Table 3 Content analysis of tests
Exam | Skills tested | Response type | |
|---|---|---|---|
SR | CR | ||
Midterm, 9th grade (2016) | Grammar | ||
1. Finding grammatical mistakes in sentences | √ | ||
2. Writing simple sentences about pictures | √ | ||
Vocabulary | |||
3. Synonyms/antonyms out of context | √ | ||
4. Synonyms/antonyms with limited context | √ | ||
Midterm, 9th grade | Grammar | ||
1. Subject-verb agreement (to be verb) | √ | ||
2. Unscramble the sentences | √ | ||
3. Make the sentence negative | √ | ||
Writing | |||
1. Write a sentence about a picture (CR) | √ | ||
Midterm, 8th grade (2015) | Vocabulary: | ||
1. Write the Persian equivalents of week days | √ | ||
2. Matching words with pictures | √ | ||
3. Write the English translations of Persian words | √ | ||
4. Matching verbs with objects | √ | ||
5. Writing the name of the country where the historical place given in the picture belongs (e.g., Pizza tower) | √ | ||
6. Fill in (SR) | √ | ||
Grammar | |||
1. Supply the adjective form of countries | √ | ||
Speaking: | |||
1. Two items on where you are from and what you do in the mornings | √ | ||
Midterm, 9th grade (2016) | Vocabulary | ||
1. Sentence completion | √ | ||
2. Naming pictures | √ | ||
Grammar | |||
1. Unscramble a sentence | √ | ||
2. Finding grammatical mistakes in sentences | √ | ||
Writing | |||
1. Write sentences about pictures | √ | ||
Reading | |||
1. True/False items | √ | ||
2. Wh-questions | √ | ||
Final 8th grade, (2018) | Vocabulary | ||
1. Translation of Persian words in the context of a dialog. | √ | ||
2. Translation of Persian week days into English. | √ | ||
Spelling: | |||
1. Single words partially written be completed. | √ | ||
Grammar: | |||
1. Write the adjective form of country names. | √ | ||
Speaking | |||
1. Getting passport (asking about nationality) but memorized. | √ | ||
2. A tourist asking questions about students’ nationality and job | √ | ||
3. Job interview (what you can do, what you are good at) unpredictable answers | √ | ||
Reading comprehension | √ | ||
1. One yes/no and three wh-questions. They needed sentence or phrase level understanding. | √ | ||
Final 7th grade (2017) | Vocabulary | ||
1. Connect semantically related words | √ | ||
2. Persian equivalents of color terms | √ | ||
3. Find the different word in a set of words | √ | ||
4. Naming pictures | √ | ||
5. C-test and cloze mixed in a very limited context | √ | ||
Speaking | |||
1. Written dialog: asking students’ first name and last name | √ | ||
2. Dialog cloze | √ | ||
Final, 8th grade (2018) | Vocabulary | ||
1. Matching verbs with pictures (SR) | √ | ||
2. Sentence completion using both translation and pictures | √ | ||
3. Multiple choice Cloze test (target words were given along with pictures) | √ | ||
Speaking | |||
1. Choosing right answers to questions in a dialog | √ | ||
Reading | |||
1. Reading passage followed by items asking factual information based on sentence comprehension. | √ | ||
2. Cloze test with obligatory context words (students should write their names, what they, their moms and dads are good at, the name of their best friend, her health issue, their advice to her). | √ | ||
Final 9th grade (no date) | Writing | ||
1. Write a sentence, | √ | ||
2. Write a sentence about picture with possessive form | √ | ||
3. Write a sentence about what each person does during Nowrooz holidays. | √ | ||
Grammar | |||
1. Supply the correct form of the verb in parenthesis (all present continuous) | √ | ||
Reading | |||
1. Cloze test (seen passage and the first letter of the missing word is given) | √ | ||
2. Cloze test (seen passage). | √ | ||
3. Cloze test | √ | ||
4. Reading passage followed by a yes/no question and two wh-questions (all gauging sentence level understanding) | √ | √ | |