TEACHING VS TESTING

ACCURACY VS FLUENCY
Group 5:
Noorul Husna, Hanani Izzati, Nur Farahiyah,
Atikah

TEACHING VS TESTING

Test

A method :
Measuring a persons ability or knowledge in a given area
Proficiency test actual performance involves only a sampling of skills, that
area is overall proficiency in a language
Pronunciation test might test only a particular sound/a phonemic minimal
pair

Teaching

The process of carrying out certain activities that experience has shown to
be effective in getting students to learn

Setting up the opportunities for learners to listen, think, take, risks, set
goals, and process feedback from the coach and then recycle through the
skills that they are trying to master.

Tests and Teaching

TEACHING

TESTS

Approaches to Language Testing

Discrete-Point and Integrative

Testing
Communicative Testing

Discrete-Point Testing vs. Integrative Testing

Discrete-Point Testing:
Are constructed on the assumption that language can be broken down into its
component parts and those parts can be tested successfully.
Listening, speaking, reading, writing, phonology etc
Eg: a typical proficiency test with MCQs divided into grammar, vocabulary, reading etc.

Integrative Testing:
Measure the level of mastery of the combination of two or more elements of
the language.
Eg:
Cloze tests requires a number of abilities; knowledge of vocabulary, grammatical structure,
discourse structure, reading skills.

Discrete Feature Listening Tests

Auditory Discrimination distinguishing specific sounds from background of

different sounds
Minimal pair pill vs. peel
Identifying words that rhyme
Identifying intonation patterns
Identifying stressed and unstressed syllables

Discrete Feature Speaking Tests

Minimal pair test bell vs. bill

Intonation tests:
He is here.
He is here!
He is here?

Reading aloud pronunciation, stress, intonation

Task-based Listening Tests

Listening tasks that students normally engage in

Listen to a text/
Description and answer questions/
Identify places on route map

Task-based Speaking Tests

Conversational exchanges
Using pictures
Oral interviews

Communicative Testing

To test communicative production of language

A communicative test has to meet some stringent criteria:
Grammatical competence
Discourse competence
Sociolinguistic competence
Strategic competence
Illocutionary competence

Learners have to use language naturally

Should test in a variety of language function

ACCURACY VS FLUENCY

ACCURACY

FLUENCY

DEFINITION

Refers to the use of correct forms where

utterances do not contain errors affecting the
phonological, syntactic, semantic or discourse
features of a language (Bryne, 1988)

Accuracy refers to the correctness of the

language being produced by the speaker.

Ability to produce grammatically correct

sentences.

DEFINITION

Fluency is derived from the Latin word fluens

which means to flow.

May be defined as the ability to get across

communicative intent without too much
hesitation and too many pauses to cause barriers
or a breakdown in communication (Crystal, 1977;
Bryne, 1986; Nation, 1991)Freedom from word
identification problems

ACCURACY

FLUENCY

Decoding and comprehending simultaneously.

The speaker is comfortable using the language

and can be reasonably understood by other
speakers of the TL.

The ability to read/speak accurately, quickly

and with appropriate intonation and
expression.

ACCURACY

Clear and articulate speaking or writing.

Language free from grammar mistakes.

Words spelled and/or pronounced correctly.

Language appropriate to the situation and/or

context.

FLUENCY

The ability to produce

written and / or spoken
language with ease.

Speak with a good but not

necessarily perfect
command of intonation,
vocabulary and grammar.

Communicate ideas
effectively.

Produce continuous speech

without causing
comprehension difficulties
or a breakdown in
communication.

ACCURACY

FLUENCY
Purpose:

Purpose:

to help students practice

language in listening,

to help students achieve

accurate perception and

speaking, reading, and/or

production of a target

writing activities to so

item which can be sound,

develop fluency

a word, or a sentence

in using the language in

structure.

spontaneous
communication.

ACCURACY

MATERIALS

FLUENCY

MATERIALS

a) texts are usually composed of separate

("discrete") items: sentences or words.

a) texts are usually whole pieces of discourses:

conversation, stories, etc.

b) texts may be used in any mode (skill), regardless

of how they are used in real life.

b) texts are usually used as they would be in real

life: dialogues are spoken, articles and written
stories are read.

c) the target items are usually practiced out of

context or situation.

c) authentic materials from real life are used.

ACCURACY

FLUENCY
ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES
a) students' attention is focused on a particular
target item.
b) their output is usually predictable.
c) their performance is assessed on how few
language mistakes are made
d) errors are corrected
e) tasks do not usually simulate real-life situations.

a)students' attention is focused

on communicating information
and expressing ideas.
b)their output may not always
be predictable.
c)their performance is assessed
on how well ideas are
expressed or understood.
d)students' errors are not
corrected unless it interferes
with communication
e)tasks often simulate real-life
situations.

FLUENCY TASK
SHOULD

build students confidence.

be a chance for students to recycle language and vocabulary

allow students to talk about what they wish to talk about.

need to listen to each other

be good for diagnosis: students can experiment with language

give students space so they can personalise

have a positive effect on classroom dynamics

if they have an authentic task which works in real time, then the language will have a direct effect on the outcome of
the task.

in life, communication in paramount and requires a genuine use of language.

fluency is a process not a product.

ACCURACY (ISSUES)

FLUENCY (ISSUES)

Fossilization

errors that have become a permanent part in the

way a learner speaks (Nation 1989)

correction of errors that are provided

inadvertently may discourage learners from
speaking.

communication in a target language is not always

the most effective way to develop speaking skills.