English Exam Research Articles

Eflection on the Teaching of IELTS Writing

In recent years, educators advocated teachers' reflection on their teaching practice, which has gradually developed into an important teaching activity. Practices have proved that teachers can improve their teaching level through continuous reflection. In this paper, the author introduces the reflection on teaching and offers some ways to improve IELTS writing teaching. Most students have trouble getting higher scores on IELTS writing tasks. Therefore, the reflection on writing teaching is useful to teachers who want to help students perform better in such English exams.

Online course “Academic English” under blended learning

In the abrupt lockdown of 2020, educational institutions had to arrange all forms of teaching remotely. Implementation of English language teaching was mostly chaotic and based on giving the students extra assignments. The given article puts forward a blended learning model which was successfully incorporated and proved to be effective. The development of this online course for blended learning was in huge demand as it offers flexibility, variability, differentiation and ease of access. The benefits and barriers the authors faced within the given case are featured in the article. Aim. This paper aims to share the expertise with the teaching community and provide a comprehensive analysis of the exam results before and after blended teaching. Research methodology. General scientific methods and comparative analysis of the students’ academic performance were used. The research was based on the English exam result statistics for the last three years (n = 400 students), and an experimental case of four months of blended ELT in NRU HSE (n = 600 students) was carried out. Results. The results of the experimental use of online courses in the university setting could be transferred to various fields of application while teaching other subjects and are of particular interest to EL teachers. Practical significance. The undertaken research materials have significant implications for the further development of the content of digital didactics and justification of the digitalization of vocational education

Item performance across native language groups on the Iranian National University Entrance English Exam: a nationwide study

This paper reports on an investigation of differential item functioning (DIF) in the Iranian Undergraduate University Entrance Special English Exam (IUUESEE) across four native language groups including the Azeri, the Persian, the Kurdish, and the Luri test takers via Rasch analysis. A total sample of 14,172 participants was selected for the study. After establishing the unidimensionality and local independence of the data, the authors employed two methods to test for the DIF: (a) a t-test uniform DIF analysis, which showed that the Luri test-takers were more favored than other native language groups, and (b) nonuniform DIF analysis, which revealed that majority of nonuniform DIF instances functioned in favor of the low-ability Azeri, the low-ability Persian, the high-ability Kurdish, and the high-ability Luri test-takers. A possible explanation for native language-ability DIF was that the Luri and low-ability test-takers were more likely to venture lucky guesses. We also referred to socioeconomic status (e.g., test-wiseness), guessing, overconfidence, thoughtless errors, stem length, time, L1, and unappealing distractors as possible sources of DIF in IUUESEE.

Analysis of Automaticity in Aviation English Oral Exams with a Psycholinguistic Approach

Automaticity is one of the most significant psycholinguistic mechanisms in second language acquisition. Therefore, it was widely studied in language learning/teaching literature. However, far too little attention has been paid to automaticity in language assessment research. This study aimed to analyze the role of automaticity in the assessment of the pronunciation, structure, and fluency skills in an oral Aviation English exam and to shorten the application time of these kinds of exams by testing only the abovementioned 3 language skills with large groups of students. In sum, it was found that using a single task (rerepeating/paraphrasing what you hear) promoting automaticity, is almost as effective as the combination of various complex and time-consuming tasks in assessing pronunciation, structure, and fluency skills.

Comparative Study on Speaking Assessment Rubrics in Trinity and Cambridge Language Certificates

Abstract The European Council has been instrumental in the standardization of language competence levels and certifications with the guidelines provided in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) published in 2001 and later reviewed in 2020 with the Companion Volume with New Descriptors (CEFRCV). Cambridge Assessment English and Trinity College are two of the highest regarded institutions at the international level that grant their language certificates following the language competence levels provided by the CEFR. For this reason, the current study is grounded on the conviction that those certificates should meet certain principles of the Framework as a form of guarantee that they are assessing the CEFR level correctly. In particular, this paper focuses on the speaking skill and the rubrics of assessment used by the two aforementioned institutions. The rubrics of Trinity and Cambridge for the assessment of the oral production at the B2 CEFR level were considered for the purposes of this study – in particular, the rubrics that assess the oral production in the Integrated Skills in English (ISE-II) exam and in the First Certificate in English (B2 First). With a qualitative document research approach, this study analyses these rubrics in order to determine to what extent they respect the criteria established by the CEFR.

