / less violent behaviour
Parents’ attitude Approve / support / ready to contribute

2. You have just read on a news website that a 64-year-old Tunisian lady is sitting for the
baccalaureate exam.
Write a 12-line article for your school magazine in which you state your opinion
about pursuing studies at an advanced age.
Support your ideas with sound arguments. (10 marks)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p85

III- LANGUAGE (10 marks)
1. Fill in the blanks with seven (7) words from the list below. (3,5 marks)

launched – on – access – granted – aims – to – tirelessly – scheduled – hardly

Have you ever dreamt of having a vacation in the moon? Well, a dream of a trip to
moon is just about to turn into a reality soon. According to reports, the Moon Express – a
company that ...................................... to bring people from the Earth to the Moon in terms
of a vacation – has been ...................................... permission by the US law to leave the
Earth and land on the moon. It is the only private company with such great
....................................... The company is offering tickets to the moon for more than
$150,000,000, and the trip is ...................................... for 2026. Naveen Jain, the
mastermind behind the company, and his team have been working
...................................... to convert this dream of many into a reality. Based on another
report in IFL Science, the trip will start by being ...................................... from the Soyuz
rocket from Russia and will drop by the International Space Station (ISS) before officially
making it ...................................... the moon.

2. Put the bracketed words in the right tense and /or form. (3 marks)
It has been the dream of retirees for thousands of years to settle in the countryside
where the air is cleaner, and the life is quieter, and ........................ (healthy). These days,
thanks to technological advances, growing numbers of professionals .........................
(choose) to base themselves in the countryside, not to retire, but because in many
industries there is simply no need to be chained to a desk in the city. Having a broadband
connection and choosing a phone or a tablet is all that ........................ (require). According
to UK statistics, there is some truth to theory that your life .......................... (expect)
increases in the countryside. Living in rural areas means you are slightly less likely to die
.......................... (premature) from cancer, stroke or coronary heart disease. Lately,
government forecasters ......................... (predict) that, on average, people born in very
rural areas will live 1.5 to 2 years longer than those in major urban areas.

3. Circle the right alternative. (3 marks)

Parents in Armenia start thinking about their children‘s careers at a very young age —
around six months or so. When an infant‘s first tooth (arrives / arrived / will arrive),
typically between the age of four and seven months, a celebration takes place. As part of
the ritual, objects (symbolize / symbolizing / symbolic) different professions are arrayed
in front of a child: a microphone for an entertainer, a stethoscope for a doctor, scissors for
a tailor or money for a banker. (However / No matter / Whichever) object the baby
chooses first is thought to be a sign of where the child‘s professional aptitude lies. Parents
are free to add (with / to / for) or omit from the mix as they wish. ―Parents may
orchestrate the future life of their (offspring / siblings / relatives) by choosing only those
objects that symbolize prestigious and desired professions,‖ Professor Antonyan said.
Parents (should / must / can) also game the selection by positioning objects nearer to or
farther from their infant‘s (reach / achievement / desire). At one recent ceremony, the
father of the baby asked to place a ladle a bit far from his daughter to save her from a
destiny of a housewife.

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p86

Answer Keys

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 15 marks

1 Cause of the accident: The driver was distracted by his mobile /
The driver was trying to ring his mother
Decision of the court: 3 x 1 = 3 marks
a) (sentenced to) 20 months in a young offenders‘ institution
b) banned from driving for two years
2
a) Passers-by (, including an off-duty nurse,) ran to his aid and
called for an ambulance. 3 x 1 = 3 marks
b) His family are hopeful that he will ultimately come home.
c) ... one of the main contributory factors (in all road collisions)
3
a) He is barely able to communicate. 3 x 1 = 3 marks
b) He requires a tube to be fed.
c) He needs help with most of his personal care.
4
a) 2015
b) not working at present 3 x 1 = 3 marks
c) enough
5
a) Arthur Bamsey / Bamsey / the elderly man 2 x 1 = 2 marks
b) the police / South Wales Police
6 Accepter toute réponse personnelle et justifiée. 1 mark
WRITING 15 marks
1  Effective used of the prompts 2 marks
 Language 3 marks
2
 Adherence to task and content adequacy 4 marks
 Grammatical accuracy and lexical appropriacy 4 marks
 Mechanical accuracy (punctuation, capitalization, and spelling) 2 marks

LANGUAGE 10 marks
1 aims; granted; access; scheduled; tirelessly; launched; to 7 x 0,5 = 3,5
marks
2 healthier; are choosing / have chosen / have been choosing; is 6 x 0,5 = 3
required; expectancy / expectance; prematurely; have predicted marks
3 arrives; symbolizing; Whichever; to; offspring; can; reach 7 x 0,5 = 3,5
marks

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p87

Assessment of the Maths, Sciences, Computer Sciences, and
Economics BAC Examination of 2018

Sections : Durée :
Examen du Baccalauréat Mathématiques, Sciences expérimentales, 2 heures
Session 2018 Sciences de l’informatique et Economie et gestion Coefficient :
Session principale 1

Le sujet comporte 4 pages.

I. READING COMPREHENSION

THE TEXT

(1) In 1883, an engineer, named John Roebling, was inspired by an idea to build a
spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building
experts thought that this was an impossible feat. Roebling could not ignore the vision he
had of this bridge. He knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share
the dream with someone else. He managed to convince his son Washington, an up and
coming engineer, that the bridge could, in fact, be built.

(2) The father and son developed concepts of how their dream could be accomplished
and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement, they hired their crew.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway, a tragic accident
on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with brain
damage, unable to talk or walk. Nonetheless, he still had a burning desire to complete the
bridge. He tried to pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too
daunted by the task.

(3) As Washington lay in his hospital room, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy curtains apart
and he was able to see the sky for just a moment. It seemed that there was a message for
him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he
decided to make the best use of it. He slowly developed a code of communication with his
wife. He touched his wife‘s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call
the engineers again. Then he used the same code to tell the engineers what to do until
the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its
glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man‘s indomitable spirit and his determination not
to be defeated by circumstances.

https://academictips.org/blogs/determination-and-persistence/
November 16, 2009 (Adapted)

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p88

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (12 marks)
1. Tick () the most suitable title for the text. (1 mark)
a. An unaccomplished Project 
b. A Dream that Comes True 
c. A Vision Crippled by an Accident 

2. For each of the following statements, pick out one detail from the text showing
that it is false. (2 marks)
a. Engineers welcomed Roebling‘s dream. (paragraph 1)
............................................................................................................................. ..................
..
b. Washington‘s excitement was shared by his peers. (paragraph 2)
............................................................................................................................. ..................
..

3. Complete the following paragraph with words from paragraph 3. One word per
blank. (3 marks)
Whenever Washington had a ...................................... to convey, he would move his
finger. Thus, he invented a special ...................................... that made him able to express
himself so as to give instructions to the ...................................... he hired.

4. Tick the two adjectives that best describe Washington. (2 marks)

 pessimistic /  creative /  persevering /  frustrated

5. For each of the following definitions, pick out one word that means nearly the
same. (3 marks)
a. Pay no attention to something (paragraph 1): ......................................
b. In progress (paragraph 2): ......................................
c. Not willing to accept defeat (paragraph 3): ......................................

6. Give a personal justified answer to the following question. (1 mark)

If you were Washington, would you abandon the project because of obstacles? Why?
Why not?
............................................................................................................................. .................
..............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................. .................

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p89

II- WRITING (12 marks)
1. Earth Hour is the world(s biggest environmental event. Use the information in the table
below to write a four-line report about the 2017 Earth Hour. (4 marks)
Date / Time Saturday, 25 March 2017
8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Organizer World Wildlife Fund
Venue 170 countries across the continents
Participants / action Millions of people / Switch off lights
Purpose -Helps reduce the impact of climate change
-Show care about the future of the planet

............................................................................................................................. .................
..............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................. .................
..............................................................................................................................................

2. Some of your friends still think that travelling is a waste of time and money. Do you
share this point of view? Write a twelve-line post for your friends on Facebook to express
your opinion. Support it with relevant arguments. (8 marks)

............................................................................................................................. .................
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................. .................
..............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................. .................
..............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................. .................
..............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................. .................
............................................................................................................................. .................
..............................................................................................................................................

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p90

III- LANGUAGE (10 marks)
1. Fill in the blanks with six (6) words from the list below. (3 marks)

schedule – attend – for – enabling – quality – turning – making – to

Many student athletes like Jordan Windle, the youngest diver to qualify for the
Olympic trials, are .......................................... to virtual schools to meet their educational
needs. There are a lot of reasons why they are opting .......................................... this
innovative learning environment. Virtual school students can adapt their learning
.......................................... around their sports and other obligations. They can pursue a
.......................................... education without sacrificing their dreams of medals and
trophies. With a laptop and Internet signal, online student athletes can
.......................................... school from any location. Some virtual schools provide real-
time instruction, .......................................... students to interact with teachers and other
students as they continue their travel and training.

2. Put the bracketed words in the right tense and /or form. (3 marks)
With the global population rising, wastage of products like fruit, vegetables and meat
has become a real threat. Each year about a (three) .................................... of all that is
produced is wasted, including about 45% of all fruit and vegetables, 35% of seafood, and
20% of meat. Meanwhile, 795 million people suffer from food (insufficient)
.................................... and malnutrition. If the amount of food wasted around the world
were reduced by just 25%, there (be) .................................... enough food to feed all the
people who are malnourished.

Recently, the United Nations Organisation (identify) .................................... the issue

of food waste as one of the great challenges to (achieve) .................................... food
security. In their last conference, the UN experts (suggest) .................................... that
increase in food products should reach 60% by 2050 to meet the needs of a growing
population.

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p91

Answer keys

A- Reading comprehension 12 marks

1 (b) 1 mark

2 a) (However, bridge building experts thought that) this was an

impossible feat.
2 x 1 = 2 marks
b) (He tried to pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends,)
but they were too daunted by the task.

3 message / code / engineers 3 x 1 = 3 marks

4 creative – persevering 2 x 1 = 2 marks

5 a. ignore
b. underway 3 x 1 = 3 marks
c. indomitable

6 Accept any plausible justified answer 1 mark

B- Writing 12 marks

1  Content 2 marks
 Language and mechanics of writing 2 marks

2  Content (relevance of ideas) 3 marks

 Language (grammar and vocabulary) 3 marks
 Mechanics of writing (punctuation, capitalization, and spelling) 2 marks

C- Language 6 marks

1 turning – for – schedule – quality – attend – enabling 6 x 0.5 = 3 marks

2 third – insufficiency – would be – (has) identified – achieving – 6 x 0.5 = 3 marks

suggested

Chapter four Assessing the Assessments p92

Glossary
Accountability: responsibility for educational outcomes; these outcomes are often measured through
standardized testing.
Achievement test: a test that measures how well a student has reached the objectives of a specific
course or program.
Alignment: the process of linking the meaning of a score to some external criterion, or definition of a
level of language ability required for a specific purpose. Content alignment is the process of matching
the content of the test to a set of content standards that state what should be studied and mastered
at a particular level of educational achievement.
Alternative assessment: non-traditional forms of assessment; may include portfolios, observations,
work samples, or group projects.
Analytic scoring: method of scoring or rating that assigns separate scores for different aspects of the
same performance. Analytic scoring is especially effective as a diagnostic tool.
Anchor: (also called exemplar or benchmark); a sample of student work (product or performance)
used to illustrate each level of a scoring rubric; critical for training scorers of performances since it
serves as a standard against which other student work is compared.
Aptitude test: test which measures a student's talent for learning language; predicts future
performance.
Assessment: the process of collecting and analyzing data for the purpose of evaluation. The
assessment of student learning involves describing, collecting, recording, scoring, and interpreting
information about performance.
Authentic assessments: assessments that emulate the performance that would be required of the
student in real-life situations.
Authentic materials: actual materials from the real world, such as newspaper articles, pamphlets,
radio broadcasts, and student writing.
Authenticity: how well test tasks reflect/resemble real-life situations/activities.
Bias and distortion: factors, unrelated to the skill being assessed, that interfere with a valid inference
regarding a student’s true ability. For example, too much reading on a mathematics test might result
in a distorted vision of a student’s mastery of mathematics content.
Calibrate: in item response theory, to estimate the difficulty of a set of test items.
Clerical marking: a method of marking in which markers do not need to exercise any special expertise
or subjective judgement. They mark by following a mark scheme which specifies all acceptable
responses to each test item.
Cohort: a group whose progress is followed by means of measurements at different points in time.
Competency test: a test intended to establish that a student has met established minimum standards
of skills and knowledge and is thus eligible for graduation, certification, etc.
Component: part of an examination, often presented as a separate test, with its own instructions
booklet and time limit. Components are often skills-based, and have titles such as Listening
Comprehension or Writing/Composition.
Construct: what a test measures. A hypothesised ability or mental trait which cannot necessarily be
directly observed or measured, for example, in language testing, listening ability.
Criteria: (sometimes used as synonym for traits or attributes); the rules or guidelines used for
categorizing or judging the quality of a student’s response/performance.
Criterion-referenced assessment: an assessment designed to measure performance against a set of
clearly defined criteria. Such assessments are used to identify student strengths and weaknesses with
regard to specified knowledge and skills.
Curricular alignment: the degree to which a curriculum’s scope, sequence, and content match
standards, instruction, assessment, or instructional resources.
Descriptor: a brief description accompanying a band on a rating scale, which summarises the degree
of proficiency or type of performance expected for a test taker to achieve that particular score.

