Reading tasks
As with listening, the choice of exercise for reading will depend on the nature of the text and the type of reading and understanding the tutor wishes to assess. To clarify this, see if you can fill in the types of exercise, ie graphic representation, open-ended, multiple-choice, true/false, ordering/matching (cf 14.4.1.1), and the types of reading (ie gist, detailed, global, skimming and scanning) usually associated with each of the three text types in the table below.
Activity 20
|
Text
type
|
Exercise
type
|
Type
of reading
|
| Multiple points of view (eg questionnaires, interviews) | _______________ |
Gist and detailed reading |
| Lengthy, self-contained texts (eg stories, reports, factual articles) |
|
Gist, detailed, skimming
and scanning
|
| Texts read quickly for specific information (eg timetables, TV guides) |
|
Skimming, scanning Skimming, scanning |
(Adapted from Bolton, 1996: 38)
For the completed table, click on 'Commentary'.
Activity 21
Using the abbreviations introduced in 14.4.1.1
(GR, OE, MC, TF and OM) once more, indicate in the following table which
exercise type each of the tasks described belongs to:
|
Test
format
|
Student
task
|
Exercise
type
|
| Picture with written statements | Tick the correct statement(s) | |
| Written texts and beginnings/endings of sentences | Decide which sentence parts go together in relation to the text | |
| Questions on a text with, in each case, alternative answers | Tick the correct alternative | |
| Several pictures and one written statement | Tick the appropriate picture | |
| Descriptions of people and key words about them | Write down the names of the people associated with the key words | |
| Written text with written statements | Tick the correct statement(s) | |
| Written text with written statements | Tick the appropriate statement | |
| Written text and accompanying table | Tick the facts mentioned in the text | |
| Written text | Underline sections of text important to a specific question (eg 'arguments for') | |
| Written text | Draw a plan of something described in the text | |
| Written texts and pictures | Link pictures to the relevant texts | |
| One picture and several written statements | Tick one of the statements | |
| Written texts and headings | Link headings to the appropriate texts | |
| Questions and answers | Match the questions with the answers | |
| Written text with map and key to symbols | Put symbols on map in relation to content of text | |
| Written text | Summarize main contents in L1 | |
| Written text and jumbled sentences about it | Put sentences in correct order | |
| Introductory sentence or clause with several possible continuations | Tick the appropriate continuation | |
| Written text and L1 questions on text | Answer questions on text content | |
| Jumbled phrases/clauses | Put phrases/clauses in correct order |
|
(Based on typology in Doyé, 1988, and task in Bolton, 1996: 42-43)
Click on 'Commentary' for the completed table.
See Hughes (1989: 116-33), and Weir (1990: 51-58) for further discussion of approaches to reading assessment and test types.
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
