An investigation of the process of writing IELTS Academic Reading ...

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Anthony Green and Roger Hawkey AUTHOR BIODATA DR ANTHONY GREEN Has a PhD in language assessment. Is the author of IELTS Washback in Context (Cambridge University Press) and has published in a number of international peer reviewed journals including Language Testing, Assessment in Education, Language Assessment Quarterly and Assessing Writing. Has extensive experience as an ELT teacher and assessor, contributing to test development, administration and validation projects around the world. Previously worked as Cambridge ESOL Validation Officer with responsibility for IELTS and participated as a researcher in IELTS funded projects in 2000/1, 2001/2 and 2005/6. Current research interests include testing academic literacy and test impact. DR ROGER HAWKEY Has a PhD in language education and assessment, is the author of two recent language test-related books, Impact Theory and Practice: Studies of the IELTS test and Progetto Lingue 2000 (2006) and A Modular Approach to Testing English Language Skills (2004). Has experience of English language teaching, program design and management posts and consultancy at secondary, teacher training and university levels, in Africa and Asia, Europe and Latin America. Research interests include: language testing, evaluation and impact study; social, cognitive and affective factors in language learning. IELTS Research Reports Volume 11 www.ielts.org 2
An investigation of the process of writing IELTS Academic Reading test items CONTENTS 1 AIMS .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 2 BACKGROUND AND RELATED RESEARCH................................................................................................. 4 2.1 A socio-cognitive test validation framework......................................................................................... 4 2.2 Item writing............................................................................................................................................... 5 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN.................................................................................................. 9 3.1 Deduction and induction......................................................................................................................... 9 3.2 Design ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 4 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS FROM INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS .......................... 10 4.1 Non-experienced IELTS item writer group .......................................................................................... 10 4.1.1 IELTS text search, selection and characterisation.......................................................................... 11 4.1.2 Participant text search treatment and item development: flowcharts and discussions................... 12 4.1.3 Participant focus group discussions ............................................................................................... 16 4.2 Procedures with and findings from the experienced IELTS Item Writer Group .............................. 19 4.2.1 Participant text search treatment and item development: flowcharts and discussions................... 19 4.2.2 Participant focus group discussions .............................................................................................. 26 5 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ON THE TEXTS................................................................................................. 28 5.1 The non-experienced group.................................................................................................................. 30 5.2 The experienced group ......................................................................................................................... 33 6 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ON THE EDITING PROCESS ........................................................................... 37 6.1 The non-experienced group.................................................................................................................. 37 6.1.1 Choosing the text for the exam....................................................................................................... 39 6.1.2 Change of view caused by the editing process? ............................................................................ 40 6.2 The experienced group ......................................................................................................................... 41 6.2.1 Analysis and findings on the items ................................................................................................. 46 7 Comparisons between groups ..................................................................................................................... 50 7.1 Item writing processes .......................................................................................................................... 50 7.2 The texts ................................................................................................................................................. 51 8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................... 53 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................................... 55 APPENDIX A: COMMISSIONING LETTER (BASED ON A MODEL LETTER USED IN IELTS COMMISSIONING SUPPLIED BY CAMBRIDGE ESOL)...................................................................................... 59 APPENDIX B: BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRES ............................................................................................ 60 APPENDIX C: ITEM WRITER SUBMISSIONS...................................................................................................... 69 Non-experienced group: Victoria.................................................................................................................... 69 Non-experienced group: Victoria.................................................................................................................... 71 Non-experienced group: Mathilda .................................................................................................................. 73 Non-experienced group: Mathilda .................................................................................................................. 75 Non-experienced group: Mary......................................................................................................................... 78 Non-experienced group: Mary......................................................................................................................... 80 Experienced group: Jane................................................................................................................................. 83 Experienced group: Jane................................................................................................................................. 85 Experienced group: Anne................................................................................................................................ 88 Experienced group: Anne................................................................................................................................ 90 Experienced group: William ............................................................................................................................ 92 Experienced group: William ............................................................................................................................ 94 Experienced group: Elizabeth ......................................................................................................................... 96 Experienced group: Elizabeth ......................................................................................................................... 98 IELTS Research Reports Volume 11 www.ielts.org 3
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