Test Specifications: The Real Deal

Now, here's the real deal - coming up with test specifications is not an easy task! There are specific things that are needed to be included in the specifications. What are they? Presenting, the 21 ITEMS....

ALERT! Test specifications should include ALL or at least MOST of these 21 items:

1. Purpose	Placement? Progress? Proficiency? Diagnostic?
2. Test takers	Age? Sex? Level of proficiency? First language? Cultural background? Country of origin? Level of education? Reason for taking the test?
3. Test level	‘Survival’? Basic? Advanced?
4. Construct	What is the theoretical framework for the test? i.e. Bachman’s Framework of Communicative Language Ability and Test Method Facets
5. Description of suitable language course or textbook	Any specific language course? Any specific textbook?
6. Sections/papers	How many sections/papers?
7. Time	How long is (are) the section(s)/paper?
8. Target language situation	What target language situation is intended for the test? Is it to be demonstrated in the content and method?
9. Text types	Written? Spoken? Topics? Sources?
10. Text length	Length? Difficulty?
11. Language skills	Enabling/micro skills specified? Items tested individually or in an integrated fashion? Any distinctions between items testing main idea, specific detail and inference?
12. Language elements	Any list of specific grammatical structures or features? Specific lexis?
13. Test tasks	Discrete point? Integrative?
14. Weighting	How many items? Weighting for each item/section?
15. Test methods	Multiple choice? Essay? Structured writing?
16. Rubrics	What is (are) the instruction(s)? Example required? Should the criteria by which test takers will be assessed be included?
17. Criteria for marking	Accuracy? Appropriacy? Spelling? Length of answer script?
18. Descriptions of typical performance at each level	What do test takers should be able to do at a specific level/score? i.e. Basic reading skills
19. Descriptions of what candidates at each level can do in the real world
20. Sample papers
21. Samples of students’ performance on tasks