Testing & Evaluation Systems of the English Paper at the College of Social Sciences and Law in Kuwait University

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Head of the English Unit College of Social Sciences Law Kuwait University- Kuwait

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the testing and evaluation procedures applied to English language tests at the College of Social Sciences and Law of Kuwait University. The research sheds light on the positive and negative sides of this process. For the purpose of conducting this study, the researcher collected the necessary data from a specimen of 100 exams answer booklets taken from the Exams Department at the College. These materials have been extracted randomly from the final exams of the academic years 2010 through 2012. After scrutinizing the components of the exam booklets of the English language test, the researcher analyzed the results, and classified them into categories according to Bloom's classification. It has been shown that the types of questions applied have many objectives, some of which are completion, summative and performance tests. The evaluation process has also occupied a considerable space of this study. The researcher described evaluation, its purposes and types. The researcher –through this study – confirms that evaluation does not aim at fault finding, but it rather focuses on a systematic measurement of tasks specified for gauging students' competence and progress in the learning process of English language at large.