This is a practical guide to designing and using oral tests of language
ability. It is for teachers, testers, course designers and educational
planners. The organisation follows the sequence of stages in which a new
testing programme would logically be carried out. It takes the reader
through the testing process, giving practical examples and discussing
the issues involved at each stage. Testing Spoken Language removes
testing from the realm of the specialist and presents it as an integral
part of a language learning programme. It describes the range of
test-types and discusses their suitability for different aims and
resources; lists over fifty oral test techniques and variations, with
comments on each; integrates the marking system into the process of test
design; and provides suggestions for monitoring and improving a test
once it is in use.