p93
Diagnostic test: test that identifies a student’s strengths and weaknesses.
Dichotomous item: an item which is scored right or wrong, e.g., multiple-choice and true/false.
Direct testing: testing method that closely matches the construct being measured.
Discrete item: a self-contained item. It is not linked to other items or any supplementary material.
Discrete test: test focused on specific language skills.
Discrimination: the power of an item to discriminate between weaker and stronger test takers.
Distractor analysis: in the evaluation of multiple-choice test items, the analysis of how well the
distractors succeed in tempting lower scoring students away from the correct answer (key).
Domain of language use: broad areas of social life, such as education or personal, which can be
defined for the purposes of selecting content and skills focuses for examinations.
Double marking: a method of assessing performance in which two individuals independently assess
test taker performance on a test.
Educational outcome: an educational goal, expectation, or result that occurs at the end of an
educational program or event (usually a culminating activity, product, or other measurable
performance).
Evaluation: making decisions based on the results of assessment; data from tests, tasks, or
performances are used to make judgments about the success of the student or program.
Extended-response assessments: an essay question or performance assessment, which requires an
elaborated or graphic response that expresses ideas and their interrelationships in a literate and
organized manner.
Formative assessment: (also Assessment for learning) an assessment used during the course of
instruction to provide feedback to the teacher and learner about the learner’s progress toward
desired educational outcomes, rather than assess achievement, or award certificates; the results of
formative assessments are often used in planning subsequent instruction.
Grade: a test score may be reported to the test taker as a grade, for example on a scale of A to E,
where A is the highest grade available, B is a good pass, C a pass and D and E are failing grades.
Halo effect: the tendency of judges to give the same score across multiple ratings. The initial
judgement tends to ‘contaminate’ all the others, making it difficult to produce profiles.
High-stakes test: assessment that is used to make critical decisions with consequences for one or
more stakeholders in the assessment process.
Holistic scoring: method of rating an assessment based on general descriptions of performance at
specified levels; while a holistic scoring rubric may take into account performance along several
dimensions (e.g., fluency, grammatical accuracy, and word choice for oral language), one overall score
which best represents the examinee's performance is assigned.
Item: each testing point in a test which is given a separate mark or marks. Examples are: one gap in a
cloze test; one multiple-choice question with three or four options; one sentence for grammatical
transformation; one question to which a sentence-length response is expected.
Item response theory: a group of mathematical models for relating an individual’s test performance
to that individual’s level of ability. These models are based on the fundamental theory that an
individual’s expected performance on a particular test question, or item, is a function of both the level
of difficulty of the item and the individual’s level of ability.
Item banking: an approach to the management of test items which entails storing information about
items so that tests of known content and difficulty can be constructed.
Item analysis: a description of the performance of individual test items, usually employing classical
statistical indices such as facility and discrimination.
Invigilator: person who has responsibility to oversee the administration of an exam in the exam room.
Intra-rater reliability: the degree to which any individual judge or rater agrees with him- or herself,
when rating the same performances on different occasions.
Inter-rater reliability: the degree to which two judges or raters agree with each other, when rating the
same performances.

p94
Interactivity: the degree to which items and tasks engage mental processes and strategies which
would accompany real-life tasks.
Integrative test / Integrated tasks/items: test tasks that require the use of other language knowledge
or skills to answer. This is most evident in questions that require a test taker to read a text, and
perhaps listen to information, before writing or speaking about the topic.
Input: material provided in a test task for the test taker to use in order to produce an appropriate
response. In a test of listening, for example, it may take the form of a recorded text and several
accompanying written items.
Impact: the effect created by a test, in terms of influence on society in general, educational processes
and the individuals who are affected by test results.
Key: a set of all correct or acceptable responses to test items.
Live test (item): a test which is currently available for use, and which must for that reason be kept
secure.
Mark scheme: a list of all the acceptable responses to the items in a test. A mark scheme makes it
possible for a marker to assign a score to a test accurately.
Marker: someone who assigns a score or grade to a test taker’s responses or performance in a test.
Marking: assigning a mark to a test taker’s responses to a test. This may involve professional
judgement, or the application of a mark scheme which lists all acceptable responses.
Mean: a measure of central tendency often referred to as the average. The mean score in an
administration of a test is arrived at by adding together all the scores and dividing by the total number
of scores.
Measurement scale: A scale of numbers which can be used to measure the difference between test
takers, items, cut-off points, etc. on the construct of the test.
Model of language use: a description of the skills and competencies needed for language use, and the
way that they relate to each other. A model is a basic component of test design.
Moderation: randomly sampling from test papers or recorded performances to check on the
performance of raters.
Norm group: a group of students that is first administered a standardized norm-referenced test by its
developers in order to establish scores for interpreting the performance of future test-takers.
Norm: a distribution of scores obtained from a norm group. The norm is the midpoint (or median)
of scores or performance of the students in that group. By design, fifty percent will score above
and fifty percent below the norm.
Norm-referenced test: a standardized test which compares the performance of students to an original
group that took the test (the norm group); results usually reported in terms of percentile scores (e.g.,
a score of 90 means that the student did better than 90% of the norm group).
Objective Test: a test for which the scoring procedure is completely specified enabling agreement
among different scorers. A correct-answer test.
Objectively marked: items which can be scored by applying a mark scheme, without the need to bring
expert opinion or subjective judgement to the task.
Open-ended task: a type of item or task in a written test which requires the test taker to supply, as
opposed to select, a response. The purpose of this kind of item is to elicit a relatively unconstrained
response, which may vary in length from a few words to an extended essay. The mark scheme
therefore allows for a range of acceptable answers.
Partial credit item: an item scored so that a response which is neither wholly wrong nor right is
rewarded. For example, the scores awarded for a response to an item may be 0, 1, 2 or 3, depending
on the level of correctness described in the key.
Piloting: trying out test materials on a very small scale, perhaps by asking colleagues to respond to the
items and comment.
Placement test: test whose results are used to assign students to classes designed for learners at a
particular level.

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Practicality: the degree to which it is possible to develop a test to meet requirements with the
resources available; feasibility of test given materials, funding, time, expertise, and staff.
Pretesting: a stage in the development of test materials at which items are tried out with
representative samples from the target population in order to determine their difficulty. Following
statistical analysis, those items that are considered satisfactory can be used in live tests.
Proficiency test: test of ability in a defined area of language; the area may be narrowly-defined (e.g.,
English for airline pilots) or more broad (e.g., social and academic language). Proficiency tests are not
tied to a specific curriculum or course and are often contrasted with achievement tests.
Prompt: In tests of speaking or writing, graphic materials or texts designed to elicit a response from
the test taker.
Question: sometimes used to refer to a test task or item.
Range: a simple measure of spread: the difference between the highest number in a group and the
lowest.
Rasch analysis: analysis based on a mathematical model, also known as the simple logistic model,
which posits a relationship between the probability of a person completing a task and the difference
between the ability of the person and the difficulty of the task.
Rater: someone who assigns a score to a test taker’s performance in a test, using subjective
judgement to do so. Raters are normally qualified in the relevant field, and are required to undergo a
process of training and standardisation.
Rating scale: a scale consisting of several ranked categories used for making subjective judgements. In
language testing, rating scales for assessing performance are typically accompanied by band
descriptors which make their interpretation clear.
Raw score: a test score that has not been statistically manipulated by any transformation, weighting
or re-scaling.
Register: a distinct variety of speech or writing characteristic of a particular activity or a particular
degree of formality.
Reliability: the consistency or stability of the measures from a test. The more reliable a test is, the less
random error it contains. A test which contains systematic error, e.g. bias against a certain group, may
be reliable, but not valid. The instrument should yield similar results over time with similar
populations in similar circumstances.
Response: the test taker behaviour elicited by the input of a test. For example, the answer given to a
multiple-choice item or the work produced in a test of writing.
Rubric:  (also a scoring guide or scoring criteria) an established, ordered set of criteria used in
subjective assessments; it includes performance descriptors of student work at various levels of
achievement. Rubrics consist of a fixed measurement scale (e.g., 4-point) and a list of criteria that
describe the characteristics of products or performances for each score point. Rubrics are frequently
accompanied by examples (anchors) of products or performances to illustrate the various score points
on the scale  the instructions given to test takers to guide their responses to a particular test task.
Sampling: a way to obtain information about a large group by examining a smaller, randomly chosen
selection (the sample) of group members. If the sampling is conducted correctly, the results will be
representative of the group as a whole. Sampling may also refer to the choice of smaller tasks or
processes that will be valid for making inferences about the student's performance in a larger domain.
Scale: a set of numbers or categories for measuring something. Four types of measurement scale are
distinguished – nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio.
Scoring criteria: rules for assigning a score or the dimensions of proficiency in performance used to
describe a student’s response to a task. May include rating scales, checklists, answer keys, and other
scoring tools. In a subjective assessment situation, a rubric.
Scoring: a package of guidelines intended for people scoring performance assessments. May include
instructions for raters, notes on training raters, rating scales, samples of student work exemplifying
various levels of performance.

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Script: the paper containing a test taker’s responses to a test, used particularly with open-ended task
types.
Skills test: test focusing on a specific domain of language use, e.g., listening, reading, writing or
speaking (interactive or presentational).
Specifications: (the blueprints); a description of the characteristics of an examination, including what
is tested, how it is tested, details such as number and length of papers, item types used, etc.
Stakeholders: people and organisations with an interest in the test. For example, test takers, schools,
parents, employers, governments, employees of the test provider.
Stakes: the extent to which the outcomes of a test can affect the test takers’ futures. Test stakes are
usually described as either high or low, with high-stakes tests having most impact.
Standard deviation (SD): a measure of the spread of scores on a test. If the distribution of scores is
normal, 68% of them are within 1SD of the mean, and 95% are within 2SDs. The higher a standard
deviation is, the further away from the majority of the data it is.
Standard setting: the process of defining cut-off points on a test (e.g. the pass/fail boundary) and thus
the meaning of test results.
Standardized test: test with fixed content, equivalent parallel forms, standard administration and
scoring, field-tested, valid, and reliable.
Standards: agreed upon values used to measure the quality of student performance, instructional
methods, curriculum, etc.
Subjectively marked: items which must be scored using expert opinion or subjective judgement of the
task.
Summative assessment: outcome-based use of assessments, often for decisions such as grading,
program evaluation, tracking, or accountability.
Task: what a test taker is asked to do to complete part of a test, but which involves more complexity
than responding to a single, discrete item. This usually refers either to a speaking or writing
performance or a series of items linked in some way, for example, a reading text with several multiple-
choice items, all of which can be responded to by referring to a single rubric.
Test administration: delivery of the test items/directions to the test-takers; the date or period during
which a test takes place.
Test battery: a test that is constructed of a number of sub-tests.
Test construction: the process of selecting items or tasks and putting them into a test. This process is
often preceded by the pretesting or trialling of materials. Items and tasks for test construction may be
selected from a bank of materials.
Test developer: someone engaged in the process of developing a new test.
Test development: process of creating a test; steps of test development (Hughes, 2003):
1. State the goals of the test.
2. Write test specifications.
3. Write and revise items.
4. Try items with native speakers and accept/reject items.
5. Pilot with non-native speakers with similar backgrounds as the intended test takers.
6. Analyze the trials and make necessary revisions.
7. Calibrate scales.
8. Validate.
9. Write test administrator handbook, test materials.
10. Train staff as appropriate.
Test format: mode and organization of test, test structure (e.g., multiple choice, short answer).
Test materials: items used for the test administration/taking.
Test purpose: what you want to learn from the test results.
Test usefulness: the idea that a test is most useful when the balance between validity, reliability,
authenticity, interactiveness, impact and practicality is optimal.
Test: a set of questions or situations designed to permit an inference about what an examinee knows
or can do in an area of interest.

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Testing: valid and reliable practice of language measurement for context-specific purposes.
Text-based item: an item based on a piece of connected discourse, e.g. multiple-choice items based
on a reading comprehension text.
Trait: a physical or psychological characteristic of a person (such as language ability), or the
measurement scale constructed to describe this. See also construct.
Trialling: a stage in the development of test tasks aimed at ascertaining whether the test functions as
expected. Often used with subjectively marked tasks such as essay questions, which are administered
to a limited population.
Validation: the process of establishing the validity of a test by gathering and evaluating the evidence
for its validity and reliability.
Validity:  [definition 1] a judgment about whether a test is appropriate for a specific group
and purpose and includes considerations such as whether the test really measures what you think it is
measuring, whether the results are similar to examinees' performance on other tests or in class or
real-world activities, and whether the use of test results have the intended effects.
 [definition 2] validity refers to ‘the degree to which’ or ‘the accuracy with which’ an assessment
measures what it is supposed to measure. Since the 1980s there has been a general consensus that it
is more appropriate to talk about the validity of the uses and interpretations of a test, rather than the
test itself. A test could be valid for some uses for some test takers, but not for others.
 Concurrent validity: the assessment has concurrent validity if it is correlated with other
measures of that particular content or area.
 Construct validity: how well a test measures what it is supposed to measure.
 Content validity: the assessment has content validity if it measures the content or area it
intends to measure.
 Face validity: non-technical term that refers to how fair, reasonable and authentic people
perceive a test to be.
 Predictive validity: the assessment has predictive validity if it predicts later actual
performance of the individual in that subject or area.
Vetting: a stage in the cycle of test production at which the test developers assess materials
commissioned from item writers and decide which should be rejected as not fulfilling the
specifications of the test, and which can go forward to the editing stage.
Washback / Backwash: effects of test on teachers’ and students’ actions; for instance, the exam
effects on the curriculum, the syllabus and the coursebooks, etc.; washback can be positive (expected)
or negative (unexpected, harmful).
Weighting: the assignment of a different number of maximum points to a test item, task or
component in order to change its relative contribution in relation to other parts of the same test. For
example, if double marks are given to all the items in task one of a test, task one will account for a
greater proportion of the total score than other tasks.

