An evaluation of the English secondary school certificate test in Syria

Authors

ali suad hasan, faculty of education - damascus universityFollow

Abstract

Language assessment is a continuous process that is used in almost every EFL classroom. Teachers constantly assess student performance when replying to certain questions, using a new vocabulary or structure in a sentence or providing a written work. Whether these forms of assessment are incidental or intended, they are certainly considered significant in assessing learners’ performance. The present research presents various types of language tests, illustrates what makes a good test including the reliability and validity of the test and examines how to evaluate tests. Specifically, this paper aims at evaluating one of the English language tests administered by the Ministry of Education in Syria. The test that is being evaluated is the 12th grade final exam issued by the Ministry of Education in 2016. The most important findings of the study show that the test under review is practical in some aspects while not so in others. Test reliability is high as the items are clear, unambiguous, simple and not too long or require a lot of writing. In addition, the face validity of the test is high. However, the washback effect of the test is poor as students are not provided with the appropriate feedback.

Recommended Citation

suad hasan, ali (2023) "An evaluation of the English secondary school certificate test in Syria," Association of Arab Universities Journal for Education and Psychology: Vol. 21: Iss. 2, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/aaru_jep/vol21/iss2/1