E-Learning Teaching: Supportive Online Course ‘English Fastpass’

The aim of this paper is to prove the hypothesis that in order to cope with the adversities and hardships and meet the demands of the wartime and pandemic challenges, a complex of tools and techniques has to be applied including new teaching strategies with the use of multimedia, mobile applications and employing learning possibilities of social networking sites, Google classroom tools and other instruments with online course “English Fastpass”. 
 Methodology. In this research theoretical, empirical and statistical methods are used. Theoretical methods (analysis and synthesis) serve to analyze opportunities, advantages and disadvantages of social media as a new tool of teaching. Empirical ones (observation, testing, pedagogical experiment) provide conducting the experiment itself. Statistical methods (one sample t-test) helped make statistical analysis of the pedagogical experimental data.
 Results. The complex of tools and techniques to teach English is implemented effectively by online course “English Fastpass” aimed at preparing students for passing English Exam. The offered extra-class activities are definitely very successful: daily vocabulary and grammar tasks followed by weekly online analysis; challenges (one-week of three-week activities focused on improving general English proficiency and cultural awareness); exam boosters focused on practicing a particular exam task type; monthly webinars; quizzes and games. The resulting experimental data showed the significant progress in students' performance in both linguistic and intercultural competences, and specifically in use of English tasks. The final assessment in all English language practical skills, including the competence in intercultural communication, confirmed considerable advance of the all-language competences. 
 Conclusion. The effectiveness of applying different unconventional extra-class activities is proven. They are followed by weekly online analysis. The most helpful of them for learning process are exam boosters, monthly webinars, quizzes and games. Using the visualisation techniques, influencing students' emotions and feelings, the abovementioned online course “English Fastpass” facilitates efficient acquisition and better memorizing along with the ability to use the knowledge in the appropriate tasks, which in the long run will help successful intercultural communication. Judging by the comments made by the students they would find such methods of teaching extremely encouraging and stimulating.

Validitas dan Reliabilitas Ujian Keahlian Pelaut Bahasa Inggris Maritim

The purpose of this research is to determine the validity and reliability of the Maritime English proficiency test organized by PUKP (Seafarer Expertise Exam) 02 Banten and its surroundings. Research method was used is descriptive analysis because it aims to explain the level of difficulty, discriminatory power, as well as the validity and reliability of exam questions for 3rd grade students at the Maritime School. The results showed that there were 43 valid exam questions in the Nautical department or about 71.66% of the total questions, with a correlation value greater than Rtable 0.1071 with a significance level of 5%. As for the Engineering department, there are 41 valid exam questions or 68.33% of the total questions, with a correlation value greater than Rtable 0.2483 with a significance level of 5%. For the reliability of the test questions in the Nautical department of 0.5968 and the Engineering department 0.6789 with an interval between 0.40 to 0.70 with moderated interpretation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Maritime English exam questions used are quite valid and reliable.
 
 Keywords: validity, reliability, proficiency test, maritime English.

Accountability, Test Prep Incentives, and the Design of Math and English Exams

AbstractWe examine how incentives for test prep varied between math and English language arts (ELA) on U.S. state accountability exams. We collected data on exam structure for grade 3 to 8 tests in six states that are the setting for most U.S. research in literatures where accountability matters. We show that math exams typically measured ability more precisely for students on the margin of achieving proficiency. This gave educators an incentive to spend more time preparing students for math tests than for ELA tests, consistent with the common finding of larger math effects in the literature.

