Examination System

Setting and Pretesting

1.1 Selection of materials

Item writers are commissioned for the examinations, eg for the Grundbaustein (GBS) Deutsch examinations to select the materials from a wide range of sources, such as newspapers, magazines, books, brochures, advertisements and the media in general. There are detailed guidelines for the selection of materials, including the following:

• skills to be assessed

• linguistic complexity

• subject matter

• cultural considerations

• item types.

1.2 Test item writing

Item writers are either practising teachers, consultants, or members of university staff. They are commissioned to write both discrete items, complete components or entire examination papers with strict regard to the syllabus brochure and the standard test model existing for each examination subject. Further guidance to item writers is given in the form of written instructions. Wherever possible and indicated, items are also taken from an item bank.

The editing process takes place in meetings of test constructors under the supervision of the Chief Co-ordinating Examiner for German.

1.3 Pretesting

All examination papers are pretested. After editing, the items are put into pretests, which are administered in various educational institutes (in Germany mainly in Volkshochschule centres). Pretests are normally taken by some 200 candidates.

Pretests are returned, marked and analysed in order to provide statistical data on the discrimination and facility of each item. As a result of the feedback of statistical data to the groups of item writers and editors, individual items can be modified as necessary.

Marking

2.1 Process

All tests are marked centrally in the Examinations Office for the European Language Certificates (WBT) in Frankfurt. Both candidates' answers and examiners' marks are recorded on mark sheets, which can be processed by an optical mark reader (OMR). After a series of careful logical checks, these are relayed to EDP for results to be computed and detailed result sheets and certificates for candidates who receive a pass-mark to be printed.

Oral components involve either one (GBS) or two examiners interviewing candidates individually. Marks are also recorded on standardised OMR forms and sent to the Examinations Office for processing.

2.2 Training

Examiners and markers Markers are trained in advance of each examination season at sessions led by members of staff of the Examinations Office in co-operation with the Chief Co-ordinating Examiner for German. These sessions are held in Frankfurt and in many other parts of Europe.

For the oral components of the examinations, training videos of mock interviews are used. Examiners assess the candidates, and the marks they give are then compared with those given by experienced markers in order to standardise assessment.

2.3 Checking

For the Zertifikat Deutsch (ZD), random checks on the writing paper are carried out by a team of supervisors who meet in the Examinations Office in Frankfurt under the supervision of the Chief Co-ordinating Examiner for German. In cases of deviation from the original mark, careful and detailed feedback is given to the examiners who originally marked the script.

Results

Results, in the form of detailed results sheets for each candidate and certificates for those who have passed, are sent out within a few days (GBS) and a maximum of five weeks (ZD) after receipt of the OMR documents from the examination centres in more than ten European countries. The results are then sent to candidates. Grades awarded are:

Very Good (Sehr Gut); Good (Gut); Satisfactory (Befriedigend); Pass (Bestanden).

Candidates who fail can retake the examination in separate parts.
Candidates have a right to ask for duplicates of their results sheets and certificates for a period of ten years.

Security

Security is given high priority. Examination data are is carefully controlled and precautions are taken at each stage of the examination process. External printers must meet strict security requirements. Except for oral papers, which are sent to the examiners for preparation purposes, the sealed packages of examination documents can be opened only on the day of the examination.