| Related Links: A Brief Introduction A Spoken English ExaM (SEEM) A Written English ExaM (WEEM) Specifying SEEM and WEEM Exam Grading and Security Software Public Domain notice |
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Article summary: As an adjunct to the SEEM exam, supplementary sections would be made available. In many fields of employment, specialized vocabularies are required. These supplements will test both fluency in spoken English and specific knowledge within that specialized field. The supplementary sections give the employer much needed information regarding the prospective employee. Many prospective employees may be knowledgeable in a certain field and possess a good vocabulary in their native language. However, that does not tell the employer that the prospective employee will be able to communicate equally well to English-speaking clients. The supplementary SEEM sections give the employer that much-needed information. |
Purpose of the supplementary SEEM sections
The supplementary sections test English vocabulary used in specialized fields. Supplementary sections could include a wide range of vocabularies used in fields of business, technology, hospitality and travel, medicine, legal services, sales, and many others.
In this example, we describe a Computer Technology section. An applicant applying for a telephone-based software support position would undoubtedly be required to complete this supplementary section.
Supplementary SEEM section format
The supplementary SEEM sections are tested in much the same way as Section I. The primary difference is that a key word is used rather than a picture. The key word always comes from the specialized field.
This section of SEEM has the added advantage that not only is it testing the examinee's spoken English ability, but it is also testing knowledge and English vocabulary in a specialized field.
However, though graders would be certified to grade in each supplementary section, very precise answers are not required. It is sufficient if the answer generally follows the thought given in the definition of the key word. Grading for this component is either 0 or +4.
As we did for Section I in the main exam, we will demonstrate the supplementary SEEM exam with a grading example. In this case, our examinee is J.N. Rajah, and he is testing in the Computer Technology section.
Study Mode
This section also has a study mode. Also, like Sections I - III, the study mode is not available during the exam. In the study mode, J.N. can look at a large vocabulary list. (The Computer Technology section will probably have one of the largest vocabulary lists of any supplementary SEEM section.) Each entry from A through Z carries a unique identification number.
When J.N. was studying, he knew that the definitions he would need to know for the Computer Technology section would be no more technical than those included in the study list. He also knew that he would not be asked for definitions which were not shown. While studying, he saw these entries in alphabetical order:
| IOS #253 |
IOS (Input/Output Supervisor) is a Microsoft Windows program that supervises the interaction between file system requests and events and input/output device drivers. |
| ionizing radiation #254 |
Ionizing radiation, also (imprecisely) called radioactivity, is electromagnetic (EM) radiation whose waves contain energy sufficient to overcome the binding energy of electrons in atoms or molecules, thus creating ions. The wavelength is shorter than that of ultraviolet (UV). |
| Internet Protocol #255 |
The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method or protocol by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet. Each computer (known as a host) on the Internet has at least one IP address that uniquely distinguishes it from all other computers on the Internet. |
| IP address #256 |
An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a 32-bit number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packets across the Internet. When an HTML page is requested or an e-mail is sent, the Internet Protocol includes the IP address in the message and sends it to the IP address requested. The recipient can see the IP address of the webpage requestor and can respond by sending another message using the IP address it received. |
| IP core #257 |
An IP (intellectual property) core is a block of logic or data that is used in making a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for a product. |
Exam Mode
J.N. has finished the first sections of SEEM. He is now working on the Computer Technology section. He has completed the first 3 questions and has just clicked NEXT to move to Question 4. The program randomly selects four terms. This is what he sees on his monitor:
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taskbar |
IP address |
data integration |
GARP |
Just as he was able to select a specific picture in the earlier sections of SEEM, he can select one of four terms which randomly appear in this specialty section for each question. After deciding to describe IP address, definition #256, J.N. double clicks on that term.
His monitor changes to the active mode shown below:
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taskbar |
IP address |
data integration
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GARP |
J.N. then records his response saying:
"The IP address is the number identifies the sender or receiver when a email is sent or a website page is requested. The IP address sends the answer back to the computer that sent it."
