Introduction
Steering Committee for the Test Of Proficiency-Huayu (SC-TOP) now presents Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language: Speaking (TOCFL Speaking), a communication-oriented test which assesses Chinese learners’ non-academic speaking ability. The test materials are based on authentic situations which are close to everyday life. The purpose of the test is to evaluate test takers’ ability to effectively express themselves by speaking in assorted situations.
Target Test Taker
The TOCFL Speaking test is a foreign/second language speaking test designed especially for non-native speakers of Chinese. Those who wish to measure their Chinese speaking ability or to study or work in Chinese-speaking areas are all welcome to take the test. Test takers can evaluate their Chinese speaking skills via the test and identify their strength and weaknesses for further improvement.
Scoring
The TOCFL Speaking test adopts the holistic scoring approach, taking into account the content, fluency, and language skills. The results are presented in the form of scale scores. The objective is mainly to assess the competence of the test takers to effectively accomplish the communication tasks verbally in different language contexts.
Test Levels
The TOCFL Speaking test has three proficiency bands: Band A, Band B, and Band C. Each of the bands has two levels. Therefore, there are a total of six levels: Levels 1 to 6. Test takers can choose the test levels best suited to them based on their oral proficiency levels.
Item Types
The TOCFL Speaking test at Band A consists of three sections. The first section has two warm-up items. The second section has four test items in the task type of Answering Questions. The third section includes four test items arranged in two task types: Describing Experiences and Describing a Video Clip. The TOCFL Speaking test at Band B consists of two sections. The first section has two warm-up items. The second section includes six test items arranged in three task types: Describing Experiences, Describing a Picture and Stating Opinions. The TOCFL Speaking test at Band C consists of three sections. The first section has one Stating Opinions item. The second section includes three test items arranged in two task types: Role Playing and Responding to Viewpoints. The third section includes three test items arranged in two task types: Summarizing Articles and Expounding Viewpoints.
(Source:Steering Committee for the Test Of Proficiency-Huayu)
