Teach English in Beverley - TESOL Courses

This unit looks at different ways of evaluating students’ levels and progress, as well as some of the common external exams that students may need to be prepared for. There are a number of way to assess a student’s language level: • Tutorials: Can be done with the whole group or individually. Can be done at the end of the week to review the work done, discussing the aims of the lessons, how well the students performed the tasks etc.. • Evaluation by the students: It can be useful to ask the student to evaluate their course by means of a questionnaire or guided discussion. The result of the survey can be discussed and future lessons considered in the light of students’ comments. This process promotes genuine interaction. • Tests: At the start of the course, the student may need to be given a placement test to assist the formation of groups of students at the same level Teachers often give a periodic progress test on the work covered. (either formal written test or more informal group activity). Another test that students might take is an achievement test, which is usually an internal test given at the end of the course. Other options include external examinations such as Cambridge assessment and proficiency tests. Placement tests: designed to enable teachers to place new students into the correct class according to their language ability. It should be progressive (from easy to hard)Most schools conduct this Type of testing by multiple choice questions and a spoken part. It is a good idea to refer to course books of each level and see what language items students at that level would be expected to know already Progress tests: should be used periodically to gauge what language has been remembered or acquired and what language has been forgotten. It should include a balance of all four skills as well as grammar and vocabulary that have been covered. Diagnostic tests: they are given at the start of the course to see what the students already know and to help the teacher to prepare lessons and materials that will enable students to work on the areas of difficulty identified by the test. Practice tests: these tests should follow the format and the structure of the external examination that they are being given in preparation for. GENERAL EXTERNAL EXAMINATIONS: TOEFL: Test of english as a Foreign language. Required by most US universities for admission purposes if the prospective student is a non-native speaker of English. IELTS: International English Language Testing System. The ideal test if a student needs to study or work where English is the language of communication. TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication. It measures the ability of non-native English-speaking examinees to use English in everyday work activities. Cambridge Assessment: non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge responsible for a broad range of assessments including the UK OCR examinations board, Cambridge ESOL and Cambridge International Exams. The exams are the world’s leading range of certificates for learners of English. They are several categories: General English: KET, PET, FCE, CAE, CPE Skills for life: Certificates in ESOL Skills for life business english: BEC – A suite of three exams, designed to test English language ability used in the context of business, designed for students who are learning English in preparation for a career in business. BULATS. (business language Testing service)", Testing and evaluation are useful tools for assessing students’ needs