This concise glossary of language testing terms has been compiled mainly from:
 The Multilingual glossary of language testing terms, produced by the Association of
Language Testers in Europe (ALTE Members 1998)
 Key Assessment Terms (Glossary), from Centre for Applied Linguistics (CAL) [from
http://www.cal.org/flad/tutorial/resources/7keyterms.html]
 Assessment Terminology: A Glossary of Useful Terms, Assessing Learning Conference –
9/28-30, 1995 [from:
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/assess/terminology.htm]
 An A to Z of Second Language Assessment: How Language Teachers Understand
Assessment Concepts, by Christine Coombe, published by the British Council © 2018
[from www.britishcouncil.org/exam/aptis/research/assessment-literacy]

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Appendices

1 Bloom’s taxonomy p100

2 Checklist for Effective Tests p103
3 Checklist for the Evaluation of Tests p104
4 Assessing text appropriateness using technology p105
5 Themes / Topics lists for Basic Education p108
6 Combined alphabetic vocabulary list of the 9th Year General Basic Education
textbook p109
7 Themes / Topics lists for Secondary Education p111
8 Combined alphabetic vocabulary list of the 4th Year Secondary Education
textbook p114
9 How to use the 4th Year Secondary Education textbook, Skills for life (omitted
lessons) p116
10 Ongoing Evaluation in Basic and Secondary Education p118
I. Ongoing Evaluation in Basic Education p118
A Ongoing Evaluation in General Basic Education p118
 Profile of 9th Year Diploma Examination – General p121
B Ongoing Evaluation in Technical Basic Education, p123
 Profile of 9th Year Diploma Examination – Technical p125
II. Ongoing Evaluation in Secondary Education p127
C Ongoing Evaluation in Secondary Education – Common Core and Arts p127
 Recommendations for Baccalaureate Examinations p131
D Ongoing Evaluation in Secondary Education – Sports Branch p134
E Chart of Ongoing Evaluation in Basic and Secondary Education, all Branches
(September 2018) p137

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Appendix 1
Bloom’s taxonomy in use
1) Structure of the Cognitive Process Dimension of the Revised Taxonomy
1 Remember – Retrieving relevant knowledge from long-term memory.
 Recognizing
 Recalling
2 Understand – Determining the meaning of instructional messages, including oral, written,
and graphic communication.
 Interpreting
 Exemplifying
 Classifying
 Summarizing
 Inferring
 Comparing
 Explaining
3 Apply – Carrying out or using a procedure in a given situation.
 Executing
 Implementing
4 Analyze – Breaking material into its constituent parts and detecting how the parts relate
to one another and to an overall structure or purpose.
 Differentiating
 Organizing
 Attributing
5 Evaluate – Making judgments based on criteria and standards.
 Checking
 Critiquing
6 Create – Putting elements together to form a novel, coherent whole or make an original
product.
 Generating
 Planning
 Producing

Note
In this Taxonomy Table, the Knowledge dimension forms the vertical axis of the table,
whereas the Cognitive Process dimension forms the horizontal axis.

Source
A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy: An Overview, by David R. Krathwohl in Theory into practice
41 n°4 Autumn 2002, College of Education, The Ohio State University

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2) Bloom’s taxonomy levels with can do statements and sample questions
Bloom’s taxonomy
I can use the information to build How could you change the plot?
6. Creating
new ideas
I can say what I think about the What would you say is the importance
information and back up my 5. Evaluating of…?
opinion
I can break down the information What evidence can you find to…?
4. Analysing
to understand it better
I can use the information in a new What questions would you ask of…?
3. Applying
way
I can explain the ideas in the How could you say that in your own
2. Understanding
information words…?
I can remember facts about the Where does it say...?
1. Remembering
information When/why/how did…?

1 + 2 + 3 = LOTS (Lower order thinking skills). 4 + 5 + 6 = HOTS (Higher order thinking skills)

3) Reading Comprehension Questions

Here are some examples of reading comprehension questions for a fiction text based on the
different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. These could be adapted to suit a non-fiction text.
Remembering
• Who were the characters in the story?
• Write three things that happened in the text.
• Where did the story take place?
• When does the story take place?
• List six facts about the story.
Understanding
• Tell me about the main character using your own words.
• Explain the main problem of the story and how it was solved.
• Retell the story in three sentences.
• How did the main character feel at the beginning of the story?
• How did the main character feel at the end of the story?
• Draw a story board to show the sequence of events.
Applying
• How would you have solved the problem?
• Explain a time when something similar happened to someone you know.
• Would you have done the same as the character in the story?
• What three questions would you ask the main character if you met him/her?

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• If the main character came to your school, what would they do?
• Can you think of another story with a similar theme or main character?
Analysing
• Who is the most important character in the story and who is the least important?
• Identify the different parts of story. (introduction, development, climax, resolution)
• Organise the text into parts and think of a suitable title for each part.
• Which things in the text were true and which were opinions?
• What things in the text would not have happened in real life?
• Compare this story to another one. How are they the same and how are they different?
Evaluating
• Did you like this story? Why or why not?
• Was the main character good or bad? Why do you think so?
• Which character would you most want to meet? Why?
• Why do you think the author wanted to write this story? Would you? Why or why not?
• Could this story have happened at a different time or place? Why or why not?
• Was this the best ending for the story? Why or why not?
Creating
• Make a story like this one but use your friends as characters in it.
• What will happen next in the story?
• Rewrite the story from another point of view. (another character or an object in the story)
• Write a different ending for the story.
• Pretend you are the main character in the story and write a diary about what happened.
• Create a book cover for the story.

Source: Teachers’ Guide to Teaching Reading Comprehension P5–S3. Edinburgh Literacy Hub.
Downloaded from
https://education.gov.scot/improvement/documents/literacy/lit13_teachingreadingcompreh
ensionfinaldraft.pdf. December 2019

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Appendix 2

Checklist for Effective Tests

The Test Development

o Do the test items match the course objectives?
o Do the test items relate to what was actually taught?
o Do the test items measure important concepts rather than trivia?
o Do the test items measure more complex behaviour, such as understanding of basic
principles or ability to make practical applications, rather than simply measuring recall?
o Are the test items free from vaguely defined problems, ambiguous wording, extraneous or
irrelevant information, and unintentional clues to the correct answers?

Test Preparation and Administration

o Do the test directions specify how the items will be scored and how the students should
record answers?
o Are items presented in the same format grouped together?
o Are the items and pages numbered consecutively?
o Have I provided sufficient time for students to complete the test?
o Have I made provisions to reduce cheating?

Test Evaluation
o Was the test long enough to provide a valid, reliable estimate of the students’
achievement?
o Are there means for grading students other than on the basis of this exam?
o If the purpose of the test was to rank students (rather than to assess mastery) did I reject
items which nearly every student either missed or got correct?
o If the test were given again, can I feel confident the results would be consistent with
current test scores?
o Have I considered student input regarding ambiguity and problems with specific test
items?

Test Grading and Scoring

o Are the items spaced so they can be read, answered, and scored efficiently?
o Is each answer space clearly associated with its corresponding item?
o Have I established a grading key for all items, even essay questions?
o Have I made provisions to maintain student anonymity and to prevent grader bias?
o Have I checked for accuracy by providing two scorings or by re-scoring sample papers?
Source: How to Prepare Better Tests, a booklet by Beverly B. Zimmerman et al.

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Appendix 3
Checklist for the Evaluation of Tests
All tests, whatever their purpose or level, must meet certain criteria, and it is appropriate, before
looking in detail at how tests are produced, to look at these. The questions asked here underpin
the whole process of test production.
Test Validity
o What is the purpose of the test?
o Is the content of the test consistent with the stated goal for which the test is being
administered – is it valid?
Test Difficulty
o What are the characteristics of the examinees?
o Is the test appropriate to the overall abilities of the examinees?
o Has it been tried out on a sample of persons from the same general population as the target
examinees?
Test Reliability
o Are the test results reliable enough to make accurate decisions?
o Can the degree of reliability be demonstrated, and how reliable is this test?
Test Applicability
o How suitable is the test format and features to the context of use?
o How familiar is the actual test format to the examinees?
o Can the format and features of the test be fairly applied in the real testing situation?
Test Relevance
o How relevant is the test to the proposed test population and/or to the test item domain?
o How closely does the proposed test population/content resemble the developmental sample?
Test Replicability
o How easy is it to produce equivalent or equated forms of the test?
Test Interpretability
o How easy is it to score the test, report the test scores and interpret them?
o Does it require a great deal of training?
Test Economy
o What does it cost to procure, administer and score the test?
Test Availability
o Is the test readily available?
Test Acceptability
o Is the test societally and institutionally acceptable?
o Is it acceptable in the eyes of teachers, parents, administrators?
Adapted from Grant Henning, A Guide to Language Testing, Newbury House, 1987.
(Source: ALTE Materials for the Guidance of Test Item Writers)

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Appendix 4: Assessing Texts Using Technology
a. Assessing Text Readability Using MS Word
1. Click on “Office” button at the top left-hand corner of the screen.
Cliquez sur le bouton Office.

2. Click on “Options…”. Cliquez sur Options Word.

3. Click on Revision / “Vérification”.

4. Toggle to the “Spelling and Grammar” tab.

Sous “Lors de la correction orthographique
et grammaticale...”, activez toutes les cases.
Now, your settings look like these:

With the “Show readability statistics” option checked, you will get a report whenever you go through a
spell check. To run a spell check, click on “Tools” and choose “Spelling and Grammar…”.
Now copy the text you wish to check (only text).
A. Open a new Word doc.
B. Paste text.
C. Click on “Révision”.
D. Click on “ABC  Grammaire et orthographe”.

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 E. Once revision is finished, you will get a report on your text readability.

Here’s is an image of what this report will look like:

Flesch Reading Ease Score:

Rates text on a 100-point scale.
The higher the score, the easier it is to understand the document. A higher score indicates easier
reading; low scores indicate text that is complicated to understand.
Scores between 60 and 80 should generally be understood by 12 to 15 year olds.
As a rule of thumb:
• Scores between 90.0–100.0 are considered easily understandable by an average 5 th grader.
• Scores between 60.0–70.0 are considered easily understood by 8th and 9th graders.
• Scores between 0.0–30.0 are considered easily understood by college graduates.
The following table is also helpful to assess the ease of readability in a document:
• 90-100: Very Easy • 80-89: Easy •70-79: Fairly Easy • 60-69: Standard • 50-59: Fairly Difficult
• 30-49: Difficult • 0-29: Very Confusing

Score School level Notes

100.00-90.00 5th grade Very easy to read. Easily understood by an average 11-year-old student.
90.0–80.0 6th grade Easy to read. Conversational English for consumers.
80.0–70.0 7th grade Fairly easy to read.
70.0–60.0 8th & 9th grade Plain English. Easily understood by 13- to 15-year-old students.
60.0–50.0 10th to 12th grade Fairly difficult to read.
50.0–30.0 College Difficult to read.
30.0–0.0 College graduate Very difficult to read. Best understood by university graduates.

 For suitable texts for younger Tunisian learners, what score would you aim for?