Performance in a task improves when subjects experience respect, rather than admiration, for those teaching them

Abstract Introduction One experiences admiration and respect when acknowledging excellence in others. Admiration relates to the person’s superior abilities, whereas respect focuses on the person as a whole. Although previous studies suggest a link between admiration/respect and motivation, it is unclear as to whether these emotions enhance task performance. We investigated the relationship between admiration/respect and task performance. Method Forty-two Japanese participants completed an English exam, watched a video, and completed a second exam. In the video, an interviewer asked an English lecturer to provide tips for completing the exam. After the second exam, participants rated the amount of admiration and respect they had for the lecturer and interviewer. We examined whether experiencing admiration/respect enhanced exam scores. Results We found that experiencing admiration had no significant effect on exam scores. However, the participants who had stronger respect for the lecturer improved their score (p < 0.001) whereas the score of the other participants did not differ between exams (p = 0.504). Moreover, the analysis showed a positive correlation between score increment and the amount of awe, a subcategory of the Japanese concept of respect (p = 0.014). Conclusion The results suggest that respect (particularly awe), rather than admiration, is involved in performance improvement.

중학교 영어 학습자의 역량착각 현상과 교육적 시사점

Objectives The purpose of the study is to examine the existence of the cognitively biased illusive competency effect by comparing the predicted scores with the actual scores of the English Language Learners in middle school; and to discuss teaching strategies to accommodate the illusive competency effect. Methods 204 students in coeducational middle schools in Gyeongsangbuk-do were randomly selected. The students were instructed to submit their expected scores before the two paper-based English exams. Following the two English exams, the students were divided into quartile groups based on their actual scores. It was discovered that each group’s absolute value difference between the predicted scores and actual scores obtained from the two exams confirms the Dunning-Kruger effect and the illusive competency effect on the actual performance. Results The first and second measurements showed that the ‘high’ quartile group underestimated their actual score while overestimation was observed from the ‘middle low’ and ‘low’ groups. This is a typical phenomenon that affirms the capacity illusion. In addition, the way the competency illusion affects the student’s actual scores has been shown differently in each group. The competency illusion had a negative effect on the actual scores of the ‘high’ and ‘middle high’ groups with advanced learning capability. As for the ‘middle low’ group, a moderate level of competency illusion(overconfidence) had a positive effect on the actual scores while an excessive level of competency illusion negatively affected the actual scores. Conclusions This study affirmed the illusion of competency in middle school English learners, suggesting the illusion of competency may involve other subjects other than English from a cognitive psychologic perspective. Based on the implication driven by the results, this study discussed the need to facilitate the learner’s correct understanding of their own learning capacity by establishing teaching strategies that minimise the illusion of competency among students.

THE ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIES USED BY THE ENGLISH TEACHERS IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION

Identifying the strategy of teaching used by the teachers in their teaching activities is essential in junior high school classes to achieve the better competencies in English. The main purpose of this study was to discover what strategies were used by English teachers at grade eight of Junior High School 2 Kubung Solok in teaching reading comprehension in one semester of the 2019/2020 academic year. This research was designed by the combination of qualitative and quantitative descriptive research. The primary data were obtained by using questionnaires and interviews distributed to the English teachers. The secondary data were taken from students' daily English exam results by review the document on the scores stored by the teachers. Questionnaire was used in order to know what strategies were used by English teachers in teaching reading comprehension at each meeting of the week. Interviews were used to find out what, how, and how often the teachers use/implement the certain strategies in teaching reading comprehension. The third instrument, document review was used to get the data on students' daily exam results at each the time a certain strategy was used by the teachers. Based on the results of the data analysis, it is found that there were eight strategies that have been used by the teachers during one semester in teaching reading comprehension. Among the eight strategies used by the teachers, there are four strategies that were used dominantly; they were Scaffolding, Contextual Teaching, Summarizing, and Discussion strategies. The four strategies showed the highest students’ daily test results.

The Relationship between Learning Styles, Study Effort and English Language Proficiency in Chinese Middle Schools

Though disputed and deemed a neuromyth, many teachers are still convinced by the idea that identifying and later tailoring instructional strategies to individuals’ learning styles would enhance learning. This correlational study considers visual-auditory-kinaesthetic (VAK) preferences as a range instead of a category, and investigates the concept as applied to language learning, and the compensatory effects of study efforts exerted while learning a foreign language. The results showed that kinaesthetic preference was a poor predictor of English exam scores in contrast to visual and auditory preferences, and that effort played a significant role in predicting exam scores when combined with kinaesthetic preferences, suggesting a possibility that learners with kinaesthetic learning predispositions might have to compensate by working harder to attain higher language proficiency levels as compared to learners with visual or auditory learning preferences.

