<B>By Shardha SANDAPEN</B>

At this time of the third term, most of us are busy preparing the end-of-year examinations, and setting question papers is not at all an easy task for teachers. To construct a question paper that provides a valid, reliable and satisfying experience for both teachers and students, certain principles and procedures must be followed.

The first step in the preparation of a question paper or test is decision-making. At this stage of the process, teachers have to decide which type of test they want to give and why.

Thus, the objectives of the test should be clear in our mind. We should know exactly why this test is being carried out. Is it to test knowledge or comprehension or application of skills? Is it to diagnose errors for remedial actions to be taken? Is it to compare learners? performances? Is it to give feedback to students, parents or schools administrators about learners? performances?

Once we have decided on our objectives, we can start planning the test. To begin with, we can prepare a test plan, which will enable us to find out how effectively our students have mastered the learning objectives, and provide us with feedback about their progress. Later, it will also be useful for self-evaluation. The test plan will enhance the validity of our question paper or test.

The next step is to write a blueprint or table of specifications. The blueprint will guide us while constructing the test. It will also help us to verify if the test has covered the topics/ themes/ components taught and which part if any, has been excluded, general information about how test questions are constructed. We will also be able to make a listing of the various objectives taught and the different levels of understanding to be assessed with the table of specifications.

These levels of understanding can correspond to Bloom?s Taxonomy of educational objectives, which are as follows:

● Knowledge (recalling information): The lowest level of objectives in Bloom?s hierarchy, knowledge refers to objectives such as memorisation of facts or formulas, principles, or definitions.

● Comprehension (Translating, interpreting, or extrapolating information): Comprehension objectives require that learners show an understanding of information as well as the ability to use it. Examples are interpreting the meaning of a diagram, graph, or parable; inferring the principles underlying a science experiment; and predicting what might happen next in a story or novel.

● Application (using principles or abstractions to solve novel or real-life problems): Application objectives require students to use knowledge or principles to solve practical problems. Examples include using geometric principles to work out topics, such as, volume in Mathematics, or writing the summary question in English Language.

● Analysis (breaking down complex information or ideas into simpler parts to understand how the parts relate or are organised): Analysis objectives involve having learners see the underlying structure of complex information or ideas, for example, asking students to make a critical analysis of the plot, characters or themes in a novel or play.

● Synthesis (creation of something that did not exist before): Synthesis objectives involve using skills to create completely new products, for example, writing a composition or designing a science experiment.

● Evaluation (judging something against a given standard): Evaluation objectives require making value judgments against some criterion or standard, for example, asking students to compare the strengths and weaknesses of two home computers in terms of flexibility, power and available software in a Data Response question.

The primary importance of Bloom?s Taxonomy is that it reminds us that we want our students to have many levels of skills. All too often, teachers focus on measurable knowledge and comprehension objectives and forget that students cannot be considered proficient in many skills until they can apply or synthesise the skills. On the other hand, others fail to make certain that students are well rooted in the basics before heading off into higher order objectives.

Finally a marking scheme or plan which shows all the detailed solutions to all the questions set in a test or examination paper must be prepared. It will reveal the necessary arguments together with the marks allocated to each question set in the test or examination paper.