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level:

Rates text on a U.S. school grade level; this indicates that the average student in that grade level can
read the text. The result is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to
understand the content. The lower the number, the more understandable the content will be to your
students.
For example,
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-A score of 8.0 means that an 8th grader can understand the document.
-An average grade level of 7 means that it should be easily understood by 12 to 13 year olds.
 For suitable texts for younger Tunisian learners, what score would you aim for?

b. Assessing Text Vocabulary Using Web Tools/Websites

 Oxford 2000/3000 Profiler:
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/oxford_3000_profiler.
(According to this tool, if 100% of the words in the text are in the Oxford 3000, it is at a low
intermediate level, if 90-95%, it’s upper intermediate and if 70-90%, it’s advanced.)

c. Assessing Text Readability Using Web Tools/Websites

(i) Readability Calculator (plus ‘List of sentences to consider rewriting to improve readability’)
+ Vocabulary Builder + New Words English Dictionary
 https://www.online-utility.org/english/readability_test_and_improve.jsp
 https://www.online-utility.org/english/vocabulary_builder.jsp
 https://www.online-utility.org/english/explain_all_words.jsp

(ii) Text Inspector: http://www.englishprofile.org/wordlists/text-inspector

(iii) Others
 http://www.readabilityformulas.com/free-readability-formula-tests.php
 https://la-tools.lexile.com/free-analyze/
 http://www.lextutor.ca/vp/
 http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/about/staff/paul-nation
 https://readability-score.com/
 http://cohmetrix.memphis.edu/cohmetrixpr/index.html
 https://readable.io/text/
 https://www.webpagefx.com/tools/read-able/
 http://www.analyzemywriting.com/
 https://datayze.com/readability-analyzer.php

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Appendix 5
Themes and topics for Basic Education (Years 7, 8, and 9)
FAMILY LIFE
sharing family responsibilities – family composition – family relationships – children-parents
relationships – pocket money – safety rules – jobs
FREE TIME AND ENTERTAINMENT
travel – holidays – leisure activities – pets – hobbies – sports – T.V. – radio – music – reading –
(computer) games – cinema – eating out – parties
RELATIONS WITH PEERS
clubs activities – invitations – friendship – boys and girls relationships – pen friends – birthdays
CIVILITY
voluntary work – associations – children’s rights and duties – tolerance – cooperation – respect
for others – fair play
HEALTH
keeping fit – hygiene – ailments – nutrition
EDUCATION
school life – school rules – exams – teacher-pupil relationship – school activities
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
environmental awareness – pollution – traffic – noise – safety rules – landscapes – rural life –
seasons – nature – the weather
SERVICES
shopping facilities – using the telephone – hospitals – public transport – internet cafés – post
office
Source: English Programmes (2006)
A. Year 7 Basic Ed. Topics (as they appear in Student’s Book)
o Module one: family, hobbies, routines
o Module two: socializing (friends, welcome to Tunisia, time for lunch)
o Module three: house, farm (fruits, vegetables, animals), market (clothes, shops...),
birthday
o Module four: home safety / accidents, minor ailments, fitness, the weather
o Module five: school, helping others, clean environment
B. Year 8 Basic Ed. Topics (as they appear in Student’s Book)
o Module one: family, travel/trip, places/London
o Module two: education/school, parents and education
o Module three: socializing / party, sporting activities, spare time activities, friends
o Module four: celebrations / Easter holidays, transport, accommodation, travel/trip,
shopping
o Module five: social life: relationships, family, friends; the environment: Earth Day, save
our planet, pollution; pets
C. Year 9 Basic Ed. Themes and Topics (as they appear in Student’s Book)
o Module one: Family life – Family relationships; Sharing family responsibilities; The
generation gap; Pocket money; Safety at home
o Module 2: Education – School memories; School rules; First day at school; Violence at
school; School life
o Module 3: Health and environment – Air and land pollution; Smoking and health;
Pollution, a threat to our environment; Save the Earth!; Let everyday be an Earth Day
o Module 4: Services – At the airport; Internet shopping; Tourism; Transport;
Communication
o Module 5: Entertainment – Means of entertainment; Eating out; Where shall we go?;
Let’s watch a film!; Stars’ pastimes
o Module 6: Civility – Voluntary work; Volunteering kids; How to be cooperative; Clubs,
associations, and charities; Tolerance and respect

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Appendix 6

Combined alphabetic vocabulary list of the 9th Year General Basic Ed. textbook
A 41. cook, v (M1 L2) 81. figure out (M6 L3)
1. accent (M2 L4) 42. cool, adj (M2 L2) 82. first-hand (M6 L4)
2. achieve (M4 L3) 43. creature (M3 L4/M5 L4) 83. fish tank (M5 L4)
3. acid (M3 L1) 44. cruel (M6 L1) 84. flavour (M5 L3)
4. acrobats (M5 L3) 45. crunchy (M3 L5) 85. flight (M4 L1)
5. across (M6 L2) 46. customs (M4 L1) 86. foreign (M6 L2)
6. addicted (M3 L2) D 87. forget (M2 L3)
7. addiction (M1 L4) 47. damage, v (M3 L2) 88. frequent, adj. (M4 L4)
8. afford (M1 L1) 48. demanding (M1 L2) 89. fumes (M3 L1)
9. agree (M1 L3) 49. diet (M3 L4/M5 L2) 90. fun (M2 L3)
10. aisle (M4 L1) 50. disabled (M6 L1) G
11. amount (M4 L3) 51. disapprove of (M3 L2) 91. garlic (M5 L2)
12. argue (M1 L3) 52. disc-based (M5 L1) 92. get on (M2 L5)
13. available (M4 L4) 53. discharge, n (M3 L3) 93. get started (M6 L2)
14. awake, v (M2 L2) 54. divorce (M1 L1) 94. giant, adj. (M5 L1)
15. award, n (M5 L5) 55. dog-headed (M1 L3) 95. give a hand (M4 L4/M6
B 56. dolby system (M5 L1) L1)
16. barbecued (M5 L2) 57. donate (M6 L1) 96. give up (M3 L2)
17. believe (M2 L4) 58. dream, v (M2 L2) 97. glues (M3 L1)
18. belt (M4 L1) 59. dressing (M5 L2) 98. grade, n (M2 L1)
19. benefit (M4 L2) 60. driveway (M6 L4) H
20. bin (M3 L5) 61. dump, v (M3 L2) 99. hacker (M4 L2)
21. bite, v (M1 L5) E 100. hard time (M6 L3)
22. boarding pass (M4 L1) 62. earthquake (M2 L2) 101. hard-earned (M1 L4)
23. boom, n (M4 L3) 63. easy-going (M1 L1) 102. harmful (M3 L2)
24. break (rules), v (M1 L3) 64. e-books (M5 L1) 103. hazard (M1 L5)
25. bring up (M1 L2) 65. embarrassed (M1 L3) 104. homeless (M6 L1/L4)
C 66. enquiry (M4 L4) 105. huge (M4 L2)
26. campaign, n (M3 L5) 67. erase (M2 L1) 106. hunter (M3 L4)
27. carry out (M6 L3) 68. establish (M6 L2) I
28. chained (M1 L5) 69. exchange, v (M4 L2) 107. immigrants (M6 L5)
29. charge, n (M5 L2) 70. exciting (M1 L2) 108. impact, n (M3 L3)
30. chat, n (M4 L2) 71. exotics (M5 L3) 109. income (M6 L4)
31. chores (M6 L1) 72. expect (M2 L5) 110. indeed (M2 L5)
32. close, adj (M1 L2) 73. expenses (M2 L5) 111. infected (M1 L5)
33. coke (M5 L2) 74. experience, v (M4 L3) 112. inflammable (M3 L1)
34. come across (M5 L4) 75. extras (M1 L4) 113. inhale (M3 L3)
35. come forward (M6 L2) F 114. instead (M2 L1)
36. come round (M4 L5) 76. fall, v (M2 L2) 115. interrupt (M5 L1)
37. comfort, n (M4 L3) 77. fasten (M4 L1) 116. involve (M6 L2)
38. conflicts (M6 L5) 78. fatty (M3 L5) 117. isolation (M1 L5)
39. contaminated (M3 L2) 79. feed, v (M1 L2) J
40. convenient (M4 L4) 80. fighting (M1 L1) 118. jet (M3 L4)

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119. join (M4 L5/M6 L2) 157. preparatory (M2 L1) 199. sound, v (M5 L5)
L 158. pretend (M2 L3) 200. species (M3 L5)
120. lack of (M6 L1) 159. prevent (M3 L4) 201. spill, v (M3 L3)
121. landfill (M3 L3) 160. progress, n (M4 L3) 202. stair lift (M6 L4)
122. legumes (M3 L5) 161. prohibited (M3 L2) 203. stand by, n (M6 L1)
123. logging (M3 L4) 162. proud (M2 L1) 204. starter (M5 L2)
124. look after (M1 L2) 163. purchase, v (M1 L4) 205. stationeries (M1 L4)
125. look forward to (M4 R 206. sugary (M3 L5)
L5) 164. railway (M4 L1) 207. supervise (M1 L5)
126. loud (M2 L2) 165. rash (M3 L1) 208. supportive (M1 L1)
127. lyrics (M5 L5) 166. realise (M2 L5) 209. survive, v (M6 L1)
M 167. reception desk (M4 T
128. mad (M2 L4) L5) 210. take away (M5 L4)
129. magic (M1 L1) 168. reconciliation (M6 L5) 211. take off (M4 L1)
130. make up one’s mind 169. recycling (M3 L5) 212. take over, v (M5 L1)
(M5 L2) 170. refugees (M6 L5) 213. take part in (M6 L1)
131. mark, n (M2 L1) 171. regret, n (M3 L4) 214. taunt, v (M2 L4)
132. means (M4 L2) 172. release, v (M3 L1) 215. test, n (M2 L1)
133. meet (M2 L3) 173. rent, v (M2 L5) 216. threat, n (M3 L3)
134. membership (M6 L2) 174. rides (M5 L3) 217. throughout (M4 L4)
135. memory (M2 L1) 175. rock, v (M1 L2) 218. tortured (M6 L5)
136. miserable (M1 L1) 176. role (M1 L2) 219. true (M1 L1)
137. mission (M6 L4) 177. ruin, v (M3 L3) 220. trust, n (M6 L3)
138. move, v (M2 L4) 178. run away (M5 L4) U
N S 221. unless (M2 L2)
139. needy (M6 L1) 179. safe (M3 L4) 222. used to, v (M2 L4)
140. notice, v (M2 L1) 180. salty (M3 L5) V
O 181. savings (M1 L4) 223. vegetarian (M5 L2)
141. occur (M1 L5) 182. seat, n (M4 L1) volunteer, n (M6 L1)
142. offender (M3 L4) 183. secure, adj. (M4 L2) W
143. on-line (M4 L2) 184. seller (M4 L5) 224. walk-in cinema (M5
144. opportunity (M6 L4) 185. send (M2 L5) L1)
145. order, v (M4 L2) 186. sensitive (M2 L5) 225. walking stick (M6 L4)
146. organic (M3 L5) 187. service (M4 L1) 226. waste, n (M3 L3)
147. orphanage (M1 L1) 188. severe (M1 L1) 227. water slides (M5 L3)
148. overspending (M1 189. shake hands (M2 L3) 228. website (M4 L2)
L4) 190. share (M6 L3) 229. wild (M5 L3)
149. owner (M1 L5) 191. shark (M5 L4) 230. windsurf (M5 L3)
150. ozone layer (M3 L1) 192. shovel (M6 L4) 231. wisdom (M1 L1)
P 193. single, n (M5 L5) Y
151. participate (M2 L4) 194. skateboarding (M5 232. yacht (M5 L5)
152. particles (M3 L3) L5)
153. peacemaker (M6 L5) 195. skin (M3 L1)
154. peers (M6 L3) 196. smog (M3 L1)
155. perform (M6 L3) 197. sneak out (M1 L3)
156. pesticides (M3 L2) 198. solvents (M3 L1)

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Appendix 7
Themes and topics for Secondary Education
1. Themes and topics for Years 1 and 2 Secondary Ed.
o FAMILY LIFE AND RELATIONSHIPS
family composition – boys and girls – feelings – love – cooperation – harassment – respect for
others – altruism – solidarity – honesty
o SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
computers – lnternet – mobile phones – multimedia – inventions – genetic engineering –
communications technologies – medicine – research – health
o SOCIAL PROBLEMS
violence – youth problems – discrimination –overpopulation – child labour – famine –
malnutrition – poverty – unemployment
o COMMUNICATING WITH OTHERS
correspondence – e-mail – chatrooms – club membership – friendship – penfriends
o SOCIAL LIFE
travel – holidays – leisure activities – entertainment – facilities – hobbies – eating out – D.I.Y. –
recipes – consumerism – computer games – sports
o EDUCATION
why study – why learn English – school life – exams – degrees – qualifications – school and
family – virtual schools – distance learning –clubs
o PROFESSIONAL LIFE
employment – jobs – careers – promotion – success – training – hard work
o ATTITUDES AND VALUES
civism – voluntary work – fair play – tolerance – standards of conduct – democracy –
appropriate behaviour
o RIGHTS AND DUTIES
human rights – children's rights – women's rights – equality – citizenship – civil rights – law and
order – justice
o ECOLOGY
quality of life – landscapes – seasons – environmental issues
o MEDIA AND ARTS
arts – drama – shows – concerts – cinema – music – newspapers – TV – videos – DVDs – libraries
Source: English Programmes (2005)

A. Themes/Topics for Y1 Secondary Ed. (as they appear in Student’s Book)

Refer to Teacher’s Book, pp14—16
1. Family and friends
2. Mysteries
3. Education and social life
4. Feelings
5. Health
6. Social relations
7. Information and computer technologies
8. House and Home
9. Employment
10. The Environment
11. Social problems and attitudes
(Note: Lessons 1–6 are meant for revision; refer to Teacher’s Book, p4.)

