Testing issues in writing

Abstract

While sample questions and responses, scoring rubrics, and provision of criterion-referenced interpretation in large-scale writing tests are believed to be of pedagogical value, frontline English language teachers often find it difficult to use them to facilitate learning perhaps due to the lack of practical guidance. To maximize the value of large-scale writing tests for learning, this chapter draws on models of learning-oriented assessment and proposes a practical guide for writing teachers to use the key components of large-scale writing tests in classroom assessment activities. This framework includes four steps: design, explain, coordinate, and reinforce, and is aimed at promoting students’ metacognitive evaluative capabilities, engagement with feedback, and thus writing.