Overview of International Tests

An Overview of
International Tests
iBT TOEFL, IELTS
Helen Huntley
Senior English Language Fellow 2007-08
Ministry of Education and Training,
Hanoi, Vietnam

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iBT TOEFL
Why Change the Test?
3 Important Reasons:

Speaking has been added

Focus on the ability to communicate

Measures not only how much the student
knows about English, but how well he or she
can use it

Uses integrated tasks that reflect how
language is actually used

Integration of Skills & Tasks
What are integrated tasks?
Questions that require use of more than one skill at
a time

Read/listen/speak


Listen/speak

Read /listen /write
They give us a better picture of how well the
student can communicate in English.

iBT Test Format

Internet-based test delivered in secure testing
centers on fixed dates

Test time: 4 hours

No computer tutorial – instructions given in each
section

Not computer adaptive

Note-taking allowed

Microphone used for the Speaking section

Typing required for the Writing section

Human raters used for Speaking and Writing
sections

Timing of Sections
Test Section # of Questions Timing

Reading
3-5 passages, 12-14
questions each
60-100 minutes
Listening
4-6 lectures, 6
questions each
2-3 conversations, 5
questions each
60-90 minutes
BREAK
10 minutes
Speaking
6 tasks: 2
independent and 4
integrated
20 minutes
Writing
1 integrated task
1 independent task
20 minutes
30 minutes

Reading Section I
Academic Reading Skills
1. Reading to find information

Scanning for key facts/information

Reading fluency and rate

2. Basic comprehension

Understand main idea, major points and details, vocabulary in
context, pronoun references

Make inferences
3. Reading to learn

Recognize organization and purpose

Understand relationships between ideas

Organize information into a category chart or summary

Infer the connection of ideas in the text

Reading Section II
Length: approx. 700 words each
Categories of academic texts

Exposition

Argumentation

Historical /biographical event/narrative
Question Formats

4 choices – single answer

4 choices – single answer to insert a sentence


‘reading to learn’ Qs with 4+ choices and 1+
answer

Reading: New Features

Reading to Learn questions
sorting/recognizing organization/relationships
category chart
summary

Paraphrase questions
multiple choice of correct paraphrase of a sentence from
text

Glossary
special purpose words and phrases

Listening Section I
Academic Listening Skills (lectures/conversations)
1. Listening for basic comprehension

Comprehend main ideas/important details
2. Listening for pragmatic understanding

Recognize a speaker’s attitude/degree of certainty

Recognize a speaker’s function or purpose
3. Connecting and synthesizing information


Recognize the organization of information

Understand relationships between ideas

Make inferences and draw conclusions

Make connections

Recognize topic changes, examples, digressions, aside
statements, introductions, conclusions

Listening Section II
4-6 lectures, 3-5 minutes long (500-800 words)
2-3 conversations, 3 minutes long, 12-25 exchanges
Pictures on screen to assist listening
Categories of academic listening tasks

Monologue by professor

Interactive lecture

Conversations in an academic setting
Question Formats

4 choices – single answer

4 choices – 1+ answers

Ordering of events or steps in process


Matching objects or text to categories in chart

Listening: New Features

Note taking is allowed

Conversations/lectures longer

Language more natural

One lecture in British/Australian English

New multiple choice question type:
attitude, degree of certainty, purpose

Replaying of portions of listening

Speaking Section I
Academic Speaking Skills
1. In classrooms

Respond to questions

Participate in academic discussions with other students

Synthesize and summarize what they have heard or read

Express their opinions on topics under discussion
2. Outside the classroom


Participate in casual conversations

Express their personal opinions

Communicate in campus situations

Speaking Section II
iBT allows ETS to capture speech and score responses in a
standardized and fair manner.

approx. 20 minutes long

2 independent tasks about familiar topics

Responses based on personal experience

4 integrated tasks

2 Reading/Listening/Speaking tasks

2 Listening/Speaking tasks

Responses based on what was read and heard

Academic and campus-based material

Short listening and reading material

Speaking: Independent Tasks
1. Personal preference


Express and defend a choice from a given category (important
person, events, activities)

Prep time: 15 secs; response time: 45 secs
2. Choice

Make and defend a personal choice between two contrasting
behaviors

Prep time: 15 secs; response time: 45 secs