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B. Themes and topics for Y2 Secondary Ed. (as they appear in Student’s Book)
o Theme 1: Family life (L1: The image of who I am; L2: The stepmom)
o Theme 2: Communicating with others (L3: Friendship; L4: Bridge over Troubled Water –
Friendship; L5: The e-mailer vs. the texter)
o Theme 3: Social life (L6: Travel is fun; L7: An Interview with a footballer)
o Theme 4: Social problems (L9: Violence; L10: Child labour; L11: Life without parents)
o Theme 5: Attitudes and values (L12: Money and evil; L13: Songs of Freedom; L14: Why I
had to leave my job – ((dis)honesty)
o Theme 6: Rights and duties (L15: Human rights; L16: Equality offers prosperity)
o Theme 7: Education (L18: School uniforms; L19: Coping with exams – stress)
o Theme 8: Professional life (L20: I had no choice – working mothers; L21: What’s your
dream job? L22: A success story – physically impaired teacher)
o Theme 9: Media & arts (L23: The importance of libraries; L24: Death of the single - music)
o Theme 10: Science & technology (L25: Internet addiction; L26: What will man be like?)
o Theme 11: Ecology (L27: Our World, our Environment – pollution; L28: Water Scarcity)

 The list above shows the topic areas common to all branches. The following topics
supplement the common core programme for the Economics & Services branch:
Business: Employment:
Advertising Industrial relations
Offices Employment and
Office work training
Businesses Parental leave
Business correspondence Job hunting
Purchasing power
Accountancy

2. Themes and topics for Y3 Secondary Ed. (Common to all branches)

o Module 1: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Family roles; generation gap
o Module 2: VALUES AND ATTITUDES / PHILANTHROPY
Charity; altruism; activism; self-sacrifice; volunteerism; solidarity; generosity
o Module 3: ENTERTAINMENT
Leisure activities; history and geography of places visited; facilities; travel; holidays; eating
out
o Module 4: SCIENCE AND INVENTIONS / TECHNOLOGY
Inventions; experiments; medical research & progress; computers; TV; mobile phones;
genetic engineering; new technology & its impact on our daily life
o Module 5: EDUCATION / PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Distance learning; electronic learning; special education; dream school; exams; school life;
school violence
o Module 6: ECOLOGY
Environment issues; natural disasters

3. Themes and topics for Y4 Secondary Ed. (Common to all branches)

Unit 1: ARTS SHOWS AND HOLIDAYING
o Holidays; travel; package tour
o Summer outings

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o Holidays: active & lazy; then & now
o A postcard: a vacation place
o Complaining about holidays
o Space travel; space tourism
o Art shows; music; cinema; drama
o Walking tour
o Festivals
Unit 2: EDUCATION MATTERS
o Virtual schools
o Online learning
o Comparing educational systems
o Age or ability: mixed-age classes
o Lifelong learning
o Feeding poor children to boost schooling
o Education for all: children out of school
Unit 3: CREATIVE, INVENTIVE MINDS
o Humans vs. robots
o The Internet & the Web
o Technology: a blessing or a curse
o Video/Computer games
o Awards; (Nobel) Prize winners
o Women choose to opt out: gender gap, gender discrimination; glass ceiling
o Brain drain vs. brain gain; immigration issues
o Scientists’ achievements; inventions
Unit 4: LIFE ISSUES
o Life concerns: jobs, success in life, stress, healthy eating, quitting smoking
o Attitudes: positive behaviour & values; materialism, the rich & the poor, cheating in
exams
o Ecodriving: saving energy, ecodriving tips
o Environmental issues: pollution, endangered animals, global warming, extreme weather,
natural disasters
o Town & country: urban exodus, rural exodus, city life vs. country life
o Careers & professional life: staff management, employer-employee relationships, hard
work, unemployment, pay, choosing jobs, job ads, letters of application

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Appendix 8
Combined alphabetic vocabulary list of the 4th Year Secondary Ed. textbook
A 42. constituent (U1 L5) 84. expertise (U3 L6)
1. accurate (U2 L8) 43. contentious (U3 L6) F
2. acronyms (U2 L2) 44. contest (U1 L6) 85. face-off (U1 L2)
3. actual (U3 L7) 45. cosmopolitan (U1 L5) 86. Fahrenheit (U4 L7)
4. acute (U2 L8) 46. couple of, a (U1 L2) 87. faith (U1 L4)
5. admission (U1 L6) 47. couplet (Arts 5) 88. faith (U4 L3)
6. affluent (Arts 8) 48. coward (Arts 5/U4 L2) 89. FAQ (U3 L1)
7. allowance for, make (U4 49. creativity (U3 L4) 90. fate (U1 L4)
L3) 50. credit for doing sth, have 91. fire, v (U4 L8)
8. anguish (Arts 3) the (U3 L7) 92. fit in (U4 L2)
9. appeal, n (U2 L3) 51. crippled (U4 L7) 93. foes (U4 L3)
10. appliances (U4 L5) 52. crumble (Arts 3) 94. foothold (U1 L2)
11. application (U4 L9) 53. culprit (U4 L8) 95. founder (U3 L4)
12. apply for (U4 L9) 54. curriculum vitae (U4 L9) 96. frugally (Arts 8)
13. approach (U4 L7) 55. cybertrip (U1 L8) G
14. assess (U2 L6) D 97. gather pace (U3 L6)
15. assets (U4 L8) 56. daffodils (U3 L8) 98. gaze, v (U3 L8)
16. attachment (U3 L1) 57. deaf and dumb (U2 L9) 99. giant (U3 L3)
B 58. deal, n (U1 L2) 100. give way to (U4 L3)
17. badly-off (Arts 8) 59. decade (U4 L6) 101. glance (U3 L8)
18. beg, v (U1 L9) 60. decline, n (U4 L6) 102. global warming (U4
19. bill (U4 L5) 61. delay, n (U3 L3) L5)
20. billionaire (U1 L2) 62. deny (U2 L1) 103. go green (U4 L8)
21. biodata (U4 L9) 63. depicted (U2 L8) 104. greenhouse effect
22. biographer (U2 L9) 64. deposit, n (U1 L7) (U4 L5)
23. blessed (Arts 9) 65. dietician (U4 L1) 105. grieve (Arts 8)
24. bliss (U3 L8) 66. disappointed (U1 L7) H
25. blisters (U4 L2) 67. discount (U1 L6/L7) 106. hampered (U4 L7)
26. bloom (Arts 9) 68. download (U3 L1) 107. heading to (U1 L8)
27. book, v (U1 L7) 69. dumped (U4 L7) 108. hire (Arts 8)
28. booming (U4 L6) E 109. hold s.o. accountable
29. boost, v (U2 L1/L6) 70. ecodriving (U4 L5) for (U3 L5)
30. border (U1 L5) 71. efficiently (U4 L5) 110. honouring (U3 L4)
31. broke (Arts 8) 72. emerging (U1 L2) 111. host (U3 L8)
32. browser (U3 L1) 73. emission (U4 L5) 112. hypertext (U3 L1)
33. bullying (U2 L3) 74. emoticon (U3 L1) I
34. bustle, n (U2 L3) 75. enable (U3 L7) 113. ICT (U3 L1)
C 76. enrolment (U2 L2) 114. illuminate (U4 L5)
35. calendar, on the (U1 L8) 77. entrepreneur (U3 L4) 115. immortality (U1 L4)
36. cancelled (U4 L7) 78. envision (U3 L3) 116. impediments (U2 L9)
37. casualty (U4 L7) 79. envy (Arts 5/U4 L2) 117. impostor (U4 L3)
38. characters (U2 L8) 80. evil (U1 L9) 118. impoverished (Arts 8)
39. check in (U1 L6) 81. executives (U4 L8) 119. incentive (U3 L6)
40. cite (U3 L5) 82. exhibition (U1 L6) 120. initial (U3 L3)
41. confined (U2 L7) 83. expense of, at the (U3 L5) 121. issue, n (U4 L1)

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 J 163. persuade (Arts 5/U4 L2) 207. staff (U4 L8)
122. jail (Arts 3) 164. plummet (U4 L7) 208. stage (v & n) (U1 L8)
K 165. portal (U3 L1) 209. standby (U4 L5)
123. keen on (U4 L8) 166. positions, key (U3 L6) 210. steam (U4 L1)
L 167. potential (U4 L9) 211. stranger to sth, be no
124. landscape (U2 L8) 168. priority (U2 L1) (U2 L9)
125. lie (U3 L8) 169. proficient (U4 L9) 212. stream, n (U2 L6)
126. life expectancy (U4 L6) 170. profound (Arts 5/U4 L2) 213. strike (U4 L8)
127. life-and-death (U4 L1) 171. provide (U2 L1) 214. superb (U1 L7)
128. lifeless (U4 L1) Q 215. supply (U3 L6)
129. lifelike (U4 L1) 172. quatrain (Arts 5) 216. switch, v (U2 L6)
130. lifelong (U4 L1) 173. queer (Arts 3) T
131. lifestyle (U4 L1) R 217. tackle, v (U2 L6)
132. lifetime (U4 L1) 174. race, v (Arts 8) 218. texting (U2 L3)
133. lifework (U4 L1) 175. rationally (Arts 3) 219. the late (1980s) (U3 L7)
134. limp (Arts 9) 176. reach the end of the 220. therefore (U2 L2)
135. loathe (U4 L3) road (U3 L7) 221. threatened (U4 L7)
136. log on (U2 L3) 177. reap the harvest (Arts 8) 222. tight of (Arts 8)
M 178. reckon (U4 L8) 223. timeless (U2 L9)
137. magnify (U3 L7) 179. recognition (U3 L5) 224. trends (U3 L6)
138. make ends meet (U4 L7) 180. refund, n (U1 L7) 225. triumph, n (U4 L3)
139. manslaughter (Arts 3) 181. release, n (U3 L3) 226. twinkle (U3 L8)
140. maturity (U2 L7) 182. relief (U4 L7) 227. typhoon (U4 L7)
141. maybe (U3 L3) 183. residence (U1 L5) U
142. memory (U1 L4) 184. rule, v (U1 L9) 228. unfaithfulness (U1 L9)
143. merely (U2 L7) S 229. unforgettable (U2 L8)
144. misfortune (U2 L9) 185. sacred (Arts 9) 230. unseasonally (U4 L7)
N 186. sag (U4 L2) 231. utterly (U4 L8)
145. netiquette (U3 L1) 187. scheduled (U1 L7) V
146. newscast (U4 L7) 188. search engine (U3 L1) 232. valiant (Arts 5/U4 L2)
147. numeracy (U2 L6) 189. search of, in (U3 L6) 233. valued (U3 L5)
148. nutritious (U2 L1) 190. seek (U4 L9) 234. venture (U2 L7)
O 191. send for s.o. (U1 L9) 235. venues (U1 L5)
149. occur (U3 L7) 192. shake, v (Arts 5/U4 L2) 236. via (U3 L3)
150. official (U1 L5) 193. shamefully (U1 L9) 237. vibrant (U4 L6)
151. oil refinery (U1 L7) 194. shiver (U4 L7) 238. vice (U4 L3)
152. opportunity (U3 L6) 195. shortage (U3 L6) 239. virtue (U4 L3)
153. outlive (U4 L6) 196. significant (U3 L5) W
P 197. smoothly (U4 L5) 240. wandering (U3 L8)
154. package holiday (U1 L7) 198. soles (U4 L2) 241. wear out (Arts 9)
155. package tour (U1 L6) 199. sonnet (Arts 5) 242. wearily (Arts 9)
156. palpable (U2 L8) 200. sorrow (U1 L4) 243. well-to-do (U1 L2)
157. panic-stricken (Arts 9) 201. soul (U1 L4) 244. whistle, v (U4 L2)
158. patent (U3 L7) 202. spaceport (U1 L2) 245. will, n (U3 L4)
159. path (U3 L5/U4 L9) 203. spamming (U3 L1) Y
160. peak (U4 L6) 204. sparingly (U4 L5) 246. year round (U1 L5)
161. penurious (Arts 8) 205. sparkle (U3 L8)
162. per annum (U4 L9) 206. spectacular (U1 L5)

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Appendix 9

How to use 4th Year Secondary Education textbook, Skills for life (omitted
lessons)
It is recommended that, with all sections, teachers devote 5 sessions to the coverage
of activities chosen from the “Check Year 3 Programme” and the “Introductory Unit” of the
textbook or activities of their own make that meet the specific needs of their learners. As
for the ordinary lessons, teachers are expected to delete those listed below according to
sections.

Lessons not to be covered with the Arts Stream

Unit 1
 L3: Arts Shows, Strings pp52-53
 L7: At the Travel Agency pp68-69
Unit 3
 L2: Technology, a Blessing in Disguise? pp142 – 146
 Arts 6: As You Like It pp186 – 188
Unit 4
 L4: Consumerism pp205 – 210

Lessons not to be covered with the Common Core Streams (3-hour

classes)
Unit 1
 L3 Arts Shows, Strings pp52-53
 L7 At the Travel Agency pp68-69
 L9 The Winter’s Tale (part 1) pp77 – 81
 Arts Sessions 1 & 2
Unit 2
 L5 Comparing Educational Systems pp103 – 106
 L8 Reading the Back Cover of a Book pp115 – 117
 Arts Session 3 & 4
Unit 3
 L2 Technology, a Blessing in Disguise? pp142 – 146
 L8 The daffodils pp174 – 179
 Arts Sessions 5 & 6 + Project Work 3
Unit 4
 L4 Consumerism pp205 – 210
 Arts Sessions 8, 9 & 10

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Lessons not to be covered with the two-hour classes –Technology and
Sports Streams
Unit 1
 L3 Arts Shows, Strings pp52-53
 L7 At the Travel Agency pp68-69
 L8 Put a Little Drama in your Travel pp74 – 76
 L9 The Winter’s Tale (part 1) pp77 – 81
 Arts Sessions 1 & 2
Unit 2
 L5 Comparing Educational Systems pp103 – 106
 L8 Reading the Back Cover of a Book pp115 – 117
 Project Work 2 Expository Texts p123
 Arts Session 3 & 4
Unit 3
 L2 Technology, a Blessing in Disguise? pp142 – 146
 L5 Women Choose to Opt out pp156 – 160
 L8 The daffodils pp174 – 179
 Arts Sessions 5 & 6 + Project Work 3
Unit 4
 L2 Attitudes pp198 – 201
 L3 If..., a poem by Kipling pp202 – 204
 L4 Consumerism pp205 – 210
 L7 A Newscast pp222 – 226
 L8 Staff Management pp227 – 231
 Arts Sessions 8, 9 & 10

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 Appendix 10
ONGOING EVALUATION IN BASIC AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

I- Ongoing Evaluation in Basic Education

A. Ongoing Evaluation in General Basic Education

REPUBLIC OF TUNISIA
Ministry of Education (September, 2018)

ONGOING EVALUATION IN BASIC EDUCATION

NUMBER OF TESTS, DURATION, COMPONENTS AND SCALE

Each term, learners are tested in compliance with the following specifications:
7TH FORM 8TH& 9TH FORMS

FIRST TERM SECOND & THIRD TERMS EACH TERM

speaking at least 1 10 speaking at least 1 10 speaking at least 1 10

project work at least 1 10 project work at least 1 10 project work at least 1 10

a one-hour language 14 a one-hour language 14 a one-hour listening 08

mid-term test spelling 06 mid-term test listening 06 mid-term test language 12

a one-hour language 15 reading 05 reading 06

a one-hour a one-hour

end-of-term end-of-term language 10 end-of-term language 08

test test test
writing 05 writing 05 writing 06

COMPONENTS SPECIFICATIONS
1. The oral component
a) The speaking test: test takers are tested orally on the acquisitions of the previous lesson at
least once a term and the test will be communicative in nature. Their performance is marked
out of ten.
b) Project work: test takers are allotted a mark out of ten for the outcome of the project work
they undertake and /or the process followed.
The final end-of-term mark is the sum of the two marks specified above.