High Quality, Equity, and Assessment: An Analysis of Variables Impacting English Learner Standardized Science Test Performance and Implications for Construct Validity

In the United States, assessment is seen as a lever that can facilitate high-quality education. This study on English learners, students whose native language is not English, was based on data from eighth-grade English learners’ performance on science general and content-specific (physical, life, and earth science) standardized exams and an English language proficiency exam. The researchers utilized regression analysis to examine factors (i.e., socioeconomic status, home language, English language proficiency, and receptive and productive elements of language) that are predictive of English learner performance in general and content-specific science standardized assessments to identify implications for construct validity of high-stakes science assessments. The research question is as follows: What factors influence the performance of English learners on a standardized science assessment, including overall performance and content-specific domains? Three main findings emerged from this research study. First, this study confirms previous research indicating that socioeconomic status and English language proficiency are predictive of English learners’ achievement on content-based standardized tests. Second, this study adds to current research by providing evidence that productive language scores are the most significant predictors of English learner science achievement, in comparison to receptive language scores, overall English language proficiency scores, home language, and socioeconomic status. Third, this study adds to the body of evidence needed to challenge the validity of standardized science tests for English learner populations. The findings of this study challenge the construct validity of science content-based assessments for English learners, emphasizing the importance of productive language in academic performance.

Application of Decision Tree Algorithm Based on Data Mining in English Teaching Evaluation

In order to bring new opportunities and challenges to teaching and learning English. This paper proposes a study of the use of a data tree-based decision tree algorithm in English language learning assessment. Teaching and learning through online English learning platforms using data mining technology to analyze student learning data, create relevant models, and explore the relationship between English exams and various elements is important for student learning and teacher teaching. Firstly, this paper introduces the function, process, and common machine learning models of data mining. Finally, by using data created by college English tutors and measurements to create and identify student images, through image users, you can learn about student behavior, learning behaviors, etc., provide a foundation after the design experiment, technology training technology in logistic regression model, wooden model making, and postfusion modeling of two models and analyze the factors affecting students’ passing the exam according to the prediction results. The results show that the decision tree model predicts that the score of each question type occurs 72 times, the score of students’ examination occurs 70 times, and the completion of homework occurs 70 times. Trees determined by this approach can have a profound impact on a wide range of indicators of academic excellence and provide a fundamental and useful basis for measuring future improvement.

Impacts of English Reading Attitudes on L2 Achievements

Reading is an acquired skill needed for obtaining knowledge. To be successful in reading, one should adopt certain attitudes to ensure the reading activity's fruitfulness. This correlational study investigates the possible significant relationship between reading attitude and L2 achievement. The subjects of this study were 47 vocational school students in Yogyakarta. Samples were chosen using purposive sampling with X graders and XI graders of a vocational school. The data were collected through a questionnaire, interview sessions, and an English exam. The hypothesis of this research was the more positive the students’ attitude was, the higher were L2 achievements of the students. The writers conducted a Pearson correlation computation to analyze the correlation of the obtained data. The findings showed that the students' reading attitude was positive and the L2 achievements were high, but the reading attitude correlated negatively and weakly to L2 achievements. Other factors affected L2 achievements as well. ESL teachers should be concerned about their students’ reading attitudes

Evaluating 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 GCSE English Exams and Exam Method against Related Curriculum Goals and Stakeholders’ and Experts’ Perceptions

Evaluation instigates learning and teaching and is central to them. All elements in the educational process have to be evaluated, including the evaluation of exams and related exam methods. This study aimed at evaluating the Egyptian GCSE English exam and exam method against GCSE curriculum goals and stakeholders’ (i.e. teachers’ and students’) perceptions of the exams. The study adopted a qualitative approach: a fixed alternative questionnaire and a semi-structured E-interview both administered to participant experts and practitioner teachers (n 50 and 5, respectively), and it also incorporated designing and using another questionnaire (in two versions) administered to GCSE graduates: 50 for the school year 2020-2021 and 100 for the 2021-2022. Results revealed that certain curriculum language skills and elements were absent, and the vast majority of them were under-represented and improperly addressed. Even, the curriculum novel content was covered inappropriately. It was then found out that the exams had few strengths and many weaknesses, regarding the question type, language skill and language element representation/coverage, exam nature and appropriateness for students, incompliance with curriculum and OBD. Other exam implications were covered. Plans and recommendations for intervention included inclusion of performance-based questions for three language skills and the translation element, coverage of grammar and vocabulary, inclusion of language functions and idioms, variation of question types appropriate for language skill/element, and commitment to the OBE approach in the exams as well as to research.

