Cambridge English Exams - Research Note Issue 59 en Research Note Issue 59: Test construction: The Cambridge English approach <img class="img-responsive" typeof="foaf:Image" src="" width="800" height="450" alt="" /> <div class="field-body"> <h4>Welcome to issue 59 of Research Notes, a quarterly pulication reporting on matters relating to learning, teaching and assessment within Cambridge Assessment English.</h4> <p> </p> <p><strong>COREEN DOCHERTY</strong> RESEARCH AND VALIDATION GROUP, CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT</p> <p><strong>DAVID CORKILL</strong> ASSESSMENT AND OPERATIONS GROUP, CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT</p> <p><strong>Introduction </strong></p> <p>Tests are designed for particular purposes and to meet specific identifiable needs such as to measure achievement, make selection decisions for further study or employment or provide diagnostic feedback to support lesson planning. Test scores are interpreted and have meaning only in relation to a test’s purpose. The main aim of an exam board, such as Cambridge English Language Assessment, is to develop tests that measure the skills and abilities associated with a test’s purpose in a reliable and valid manner. This involves tapping into the underlying trait or construct of interest through the development of tasks and their associated items, which can then be used to provide evidence of this ability while, at the same time, differentiating learners according to their mastery of these skills and abilities. A level of complexity is introduced by the fact that most exam boards typically produce multiple test versions, allowing test takers to sit a unique exam at different times and places. Without different test versions, there is a risk of malpractice as the test content may become familiar or overexposed to the candidate population prior to the test date and thus reduce the trustworthiness of the results (see Bell (this issue) for more information on malpractice). These different versions need to be parallel in terms of the constructs covered and their statistical properties in order to facilitate test equating protocols and ensure a comparable and fair test-taking experience for candidates. Construct comparability across test versions is derived from the test specifications and practically realised by following an explicit and standardised approach to test paper production while the psychometric comparability is underpinned by the generation of statistical measurement indices and the use of an item banking approach.</p> <p>In this article, we will discuss how Cambridge English assembles tests in order to generate scores that can be used to make inferences about test takers’ language ability.</p> <p><a href="" target="_blank">Go to the full article</a></p> </div> <div class="field-socialshareprivacy"> <div id="field_socialshareprivacy-3478" class="ssp_wrapper">&nbsp;</div> </div> Thu, 27 Sep 2018 09:27:27 +0000 Isabelle Francois 3478 at