2. The spelling component

It consists of two exercises requiring the test taker to:
a) Write the missing words in a text read by the teacher.
b) Write figures or numbers in letters.

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3. The language component
It consists of 3 or 4 exercises testing the assimilation of lexical and grammatical acquisitions in
an essentially integrated manner and requiring the test taker to:
a) Fill in a gapped paragraph with (5 or 6 items) words provided in a box including two
distractors.
b) Tick / Underline / Circle the right options in a gapped paragraph with three options per
item. (5 or 6 items)
c) Provide the right tense or form of bracketed words.
d) Match sentence parts to get a coherent paragraph. (with 8th and 9th formers)
e) Match utterances in a short dialogue with the right functions provided in a list
including one extra option.
f) Tick / Circle / Underline the right option in multiple choice questions relative to the
function of each utterance underlined in a short dialogue.
g) Match sentence parts to get correct sentences. (Only with 7th formers)
h) Reorder 3 or 4 sentence parts to get correct sentences. (Only with 7th formers)
With all three levels, the test taker gets half a mark for each correct answer.

4. The reading comprehension component

It consists of one linear text, a linear text and a non-linear one, or two complementary texts
totalling 100, 150 and 200 words respectively for the 7th, 8th and 9th forms. The linear texts are
authentic or semi-authentic and extracted from various sources: novels, magazines,
newspapers, brochures... Non-linear texts can be charts, notes, tickets, menus, notices,
timetables...The linguistic as well as the semantic content of these texts should be
appropriate to the targeted level. To demonstrate comprehension of the content of the text
and its organization, the test taker is required to:
a) Match paragraphs with the appropriate titles, main ideas or visuals.
b) Provide justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from
the text or worded by the test taker.
c) Write short answers to WH questions.
d) Answer one or two reference questions.
e) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list or a chart. (2 items)
f) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with information retrieved from the text, the
information being a word, a phrase, a clause, a date, a figure... (2 items)
g) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with one’s own words or phrases when the
information is not explicitly stated in the text.
h) Select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the title or main
idea of a text or the meaning of a given word.
i) Provide equivalents of new words or expressions underlined in the text.
j) Identify the topic sentence of a text or a paragraph when that is appropriate.
k) Tick / Underline / Circle the right option in multiple choice questions about the
function of a given statement.
l) Pick out a statement expressing a given function.
m) Identify true or false statements. (2 items)
n) Express reaction to the content of the text or the characters or people involved
The test taker gets one mark for each correct answer.

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5. The listening comprehension component
It consists of a monologue, a dialogue, a conversation, a speech or a presentation totalling
100, 150 and 200 words respectively for the 7th, 8th and 9th forms. The linguistic as well as the
semantic content of these oral texts should be appropriate to the targeted level. To
demonstrate comprehension of the content of the passage and its organization, test takers
are required to:
a) Identify the speaker(s).
b) Identify the relationship between the speakers.
c) Give justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from the
text or worded by the test taker.
d) Write short answers to WH questions, including inference questions.
e) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list or a chart.
f) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with one’s own words or phrases.
g) Select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the main idea of
the text or specific words or ideas in the text.
h) Infer attitudes and moods.
i) Express reaction to the content of the text or the characters or people involved.
The test taker is allotted one mark for each correct answer to the above specified
comprehension questions.
In addition to the comprehension questions, the test taker is required to
a) Tick the right option in multiple choice questions about the function of a given statement.
b) Find out the function of a given statement.
One mark is allotted to the appropriate answer to either of the above questions.
Pronunciation is tested through questions requiring the test taker to:
a) Circle the word(s) he / she hears (minimal pairs)
b) Listen to a section of the text and identify words having (a) specified sound(s) or stress
The test taker is allotted half a mark for each correct answer to the above specified
pronunciation questions.
Spelling is tested through a question requiring the test taker to:
- Complete a gapped section of the text as s/he listens to the recorded material.
Half a mark is allotted to each correct answer.
The use of recorded material is recommended.

6. The writing component

Ability to write is tested through one single assignment requiring the test taker to
a) Write a narrative text.
b) Write an argumentative text.
c) Write a descriptive text.
d) Write instructions or directions.
e) Write an internet post, an e-mail, a short article or a letter.
-The suggested topic should interest and motivate the test takers.
- In the instructions, the audience, the purpose, the context and the text length and type
(genre) should be specified.
The following evaluation criteria should be indicated on the test paper:
a) Adherence to task and content adequacy
b) Lexical appropriacy and grammar accuracy
c) Mechanical accuracy (punctuation, capitalization and spelling)

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 Examination Profile of 9th Year Diploma Examination

République Tunisienne
Ministère de L’Education
Direction des Programmes et de La Formation
Diplôme de Fin des Etudes de L’Enseignement de Base General
Discipline : Anglais

Consistance de l’épreuve

Durée : 1 heure
Coefficient : 1

I/ The reading comprehension component (6 marks)

It consists of one linear text, a linear text and a non-linear one, or two complementary
texts totalling 200 words (150 words for Year 9 Technical). The linear texts are authentic or
semi-authentic and extracted from various sources: novels, magazines, newspapers,
brochures... Non-linear texts can be charts, notes, tickets, menus, notices, timetables...etc.
The linguistic as well as semantic content of these texts is appropriate to the targeted level.
To demonstrate comprehension of the content of the text(s) and its organization, the learner
is required to:
a) Match paragraphs with the appropriate titles, main ideas or visuals.
b) Provide justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from
the text or worded by the test taker.
c) Write short answers to WH questions.
d) Answer one or two reference questions.
e) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list or a chart. (2 items)
f) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with information retrieved from the text, the
information being a word, a phrase, a clause, a date, a figure... (2 items)
g) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with his / her own words or phrases when the
information is not explicitly stated in the text.
h) Select the appropriate alternative in multiple choice questions related to the title or
main idea of a text or the meaning of a given word.
i) Find equivalents or opposites of new words or expressions underlined in the text.
j) Identify the topic sentence of a text or paragraph when that is appropriate.
k) Tick / Underline / Circle the right option in multiple choice questions about the
function of a given statement.
l) Pick out a statement expressing a given function.
m) Identify true or false statement. (2 items)
n) Express reaction to the content of the text or the characters or people involved.
• The test taker gets a mark for each correct answer.

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II/ The Language component (8 marks)
It consists of 3 exercises testing the assimilation of lexical and grammatical acquisitions in
an essentially integrated manner and requiring the test taker to:
a. Fill in a gapped paragraph with (5 or 6 items) words provided in a box including two
distracters.
b. Tick / Underline / Circle the right options in a gapped paragraph with three options per
item. (5 or 6 items)
c. Provide the right tense or form of bracketed words.
d. Match sentence parts to get a coherent paragraph.
e. Match utterances in a short dialogue with the right functions provided in a list
including one extra item.
f. Tick / Circle / Underline the right option in multiple choice questions relative to the
function of each utterance underlined in a short dialogue.
• The test taker gets half a mark for each correct answer.

III/ The writing component (6 marks)

Ability to write is tested through one single assignment requiring the learner to
a. write a narrative text.
b. write an argumentative text.
c. write a descriptive text.
d. write instructions or directions.
e. write an internet post, an e-mail, a short article or a letter.

The suggested topics should interest the test takers and specify the audience, the purpose
and the context.
• The following evaluation criteria should be indicated on the test paper:
o Adherence to task and content adequacy
o Lexical appropriacy and grammar accuracy
o Mechanical accuracy (punctuation, capitalization and spelling)

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B. Ongoing Evaluation in Technical Basic Education Schools
Number of Tests, Duration, Components and Scale
Each term, learners are tested in compliance with the following specifications:
8th and 9th forms
EACH TERM
Speaking At least 1 10
Project work At least 1 10
A one-hour mid-term test Listening 08
Language 12
A one-hour end-of- term test Reading 08
Language 07
Writing 05

● Components Specifications
1. The speaking component
a) The speaking test: Learners are tested orally on the acquisitions of a previous lesson at least twice
a semester and the test will be communicative in nature. Their performance is marked out of ten.
b) Project work: Test takers are allotted a mark out ten for the process followed and the outcome of
the project work they undertake. The final end-of-term mark is the sum of the 2 marks specified
above.

2. The listening comprehension component

The passage consists of a monologue, a dialogue, a conversation, a speech or a presentation
totalling 100 and 150 words respectively for the 8th and 9th forms. The linguistic as well as the
semantic content of these oral texts should be appropriate to the targeted level. To demonstrate
comprehension of the content of the passage and its organization, the test taker is required to:
a) Identify the speaker(s).
b) Identify the relationship between the speakers.
c) Give answers to Yes / No questions.
d) Write short answers to WH questions.
e) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list or a chart.
f) Select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the main idea of the
passage or specific words or ideas in the passage.
g) Select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the function of a
given statement.
h) Answer questions requiring non-verbal responses (Listen and draw, listen and colour...).
The test taker is allotted one mark for each correct answer to the above specified
comprehension questions.
In addition to the comprehension questions, the test taker is required to
a) Tick the right option in multiple choice questions about the function of a given statement.
b) Find out the function of a given statement.
One mark is allotted to the appropriate answer to either of the above questions.
Pronunciation is tested through questions requiring the test taker to:
a) Circle the word(s) he / she hears (minimal pairs)
b) Listen to a section of the passage and identify words having (a) specified sound(s) or stress
The test taker is allotted half a mark for each correct answer to the above specified
pronunciation questions.

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Spelling is tested through a question requiring the test taker to:
- Complete a gapped section of the text as s/he listens to the recorded material.
Half a mark is allotted to each correct answer.
The use of recorded material is recommended.

3. The reading comprehension component

It consists of one linear text, a linear text and a non-linear one, or two complementary texts
totalling 100 and 150 words respectively for the 8th and 9th forms. The linear texts are authentic or
semi-authentic and extracted from various sources: short stories, magazines, newspapers,
brochures... Non-linear texts can be charts, notes, tickets, menus, notices, and timetables...The
linguistic as well as the semantic content of these texts should be appropriate to the targeted
level. To demonstrate comprehension of the content of the text(s) and its organization, the test
taker is required to:
a) Match paragraphs with the appropriate titles, main ideas or visuals.
b) Provide justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from the text.
c) Write short answers to WH questions.
d) Answer one or two reference questions.
e) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list or a chart. (2 items)
f) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with information retrieved from the text, the information
being a word, a phrase, a clause, a date, a figure... (2 items)
g) Select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the title or main idea of a
text or the meaning of a given word.
h) Provide equivalents of new words or expressions underlined in the text.
i) Tick / Underline / Circle the right option in multiple choice questions about the function of a
given statement.
j) Pick out a statement expressing a given function.
k) Indicate whether statements are true or false. (2 items)
The test taker gets one mark for each correct answer.
4. The language component
It consists of 2 or 3 exercises testing the assimilation of lexical and grammatical acquisitions in an
essentially integrated manner and requiring the test taker to:
a) Fill in a gapped paragraph with (5 or 6) words provided in a box including two distractors.
b) Tick / Underline / Circle the right options in a gapped paragraph with three options per item.
c) Complete a gapped dialogue with the right utterances from a box including 2 extra
utterances.
d) Provide the right tense or form of bracketed words.
e) Match sentence parts to get correct sentences.
f) Reorder 3 or 4 sentence parts to get a correct sentence.
g) Match utterances in a short dialogue with the right functions provided in a list including one
extra option.
The test taker gets half a mark for each correct answer.
5. The writing component
Ability to write is tested through one single assignment requiring the test taker to:
a) Write a narrative text.
b) Write a descriptive text
c) Write instructions or directions.
d) Write an internet post, an e-mail, a short article or a letter.
-The suggested topic should interest and motivate the test takers.
-In the instructions, the audience, purpose, context and text type (genre) should be specified.
-The following evaluation criteria should be indicated on the test paper:
a) Adherence to task and content adequacy
b) Lexical appropriacy and grammar accuracy
c) Mechanical accuracy (punctuation, capitalization and spelling)

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 Examination Profile of 9th Year Diploma Examination 2

République Tunisienne
Ministère de L’Education
Direction des Programmes et de La Formation
Diplôme de Fin des Etudes de L’Enseignement de Base Technique
Discipline : Anglais

Consistance de l’épreuve

Durée: 1 heure
Coefficient: 1

I/ The reading comprehension component (8 marks)

It consists of one linear text, a linear text and a non-linear one, or two complementary texts
totalling 150 words. The linear texts are authentic or semi-authentic and extracted from
various sources: short stories, magazines, newspapers, brochures... Non-linear texts can be
charts, notes, tickets, menus, notices, and timetables...The linguistic as well as semantic
content of these texts is appropriate to the targeted level. To demonstrate comprehension of
the content of the text(s) and its organization, the test taker is required to:
a) Match paragraphs with the appropriate titles, main ideas or visuals.
b) Provide justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from the
text.
c) Write short answers to WH questions.
d) Answer one or two reference questions.
e) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list or a chart. (2 items)
f) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with information retrieved from the text, the
information being a word, a phrase, a clause, a date, a figure... (2 items)
g) Select the appropriate alternative in multiple choice questions related to the title or main
idea of a text or the meaning of a given word.
h) Find equivalents or opposites of new words or expressions underlined in the text.
i) Tick / Underline / Circle the right option in multiple choice questions about the function of
a given statement.
j) Pick out a statement expressing a given function.
k) Indicate whether statements are true or false. (2 items)

The test taker gets a mark for each correct answer.

