TISUS - Test in Swedish for University Studies

Setting and Pretesting

1.1 Selection of materials

The test constructors select authentic materials from a variety of sources which include general academic literature (course books), newspaper articles, scientific magazines, diagrams, maps, encyclopedias etc.

1.2 Test item writing

Item writing and construction is carried out by the test construction group which consists of practising teachers of Swedish as a Second/Foreign Language. An advisory board scrutinize the different items before pre-testing takes place

1.3 Pretesting

The reading components are pretested on about 200 students from the target group. In addition to that the reading component is administered to Swedish L1 students as a comparison. Each item is subsequently analysed in order to provide statistics on discrimination and difficulty before being added to the test bank to be used again. Some texts serve as anchor texts, when trying out new reading tests

Prompts for the oral and written parts are also tried out and marked by the members of the advisory board. Graded sample texts along with comments and checklists are sent out to the various test centers.

Marking

2.1 Process

Objective tests are marked clerically. The oral and written parts are marked by two or (if needed) three teachers functioning as Assessors. During the oral component, teachers take turns functioning as interlocutor/assessor.

2.2 Training

Once a year representatives from all seven universities/colleges participate in training sessions and discussions about assessment of oral and written production.

2.3 Checking

The Oral Assessors work in pairs taking turns to act as Interlocutor/Assessor. Grades are reported and printed out after each examination round for all the Assessors to see and check on how their individual assessment matches with that of the others.

Results

There are two grades: Pass and Fail. Candidates who pass receive, within ten days, a certificate of eligibility. A candidate who fails one component can try that part again within a year.

Security

The test bank is kept under security regulations.

Tisus is recognised by all the universities in Sweden as a statement of eligibility regarding Swedish language proficiency. It is an examination at advanced level (approximatively C 1) and designed according to the expressed needs of students and university teachers.

At present there are three components. A fourth component, LISTENING is under construction.

Reading (75 min)

Candidates are presented with 5 – 7 texts of various length and text type, testing different kinds of reading strategies and levels of comprehension. The questions require understanding of vocabulary, context and overall content.

Writing (150 min)

Candidates are required to produce one long text prompted by diagrams and short texts and divided into two sections,. Section I is a short summary written in impersonal style, section II is in the form of a personal statement. Students are asked to discuss, argue, describe or compare issues raised in the texts. Guidelines are given, e.g. purpose, genre and recipient. Total length of expected output is about 400 words.

Speaking (30 min)

2 – 3 candidates are tested at a time by two teachers, one teacher acting as Interlocutor and the other as Assessor. Candidates begin by introducing themselves as they would in a real life interview. The interaction which follows is based on one out of three current topics which the candidates have had ten days to prepare for. The topic actually chosen is the result of negotiation between the candidates or the candidates and the interlocutor. If necessary, probing questions are asked by the Interlocutor in order to elicit descriptions, arguments, hypotheses and analyses. The use of communicative strategies is regarded as an important part of the interaction.

Weighting of components

Each component is equally weighted ie:
Reading 33 1/3 %
Writing 33 1/3 %
Speaking 33 1/3 %

If a candidate fails one component it is possible to sit that part of the examination again within a period of one year.

Results

There are two grades: Pass (Godkänd) and Fail (Underkänd). Successful candidates are awarded certificates. Candidates who fail the oral/written component may discuss their performance with an assessor.