Are foreign language GCSE exams really assessing students' linguistic proficiency?
I have recentlIy had an interesting opportunity act as an examiner for the GCSE Portuguese oral exams in London.
Therefore, the usual worries language learners have (accent/grammar/fluency/vocabulary/fluency) should not have been a thing, right? The students, all in their teens, were native speakers of the assessed language and I am sure they spoke it on a daily basis at home with friends and family.
Nope.
It was just like an ESL/EFL/ESOL exam and it was just like assessing non-native speakers.
Still, candidates were very nervous.
Still, for some of the questions it was difficult to think of an answer. I mean, I found myself wondering how I would react to some of them.
Still, the combo creativity + confidence, not vocabulary/grammar/structure, made a huge difference in performance.
Still, an occasional blank was drawn.
You’re expected to speak for a few minutes and to develop a discussion with your examiner. That is not that easy and certainly not natural. It does not flow like it would in a different setting.
So here’s a few reminders:
- to all of us, that standardised tests are often not a measure of one’s language skills.
- to teachers working with exam prep, that working on your learners’ confidence to approach such an uncomfortable setting is paramount.
- to test takers, that you must prepare in advance, and by that I mean learn how to handle time constrictions and how to follow instructions, and especially, how to suss out what they want from you quickly.
- to examiners, that a smile and a friendly face can make a lot of difference.
- to those developing exams, that there is a lot of room for improvement.
- to the educational system, that it is high time we started rethinking assessment in a learner-friendly + learner-centered way that does not place so much pressure on individuals and allows them to show and fulfil their full potential and, most importantly, to feel empowered to purse it.
It has dawned on me that it is a privilege to be a solid test-taker and that one might outperform people who are more knowledgeable, more skilful and more committed to doing a good job just because they can. But worst of all, learners might take a big hit in their self esteem when they receive a lower than desired result, even when they are perfectly capable of doing well. And that, most certainly, is something to work on, to change and to improve in the education system.
I would love to know how to though.
Anyone with an answer?