Analysis of a test.

In this activity we analyzed a test from our third language class, which is French. The topic was the passé composé tense.

1. What is the purpose of the test? To assess passé composé; grammar and writing.
2. Does it represent direct or indirect testing (or a mixture of both)? It is a direct test; the student is asked to do the skill that is going to be assessed.
3. Are the items discrete points or integrative (or a mixture of both)? A mixture of both; the first part of the test is discrete and integrative, knowledge about passé composé is fundamental but also vocabulary is need it to understand what type of subject the answer requires. The second part is integrative, in order to answer it, the student needs to have other knowledges and be able create the right answer.
4. Which items are objective, and which are subjective? The first half of the test is objective; it only has one right answer. But, the second half is subjective because does not have a standardized answer; it is left open to be assessed under the teacher’s criteria.
5. Is the test norm-referenced or criterion referenced? No.
6. Does the test measure communicative abilities? Would you describe it as a communicative test? Justify your answers. Yes, indeed it had a half were a brief description needs to be done. It is communicative because it has an activity that involves a real life situation about the student’s life, facts that the he can use on his real context.
7. What relationship is there between the answer to question 6 and the answers to the other questions? That even though that the communicative abilities are being assessed subjectively, they are guided in a direct form; under the instruction of using the passé composé.