Types of Test Items

Not every examination looks the same. In some, students write their answers on paper. In others, the teacher asks a question and the student answers aloud. In still others, the student works in a laboratory and shows a skill with their hands. The question paper has to suit the kind of examination, so question papers differ from one examination to another.

When a question paper is prepared, the examiner bases it on these facts about the students and the situation:

• the class the students are in
• the age of the students
• the level of the students
• the number of students
• the subject being examined
• the educational materials available
• the physical environment and facilities

Take age as an example. Young children in the lower classes are best examined with oral questions, while older students in higher classes can be examined with written questions. The subject matters too. In vocational and technical subjects, oral and written questions alone are not enough, and practical questions are also needed. A student learning tailoring, for instance, must stitch a garment and not only write down the steps of stitching. So the question paper is shaped by the students' age, their level and the subject.

In a written test the student answers on paper. School terminal exams, annual exams and national exams such as the SEE use written questions heavily. Written tests contain two kinds of question: subjective questions and objective questions. When an examination uses both kinds together, it can check a student's ability, knowledge, skill and behaviour. Neither kind alone shows all of these well, which is why a good written paper mixes the two.

Subjective questions include both short-answer and long-answer questions. The student writes the answer in their own words, so two students can answer the same question quite differently and both can still be right.

• Short-answer question: Write any two advantages of oral questions.
• Long-answer question: Explain, with examples, why practical examinations matter in school.

An objective answer is never long. The student marks one of the given answers or writes a word or two in a blank. Here are its four common forms, each with an example:

• True or false: 'Oral questions suit students in the lower classes.' (True / False)
• Multiple choice: What is another name for a subjective question? (a) essay-type (b) practical (c) oral (d) objective
• Matching: pair 'oral question' with 'answered by speaking' and 'practical question' with 'done in a laboratory'.
• Fill in the blank: Objective questions measure a student's power of ........ (Answer: recall)

Both are written questions, yet they differ in their nature, in how they are set and in how they are marked. The table sets out ten points of difference:

The table shows that each kind has its own strengths and weaknesses. A subjective question reveals whether a student can think independently, organise ideas and state a view, but two examiners may give the same answer script different marks. An objective question covers much of the course in a short time and gives dependable marks, but a lucky guess can sometimes score. Used together, each makes up for what the other lacks.

Young children cannot yet read a question and fully understand it. Even when they can, their ability to write has not developed. So they can be examined by asking questions aloud. A class one teacher might hold up a picture and ask, 'Which animal is this?', or ask, 'What is the name of your village?'. The same questions that would appear in a written test can be asked orally, and after hearing an answer the teacher can ask follow-up questions to check the child's achievement more closely.

Oral questions have these main advantages:

• There is no trouble of marking answer scripts.
• An examination held this way is economical.
• Extra follow-up questions can be asked to check what the student has achieved.
• It is useful for measuring a student's speaking, listening and power of expression.
• It develops the skill of expressing what one has understood by speaking, not only by writing.
• It builds the confidence and skill to put one's point clearly in front of others.

Some subjects have to be assessed through practical work, because oral and written questions cannot measure a student's skill in them. Practical examinations are held in science, computer science and vocational subjects. To test what students have learnt from their lessons, they are taken to a laboratory and asked to solve practical questions by doing the task.

For example, a science student can be given a battery, wires and a bulb and asked to build a circuit that lights the bulb. A computer science student can be asked to type a document and save it. A student may be able to write about a circuit perfectly well, and only a practical test shows whether they can actually build one.

Practical questions help students build practical skill alongside their theoretical knowledge. They help make students life-oriented, able to earn a livelihood, and practical in their approach.

No single kind is always the best. The right kind is chosen by looking at the students' age, their level and the subject, and in most cases a mix of two or three kinds gives the fullest picture of a student.