J.N. records as many responses from the Computer Technology section as possible in the time he is allotted.
The grader's job
Ms. Hopkins is grading J.N.'s exam because, in addition to being certified to grade the general categories of the SEEM exam, she is also certified to grade the Computer Technology section.
As with the previous sections, when she clicks NEXT after finishing Question 3, the following grading sheet appears on her monitor:
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| IP address #256 |
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| Response defines key word = +4 Does not define = 0, Defines = 4 | ||||
| Each verb = +1 | ||||
| Incorrect person/tense = -1 | ||||
| All correct = +5 | ||||
| Pronunciation: | Unsatisfactory = 0, Satisfactory = 4, Excellent = 8 | |||
| Comments: | ||||
| Total score | ||||
Ms. Hopkins listens to the recording but cannot understand all that J.N. said. He uses a rapid, clipped English which is heavily accented. She needs to listen to the recording a total of three times before she is certain she understands each word. J.N. will get good scores in the person/tense and Response defines key word categories. However, his grade will be low — as it has been throughout the entire exam — because of his poor pronunciation.
For the sake of technical accuracy, Ms. Hopkins compares J.N.'s answer to the definition given in the score sheet. Now that she understands the exact words, she can play the recording again to check it against the definition. The need to listen to the recording multiple times in order to verify accuracy of the definition does not count against the examinee.
We will mark J.N.'s response so that you can see the basis of the grade he will be given.
"The IP address is the number identifies the sender or receiver when a email is sent or a website page is requested. [6 verbs with correct person/tense, the word THAT is missing, should be AN email] The IP address sends the answer back to the computer that sent it. [2 verbs with correct person/tense]"
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| IP address #256 |
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| Response defines key word = +4 Does not define = 0, Defines = 4 | 4 | |||
| Each verb = +1 | 8 | |||
| Incorrect person/tense = -1 | 0 | |||
| All correct = +5 | 0 | |||
| Pronunciation: | Unsatisfactory = 0, Satisfactory = 4, Excellent = 8 | 0 | ||
| Comments: | the number THAT identifies --- AN email, not A email | |||
| Total score | 12 | |||
Benefit of the supplementary SEEM sections to prospective employers
In a typical interview conducted in non-English-speaking countries, an employer is able to determine the prospective employee's degree of knowledge in almost any field of expertise through either the interview process or by verifying academic degrees. However, the mere fact that the prospective employee is fully competent in a technical field does not mean that he or she has a good vocabulary for that field in English. Therefore, the employer must use an outside testing agency to evaluate the prospective employee's English fluency in that field. This supplementary SEEM exam will give both the international employer and an American company specifying language proficiency for a particular job being contracted overseas, the ability to measure the prospective employee's English ability. Using the two SEEM exams, an American company could require minimum grades for both exams. A minimum English fluency grade could be required for the SEEM exam, and a second (possibly higher) grade could be required for the supplementary SEEM exam in a specific field. In some cases, it is possible that more than one supplementary SEEM exam may be required. For example, a prospective employee may be given both a Computer Technology section and a Sales section for employment in an English computer sales job. The WEEM exam would be identical to the supplementary SEEM exam with the exception that the examinee would write the answer rather than record it. All supplementary vocabulary exams would be developed in both SEEM and WEEM formats.Public Domain notice: All descriptions of SEEM and WEEM are freely given without either stated or implied copyright protection. Spoken Language International does not have the financial means to develop or administer a spoken or written English exam. However, it would be to Spoken Language International's advantage that such exams be extensively used because of the demand it would place on our Spoken English Learned Quickly language study course. Thus, we present the SEEM and WEEM exams on this website with the hope that another institution will further develop and market them under any name. We relinquish any claim for remuneration of any kind as a result of another institution using this material for their own profit. Future publication of this material would carry the full copyright protection of the publisher and will then be subject to full enforcement of that copyright protection.