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II/ The Language component (7 marks)
It consists of 2 to 3 exercises testing the assimilation of lexical and grammatical acquisitions in
an essentially integrated manner and requiring the test taker to:
a) Fill in a gapped paragraph with (5 or 6) words provided in a box including two distractors.
b) Tick / Underline / Circle the right options in a gapped paragraph with three options per
item.
c) Complete a gapped dialogue with the right utterances from a box including 2 extra
utterances.
d) Provide the right tense or form of bracketed words.
e) Match sentence parts to get correct sentences.
f) Reorder 3 or 4 sentence parts to get a correct sentence.
g) Match utterances in a short dialogue with the right functions provided in a list including
one extra item.

The test taker gets half a mark for each correct answer.

III/ The writing component (5 marks)

Ability to write is tested through one single assignment requiring the test taker to:
a) write a narrative text.
b) write a descriptive text
c) write instructions or directions.
d) write a internet post, an e-mail, a short article or a letter
The suggested topics should interest the test takers and specify the audience, the purpose
and the context.

The following evaluation criteria should be indicated on the test paper:

a) Adherence to task and content adequacy.

b) Lexical appropriacy and grammar accuracy
c) Mechanical accuracy (punctuation, capitalization and spelling).

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II. Ongoing Evaluation in Secondary Education
C. Ongoing Evaluation in Secondary Education – Common Core and Arts

REPUBLIC OF TUNISIA
Ministry of Education (September, 2018)

ONGOING EVALUATION IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

NUMBER OF TESTS, THEIR COMPOSITION AND THE SCALE

Each term, learners are tested in compliance with the following specifications:

1st term / 2nd term / 3rd term

1st & 2nd 3rd YEAR 3rd YEAR ARTS
YEARS C. CORE
Speaking At least 1 10 At least 1 10 At least 1 10
Project work At least 1 10 At least 1 10 At least 1 10
a one-hour Language 12 Language 12 Language 12
mid-term-test Listening 08 Listening 08 Listening 08
a two-hour Reading 15 Reading 12 Reading 15
end-of-term test Language 10 Language 06 Language 10
Writing 15 Writing 12 Writing 15

4th YEAR C.CORE : (Sciences expérimentales / Economie & Gestion /

Mathématiques / Sciences de l’informatique)
1stterm 2ndterm 3rdterm
Speaking test At least 1 10 Speaking test at least 1 10 Speaking test At least 1 10
Project work At least 1 10 Project work at least 1 10 Project work At least 1 10
A one-hour Listening 08 Aone-hour Listening 08 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
mid-term test Language 12 mid-term test Language 12 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A two-hour Reading 12 A two-hour Reading 12 A two-hour Reading 12
end-of-term Language 06 end-of-term Language 06 end-of-term Language 06
test Writing 12 test Writing 12 test Writing 12

4th YEAR ARTS

1st term 2nd term 3rd term
Speaking test At least 1 10 Speaking test at least 1 10 Speaking test At least 1 10
Project work At least 1 10 Project work at least 1 10 Project work At least 1 10
A one-hour Listening 08 A one-hour Listening 08 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
mid-term test Language 12 mid-term test Language 12 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A two-hour Reading 15 A two-hour Reading 15 A two-hour Reading 15
end-of-term Language 10 end-of-term Language 10 end-of-term Language 10
test Writing 15 test Writing 15 test Writing 15

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COMPONENTS / SPECIFICATIONS

1. The oral component:

a) Speaking Test (10 marks):
Each pupil will be tested at least once a term on the oral skills mentioned in the official
programme and the test will evaluate his/her ability to express himself/herself correctly,
clearly, audibly and in a way appropriate to the communicative situation. The test can be a
dialogue, an interview, a report on something read, a summary of an oral or written text, an
interpretation of pictures or tables or a reconstruction of a story. The test taker’s
performance is marked out of ten.
b) Project Work (10 marks):
The pupil having contributed to the realization of a project (individually or in a group) will be
graded on the strategy and / or the process followed for the realization of the project as well
as the content. The mark allotted is out of ten.

The end-of-term mark is the sum of the two marks specified above.

2. The language component:

It consists of 2 to 4 exercises testing the assimilation of lexical and grammatical acquisitions in
an integrated manner and requiring the test taker to:
a) Fill in a gapped paragraph with words provided in a box; two extra words are provided
in the box.
b) Fill in a gapped paragraph with reference to 3 options.
c) Complete a gapped dialogue or paragraph with reference to a list of options including
two extra options.
d) Provide the right tense or form of bracketed words.
e) Match sentence parts to get a paragraph or dialogue.
f) Express 2 sentences differently as specified in the instructions.
The test taker is allotted half a mark for each correct answer.

3. The listening comprehension component:

It consists of a monologue, a dialogue, a conversation, a speech or a presentation of about
200 words for the 1st and 2nd years as well as the technical section, 250 words for the 3rd and
4th scientific and economics sections and 300 words for the 3rd and 4th arts section. The
linguistic as well as the semantic content of these oral texts should be appropriate to the
targeted level. To demonstrate comprehension of the content of the text and its organization,
test takers are required to:
a) Identify the speaker(s).
b) Identify the relationship between the speakers.
c) Give justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from the
text or worded by the test taker.
d) Write short answers to WH questions, including inference questions.
e) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list or a chart.
f) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with own words or phrases.

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 g) Select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the main idea of
the text or specific words or ideas in the text.
h) Infer attitudes and moods.
i) Express reaction to the content of the text or the characters or people involved.
One mark is allotted to each correct answer to the above specified comprehension
questions.

In addition to the comprehension questions, the test taker is required to

a) Identify the function corresponding to a given statement with reference to 3
alternatives.
b) Provide the function of a given statement.
One mark is allotted to the correct answer to either of these questions.

Pronunciation is tested through questions requiring the test taker to:

a/ Circle the word(s) he/she hears (minimal pairs).
b/ Listen to a section of the text and identify words having (a) specified sound(s) or stress.
The test taker is allotted half a mark for each correct answer to the above specified
pronunciation questions.

Spelling is tested through a question requiring the test taker to:

- Complete a gapped section of the text as s/he listens to the recorded material.
Half a mark is allotted to each correct answer.

The use of recorded material is recommended.

4. The reading comprehension component:

It consists of one linear text, a linear text and a non-linear one, or two complementary texts
of about 250 words for the 1st and 2nd years as well as the technical section, 300 words for the
3rd and 4th scientific and economics sections and 350 words for the 3 rd and 4th arts section.
The linear texts are authentic or semi-authentic and extracted from various sources: novels,
magazines, newspapers, brochures... Non-linear texts can be charts, notes, tickets, menus,
notices, timetables... The linguistic as well as the semantic content of these texts should be
appropriate to the targeted level. To demonstrate comprehension of the content of the text
and its organization, the test taker is required to:

a) Match texts or paragraphs with the appropriate titles, subtitles, captions or visuals.
b) Give justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from the
text or worded by the test taker.
c) Write short answers to WH questions, including inference questions.
d) Answer one or two reference questions.
e) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list or a chart.
f) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with words or phrases retrieved from the text.
g) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with own words or phrases.
h) Select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the title or main
idea of a text, or specific ideas in the text or the meaning of a given word.
i) Find antonyms or synonyms of given words or expressions.

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 j) Identify the topic sentence of a text or paragraph when that is appropriate.
k) Identify the function corresponding to a given statement.
l) Identify the exponent of a given function.
m) Identify evidence that a given statement is false.
n) Express reaction to the content of the text or the characters or people involved.
o) Infer attitudes, moods and figures of speech.

The number of answers to be given is equal to the number of marks allotted to this
component of the test.

5. The writing component:

It includes a guided writing exercise and a production task, graded respectively out of one
third and two thirds of the total mark allotted to this component. The topics suggested in
both activities should be interesting and motivating.

The guided writing exercise requires the test taker to:

a) Complete open-ended utterances in a dialogue.

b) Develop full sentences from notes to get a coherent paragraph.
c) Use the information provided in a table or chart to write a paragraph, letter, article,
report or biography.

Only one production task is administered

- The suggested topic should interest and motivate the test takers.
- In the instructions, the audience, the purpose, the context and the text length and type
(genre) should be specified.

The following evaluation criteria should be indicated on the test paper:

a) Adherence to task and content adequacy

b) Lexical appropriacy and grammar accuracy
c) Mechanical accuracy (punctuation, capitalization and spelling)

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● Recommendations for Year 9 Diploma and Baccalaureate Examinations

I. General issues
Test item writers should:
1. Vary the themes in the Reading comprehension, Language exercises and Writing tasks.
2. Make sure test takers are familiar with the question types and the language used. Avoid
repetition or overuse of a question type.
3. Suggest accessible materials and tasks to the average pupil.
4. Have a clear rationale for each suggested task / exercise / question, etc. Avoid time-
consuming tasks.
5. Give clear, simple and concise instructions.
6. Avoid heavy and demotivating cultural load and depressing / shocking themes in texts /
paragraphs.
7. Avoid testing the same thing twice.
8. Not use materials from coursebooks and commercial workbooks “livres parascolaires”.
9. Revise and proofread for language accuracy and appropriacy and content validity.
NB Regional commissions involved in exams proposals are requested to provide copies of the
sources/references cover page and the pages containing the text, the language exercises and
the guided writing tasks.

II. Specific issues

1. Reading Comprehension
Test item writers should:
1. Consider the words number. (Basic: General: 200; Technical: 150. Secondary: 300,
Sciences. / Arts: 350 / Sport: 200.)
2. Suggest texts containing topical issues (themes / subjects: recent, up-to-date, of particular
present time interest). For Secondary levels: accessible literary texts conveying universal
values is possible.
3. Design comprehension questions according to text suitability for a good exploitation; the
following option has been considered a realistic and practical solution:
• 9th Y. (6 items): 4 or 5 questions
• The Arts (Lettres) branch (15 items): 6 or 7 questions maximum
• The Sciences branch (12 items): 5 or 6 questions maximum
4. Vary the questions to “demonstrate comprehension of text content and organization”.
5. Avoid designing questions which require a variety of possible answers, with the exception
of the question which requires testees to “express reaction to text content or characters /
people involved”.
6. When asking examinees to complete a summary with words from different paragraphs,
test developers should:

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 • indicate in the instructions the paragraphs where the words exist.
• ask the testee to identify and copy the words as they are—without making any
changes to them.
7. In the question type: ‘Circle / Tick / Underline… the adjectives/adverbs which apply to…’,
• make sure the adjectives or adverbs suggested are familiar to the pupils—the words
are mentioned in the word lists/book maps/module maps/exist in lessons, etc.
• ask for no more than two items – two adjectives/adverbs – to be identified in the list
suggested.
8. In the question type: Complete with details from the text,
• the detail ranges from one word to one full sentence, but no more.
• the detail should be explicitly and completely written. Dots (…….), or ellipsis, are not
accepted and the answer is considered false.
9. *For BAC exams/tests.+ For “identifying evidence that a given statement is false”, the
instruction is worded as follows:
• For each of the following statements, pick out one detail from the text showing that it
is false.
• Each statement is followed with the paragraph number—the paragraph where the
detail exists.
10. Test item writers should design a correct option and distractors in the multiple choice
items of equal length: containing almost the exact number of words as in the correct
answer.

2. Language exercises
Test item writers should:
1. Provide a complete sentence at the beginning of the paragraph—leave the first sentence
integral in order to set context.
2. Avoid suggesting ungrammatical words in the multiple choice items.
3. Spread items; do not overload one or two sentences with test items.
4. Suggest the bare infinitive in tense/form exercises as a rule. (Bracketed words)
5. Strike a balance between tenses and forms.
6. In the tense/form exercise, avoid items requiring a double task such as adding a prefix and
a suffix; e.g. avoid to get unavoidable.
7. Vary the items in the multiple choice question (prepositions, tenses, forms, lexical words,
etc.)
8. Refer to the word lists/book maps/module maps/lessons to make sure the selected lexical
items exist—each lexical test item should be found somewhere in the teaching materials
in one of the official coursebooks in use.

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3. Writing tasks

● For BAC exams

1. In developing full sentences from notes, test item developers should make sure notes are
not single words, but chunks/series of words separated by slashes.
2. Avoid overloading tables/biography data with many details and notes. Suggest a
reasonable amount of information to be developed in a paragraph/short text written in
the specified and provided number of lines.
3. Say: a correct sentence (not a coherent sentence) and a coherent paragraph.

