An Analysis Of The E.S.T.U.D.A English Lexicology Test Paper 2004 Of Hebei Province

The Examination for Self-Taught University Diploma Applicants (E.S.T.U.D.A) plays a significant role in our country's educational system, which is developed on the basis of the specific situations of China and from the experience of the open universities in other countries. It started at the beginning of 1980s in our country and formed an examination system all over the country. It began in 1984 in Hebei Province and developed very rapidly since then. Unfortunately, since the examination system for self-taught students was set up, little research has been conducted on the general performance of the tests, and few people have made efforts to ascertain the quality of the testing items. Therefore it is necessary for educators to analyze the quality of the E.S.T.U.D.A test paper.This paper consists of six parts. In Introduction, the research background, motivation, objective and significance will be found. Chapter One presents the relevant theories concerning the English language testing and the features of E.S.T.U.D.A. Chapter Two shows the research design. In Chapter Three the writer analyzes the items of the paper one by one. The results show that there exist some problems in the E.S.T.U.D.A English Lexicology Test Paper 2004, which will hinder the reliability and validity of the tests. At the same time the author of this thesis puts forward some suggestions. Chapter Four gives some general comments on the test paper. Chapter Three and Four are the center of the study. Through the analysis the writer finds that the Lexicology Test Paper is far from the criteria of a good test: 1) some items made up of sentences are directly taken from the textbook; 2) the directions for each part of the test are not clear; 3) it fails to provide reliable measurement of the students' mastery of the practical knowledge of lexicology; 4) the reliability of subjective items needs to be improved. From the results the writer finds that the learners for the self-taught examination are more suitable to the subjective items than objective items. Finally is the...