Private Tutoring’s Role on Helping Students: An Analyzation of Educational Panel Survey from a Junior High School in the Chinese Rural Area

Based on a panel survey filled by seventh grade students, who studied in Shaxi Middle School located in Shaxi, Yunnan, China, after completing a semester of Online English Peer Tutoring Program, the research applied the data collected, including English Exam grades and background information, with Regression and Z-score to analyze the effectiveness of Private Tutoring. The analysis yields the following findings: private tutoring is effective for all students regardless of natural abilities and gender. By putting gender and mid-term exam grades into the regression, participants have an average of 2.161 percent points higher than non-participants. Also, male students benefit more from tutoring.

Testing the Reliability of two Rubrics Used in Official English Certificates for the Assessment of Writing

The learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is clearly a primary concern worldwide these days. This has spurred a proliferation of studies related to it and the emergence of new methodologies and instruments of assessment. Along with these, new qualifications devoted to the certification of language competence have been created, triggered in no small part by the fact that demonstrating one’s level of proficiency has become almost an imperative when applying for a job or a grant, or to enable someone to study in a foreign country. It is therefore essential to test the reliability of the instruments used for the assessment of competences. With this purpose, over a four-week period, four different evaluators have assessed the written essays of students on a C1 level course using the writing rubrics for Cambridge Assessment English’s Cambridge Advance English Certificate (CAE) and Trinity College’s Integrated Skills in English Exams III (ISE-III). The aim was to examine the CAE and the ISE-III rubrics’ reliability through the calculation of their respective Cronbach’s alpha, the Corrected-Item Total correlation, the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient and the Standard Error of Measurement. Afterwards, the results given to each essay on the basis of the two rubrics were compared so to ascertain whether their language is clear and which criteria tended to obtain higher and lower marks on average. Examiners were also surveyed at the end of the assessment process to find their opinion on the use of the two rubrics in terms of clarity. The research provided meaningful and interesting results such as the fact that although both rubrics obtained good results in the coefficients of reliability, the variance in scores is greater when using the ISE-III rubric and that examiners tend to be tougher when assessing the learner’s language resource than any other criterion. It is also worth pointing out that according to the survey, examiners’ general perception of both rubrics is that some of their descriptors were confusing or vague, which suggests both rubrics should be revised and could benefit from some improvement.

Using Bloom’s taxonomy to evaluate the cognitive levels of Primary Leaving English Exam questions in Rwandan schools

This qualitative study investigates the cognitive levels of the questions used in the English primary six leaving examinations administered in Rwandan schools from 2013 to 2019. We used the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy to scrutinize the cognitive levels of 574 exam questions. The findings revealed a remarkable predominance of the lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) (98.79%) over the higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) exam questions (1.21%). The study addresses the gap in the current literature on high-stake and accountability-driven assessment practices regarding the language educational policies involving the use of English as a classroom language and curriculum reforms in postcolonial contexts. In particular, the study provides education practitioners and decision-makers with a body of knowledge conducive to writing high-quality exams that are likely to boost effective instruction and higher student learning and success in schools and beyond.

Restricted access: How the internet can be used to promote reading and learning

Can schools use the internet to promote reading and learning? We provided Wikipedia access to randomly-selected students in Malawian boarding secondary schools. Students used the online resource broadly and intensively, and found it trustworthy, including for information about news and safe sex. We find a 0.10σ impact on English exam scores, and a higher impact among low achievers (0.20σ). Students used Wikipedia to study Biology, and exam scores increased for low achievers (0.14σ). Our results show that by restricting internet access to a source of engaging and accessible reading material, it is possible to encourage independent reading and affect educational outcomes.