Date Posted:21:52:30 08/08/03 Fri Author:Danielle Brandão Subject: task 13
Communicative competence was a concept proposed by Dell Hymes, that focus not only the ability to form correct sentences, but also drives the learner to use them at appropriate times. The main idea of communicative competence lays on the ability to use language appropriately, both receptively and productively, in real situations.
When a teacher intent to test communicative competence, he should, after all, asses the ability of the learner to use the language in authentic circumstances.
In a communicative language test, it is important that the students have antecedent information about the task they will fulfill otherwise the test will not access the language that students use.
As in real language, most of the time, there more than one explanation for one question, it is necessary to develop a grade in order to evaluate the learners’ performances. This grade will estimate the quality of the receptive or the production of the students.
