Flashcards on Teaching Grammar: Methods and Approaches

Teaching Grammar: Effective Methods & Approaches for Students

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What are two features of tasks that attempt to simulate real-life language use in assessment?

They introduce time constraints and unpredictability to mimic real-life conditions.

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Language Teaching and Assessment

27 cards

Card 1

Question: What are two features of tasks that attempt to simulate real-life language use in assessment?

Answer: They introduce time constraints and unpredictability to mimic real-life conditions.

Card 2

Question: What is meant by a communicative purpose in language assessment tasks?

Answer: There should be a genuine need to interact; the task requires communication to achieve a goal.

Card 3

Question: Why should assessment tasks include built-in repetition?

Answer: So learners produce a high volume of the targeted forms, reinforcing practice and measurement.

Card 4

Question: How is grammar typically tested in discrete-item tests?

Answer: By testing individual components using tasks such as gap-fills or multiple-choice items.

Card 5

Question: What are practical advantages of discrete-item grammar tests?

Answer: They are relatively easy to design, set, and mark.

Card 6

Question: What is a performance test in language assessment?

Answer: A test that assesses language use in more realistic, communicative tasks (e.g., role-plays).

Card 7

Question: Give an example of a role-play performance test and the grammatical focus it might target.

Answer: Pairs interview each other about their last weekend — targeting use of past tense questions and forms.

Card 8

Question: List the six factors to consider when assessing the value of a language test.

Answer: Practicality, reliability, validity, face validity, backwash, and spin-off.

Card 9

Question: Define practicality in the context of language testing.

Answer: How feasible it is to administer, mark, and manage the test given available resources.

Card 10

Question: What does reliability mean for a language test?

Answer: The consistency and dependability of test results across administrations or markers.