How to Test Speaking Skills in Japan

35 Part 2: How can we mark & administer speaking tests?

As you go through the following chapters, keep in mind that test ing, like teaching itself, is an art You will therefore need to bring your own creativity, experience, and context to the ideas presented here Read with a critical eye towards customizing everything to your specific needs and teaching style Three steps to successful speaking tests Good speaking tests require you to make many decisions, so for maximum effectiveness, it’s best to take them all together, before you begin If you leave certain details until the end, you are asking for trouble A more prudent path is to clarify the purpose, mark ing scheme, and administrative details beforehand so you can avoid wasting time and energy on unsuccessful exams (Underhill, 1987) While speaking is rightfully acknowledged as the most difficult language skill to assess (Madsen, 1983), that doesn’t mean it’s im possible In fact, once you’ve made peace with the inherent subjec tivity, there are really only three more steps you need to go through: 1. Decide your overall approach to marking

2. Choose and define your evaluation criteria

3. Plan out the administration details

The chapters in Part 2 will cover each of these points in turn In Chapter 4 , holistic and analytic marking schemes will be compared in practical terms so you can decide which approach is best for your needs In Chapter 5 , I’ll cover how to choose and define evaluation criteria and create effective rating scale rubrics for efficient marking Finally, in Chapter 6 , I’ll offer up some advice on sussing out the various practical matters of test management so that you can conduct your tests more smoothly