Task 14 -- Communicative approach

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Date Posted: 14:27:57 08/07/03 Thu
Author: Adriana Sales Zardini
Subject: Task 14

How we can test communicative competence?

First of all, teachers have to keep in mind that students must be prepared to this kind of test and the material used in the classroom need to cover it. Communicative competence is tested by students� ability to use language in real life situations.

Kitao et al suggests �in cases where the testees do not have a specific purpose, the language that they are tested on can be directed toward general social situations where they might be in a position to use English�. They emphasize that in communicative tests the words and phrases must be placed in a context and the testee can respond appropriately to it. On the other hand, some tests combine reading and writing communicative situations. �Testees can be given a task in which they are presented with instructions to write a letter, memo, summary, etc., answering certain questions, based on information that they are given.�

In sum, communicative competence must be tested in a way that reflects the way that language is used in real communication. And in situations that is not possible to make language tests communicative, it�s useful to be possible to give them communicative elements.

Adriana Sales Zardini

Reference:

Kitao, S. Kethleen and Kitao, Kenji. Testing Communicative Competence. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. II, No. 5, May 1996. Kyoto, Japan. Available: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Kitao-Testing.html

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