● For 9th Year Diploma and BAC exams

Production task
1. Suggest a topic that should “interest and motivate the pupil to write”.
2. Suggest a theme that relates to the syllabus.
3. Design a task that allows the pupils to use their own ideas, activate and reinvest personal
knowledge and language resources, and express attitudes. The task should not be suitable
for memorizing and learning off by heart data and ready-made sentences and rewriting
them. It shouldn’t lend itself to rote learning.
4. Avoid ill-defined tasks—they should specify topic, a communicative situation, purpose,
audience, clear context, genre/text type.
5. Specify a clear functional organization (e.g. narrative, argumentative, description of a
process, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, making suggestions, etc.)
6. Suggest a task which is manageable within the time allotted and which doesn’t require
much background knowledge some pupils might not have.
7. Avoid scaffolding—do not provide the test takers with helpful notes and hints in the free
writing; give the instructions only.
8. Quotes – when used – should not confuse or mislead the test takers .They should be clear
enough, carefully selected, guiding and related to the issue raised in the task.
9. Provide clear and appropriate lay-out.
10. Specify the length of the written text – the number of lines required.

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D. Ongoing Evaluation in English – Sports Branch
REPUBLIC OF TUNISIA
Ministry of Education (September 2018)

SECTION SPORT
ONGOING EVALUATION IN ENGLISH

NUMBER OF TESTS, THEIR COMPOSITION AND THE SCALE

Each term, learners are tested in compliance with the following specifications
1st year / 2nd year / 3rd year
Speaking At least 1 10
Project work At least 1 10
a one-hour Listening 08
mid-term-test Language 12
a two-hour Reading 12
end-of-term test Language 10
Writing 08

4th YEAR
1st term 2nd term 3rd term
Speaking test at least 1 10 Speaking test
at least 1 10 Speaking test at least 1 10
Project work at least 1 10 Project workat least 1 10 Project work at least 1 10
A one-hour Listening 08 A one-hour Listening 08 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
mid-term test Language 12 mid-term Language 12 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
test
A two-hour Reading 12 A two-hour Reading 12 A two-hour Reading 12
end-of-term Language 10 end-of-term Language 10 end-of-term Language 10
test Writing 08 test Writing 08 test Writing 08

COMPONENTS / SPECIFICATIONS

1/ The oral component:

a) Speaking Test (10 marks):
At least one speaking test shall be administered each term. Student performance is assessed
through interactive communication situations and in relation to the speaking skills stated in
the official curriculum pertaining to the ability to express oneself correctly, fluently,
appropriately and audibly. Assessment is carried out through tasks including: a dialogue, an
interview, role play and drama, a speech, a presentation, a report on something read, an oral
summary, a narration or reconstruction of a story, an interpretation or description of pictures
or tables or a reconstruction of a story.

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b) Project Work (10 marks):
Student contribution to a project (individually or in a group) will be graded with regard to the
process/efficiency of procedures, product, content relevance and quality; and presentation.
The final end-of-term mark is the sum of the two marks specified above.

2. The listening comprehension component:

Auditory/Aural passages include: a monologue, a dialogue, a conversation, a speech or a
presentation of about 100 words (year 1 and year 2) and 150 words (year 3 and year 4). The
linguistic as well as the semantic content of the text should be appropriate to the student
level.
The use of recorded material is recommended.
To demonstrate comprehension of the content of the passage and its organization, test takers
are required to:
a) Identify the speaker(s).
b) Identify the relationship between the speakers.
c) Identify/ provide the function of statements, utterances.
d) Select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the main idea and
specific words or ideas in the passage.
e) Give justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from the
passage or worded by the test taker.
f) Write short answers to WH questions, including inference questions.
g) Transfer information by completing a table, a diagram, a list, a chart, a map, a flow chart...
h) Complete a sentence or a paragraph with own words or phrases.
i) Infer attitudes and moods, outcomes, information and links.
j) React to content or attitudes.
Each item is allotted one mark.

In addition to the comprehension questions, the test taker is required to

a) Identify the function corresponding to a given statement with reference to 3 options.
b) Provide the function of a given statement.
One mark is allotted to the correct answer to either of these questions.

-Pronunciation:
a/ Circle the word(s) he/she hears through minimal pairs or list.
b/ Listen to a section of the passage and identify words having (a) specified sound(s).
Each item is allotted half a mark.

-Spelling:
- complete a gapped section of the text as s/he listens to the recorded material.
Each item is allotted half a mark.

3. The language component:

It consists of three or four exercises integrating lexis and grammar. Test takers should:
a) Fill in a gapped paragraph with words from a list with 2 extra options/distractors.
b) Fill in a gapped paragraph in multiple-choice format.
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c) Provide the right tense and/or form of bracketed words.
d) Match sentence parts to get a coherent paragraph or dialogue.
e) Express 2 sentences differently as specified in the instructions.
Each item is allotted half a mark.

4. The reading comprehension component:

Reading materials may include a linear text and a non-linear one, or two complementary texts
of about 200 words (year 1 and year 2) and 250 words (year 3 and year 4). The linear texts are
authentic or semi-authentic extracted from various sources: novels, magazines, newspapers,
brochures... Non-linear texts can be charts, notes, tickets, menus, notices, time-tables... The
linguistic as well as the semantic content of these texts should be appropriate to student
level.
The test takers are assessed in terms of their ability to:
a) match texts or paragraphs with the appropriate function(s), main idea, topic, titles,
subtitles, captions or visuals.
b) select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to the text title,
function, type, genre, main idea, or specific ideas in the text
c) identify the topic sentence of a text or paragraph.
d) identify the function corresponding to a given statement.
e) give justified answers to Yes / No questions, the justification being retrieved from the text
or worded by the test taker.
f) identify evidence that a given statement is false.
g) write short answers to WH questions, including inference questions.
h) answer one or two reference questions.
i) transfer information onto a table, a diagram, a list or a chart.
j) complete a sentence or a paragraph with words/phrases or information retrieved from
the text or worded by the student.
k) paraphrase extract(s) from text.
l) select the appropriate option in multiple choice questions related to specific ideas in the
text or the meaning of a given word.
m) find antonyms or synonyms of given words or expressions.
n) identify the exponent of a given function.
o) react to text content or attitudes or characters.
p) infer attitudes, moods, information or outcomes.
The reading comprehension rubric should comprise 12 items (1 mark each).

5. The writing component:

Only one production task is administered. The topic should relate to the curriculum.
- The suggested topic should interest and motivate the test takers.
- In the instructions, the audience, the purpose, the context and the text length and type
(genre) should be specified.
The following evaluation criteria should be indicated on the test paper:
a) Adherence to task and content adequacy
b) Lexical appropriacy and grammar accuracy
c) Mechanical accuracy (punctuation, capitalization and spelling)

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 Ongoing Evaluation in Basic and Secondary Education, all Branches (September 2018)

Number of tests, duration, components and marking scales

7th Y. Basic 8th and 9th Y. 8th & 9th Y. 1st and 2nd Y. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Y. C. 4th Y. C. Core
3 rd Y. Arts 4th Y. Arts 4th Y. Sports
Ed. Basic Ed. Tech Basic. Ed. Second. Ed. 3rd Y. Sports Core / Tech. / Tech
Speaking Test(s): 10 marks / Project work: 10 marks
Mid-T. Test: 1h Mid-term Test: 1h
1ST TERM

Language: 14 Listening: 8 (Comprehension: 1x5 = 5pts + Function: 1x1 = 1pt + Spelling: 0,5x2 = 1pt + Pronunciation: 0,5x2 = 1pt)
Spelling: 6 Language: 12
End-of-Term Term Test: 1h Term Test: 1h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h
Test: 1h Reading: 6 Reading: 8 Reading: 15 Reading: 12 Reading: 12 Reading: 15 Reading: 12 Reading: 15 Reading: 12
Language: 15 Language: 8 Language: 7 Language: 10 Language: 10 Language: 6 Language: 10 Language: 6 Language: 10 Language: 10
Writing: 5 Writing: 6 Writing: 5 Writing: 15 Writing: 8 Writing: 12 Writing: 15 Writing: 12 Writing: 15 Writing: 8
Speaking Test(s): 10 marks / Project work: 10 marks
Mid-T. Test: 1h Mid-term Test: 1h
2ND TERM

Language: 14 Listening: 8 (Comprehension: 1x5 = 5pts + Function: 1x1 = 1pt + Spelling: 0,5x2 = 1pt + Pronunciation: 0,5x2 = 1pt)
Spelling: 6 Language: 12
End-of-Term Term Test: 1h Term Test: 1h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h
Test: 1h Reading: 6 Reading: 8 Reading: 15 Reading: 12 Reading: 12 Reading: 15 Reading: 12 Reading: 15 Reading: 12
Reading: 5 Language: 8 Language: 7 Language: 10 Language: 10 Language: 6 Language: 10 Language: 6 Language: 10 Language: 10
Language: 10
Writing: 5 Writing: 6 Writing: 5 Writing: 15 Writing: 8 Writing: 12 Writing: 15 Writing: 12 Writing: 15 Writing: 8
Speaking Test(s): 10 marks / Project work: 10 marks
Mid-T. Test: 1h Mid-term Test: 1h
3RD TERM

Language: 14 Listening: 8 (same components as 1st & 2nd Term Mid-term Tests) None None None
Spelling: 6 Language: 12
End-of-Term Term Test: 1h Term Test: 1h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h Term Test: 2h
Test: 1h Reading: 6 Reading: 8 Reading: 15 Reading: 12 Reading: 12 Reading: 15 Reading: 12 Reading: 15 Reading: 12
Reading: 5 Language: 8 Language: 7 Language: 10 Language: 10 Language: 6 Language: 10 Language: 6 Language: 10 Language: 10
Language: 10
Writing: 5 Writing: 6 Writing: 5 Writing: 15 Writing: 8 Writing: 12 Writing: 15 Writing: 12 Writing: 15 Writing: 8

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References / Further reading

Alderson, J. C. (2000). Assessing Reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Alderson, J.C., Clapham, C. and Wall, D. (1995). Language Test Construction and Evaluation.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association
(APA), and National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME). (1999). Standards for
educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: APA.
Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. A., and Bloom, B. S. (2001). Taxonomy for learning, teaching,
and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY:
Longman.
Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) (1995, updated July 2005). Materials for the
Guidance of Test Item Writers.
Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) (1998). A Multilingual Glossary of Language
Testing Terms. (https://www.alte.org/resources/Documents/IWG%20July2005.pdf)
Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) (2011). Manual for Language Test
Development and Examining. Council of Europe.
Bachman, L. F. (1990). Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Bachman, L. F., and Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language Testing in Practice: Designing and
developing useful language tests. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Brown, H. Douglas. (2004). Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices. White
Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Brown, J. D. (1996). Testing in Language Programs. New jersey: Prentice Hall Regents.
Carr, Nathan T. (2011). Designing and Analyzing Language Tests. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Coombe, C. (2018). An A to Z of Second Language Assessment: How Language Teachers
Understand Assessment Concepts. London, UK: British Council.
Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages:
Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cunningham, George K. (2005). Assessment in the Classroom: Constructing and Interpreting
Texts. London: Falmer Press.
Davidson, Fred, and Lynch, Brian K. (2005). Testcraft: A Teacher’s Guide to Writing and Using
Language Test Specifications. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Davies, A. (1990). Principles of Language Testing. Oxford: Blackwell.

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Douglas, D. (2000). Assessing Language for Specific Purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Freeman, Diana. (2014). Reading Comprehension Questions: The Distribution of Different
Types in Global EFL Textbooks. In Nigel Harwood (ed.), English Language Teaching
Textbooks: Content, Consumption, Production. Palgrave Macmillan, pp.72-110.
Fulcher, Glenn and Davidson, Fred. (2007). Language Testing and Assessment: An advanced
resource book. New York: Routledge.
Fulcher, Glenn. (2010). Practical Language Testing. London: Hodder Education.
Green, Anthony. (2014). Exploring Language Assessment and Testing: Language in Action.
New York: Routledge.
Haladyna, Thomas M. and Rodriguez, Michael C. (2013). Developing and validating test items.
New York: Routledge.
Hall, Cedric and Marshall, Stephen. (2013).Developing multiple choice and other objective
style questions. Centre for Academic Development, Victoria University of Wellington, New
Zealand.
Heaton,J. B. (1988). Writing English Language Tests. London: Longman.
Hughes, A. (2003). Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Item-writing guidelines as derived from 46 authoritative textbooks (2006), from
https://www.nova.edu/hpded/ctl/forms/item-writing-guidelines.pdf
Kopriva, Rebecca J. (2008). Improving Testing for English Language Learners. New York:
Routledge.
Lane, Suzanne, Raymond, Mark R. and Haladyna, Thomas M. (eds.). (2016). Handbook of test
development. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.
Osterlind, Steven J. (2002). Constructing Test Items: Multiple-Choice, Constructed-Response,
Performance, and Other Formats. Second Edition. New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Teachers’ Guide to Teaching Reading Comprehension P5–S3. Edinburgh Literacy Hub.
https://education.gov.scot/improvement/documents/literacy/lit13_teachingreadingcomp
rehensionfinaldraft.pdf.
Weigle, S. C. (2002). Assessing Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weir, Cyril J. (2005). Language Testing and Validation: An Evidence-based Approach. Oxford:
Palgrave.
Withers, Graeme. (2005). Item Writing for Tests and Examinations. UNESCO.

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