Read-aloud

There are two kinds of read-aloud questions:

• Read-aloud (pronunciation): test taker reads a short text

• Read-aloud (pronunciation+fluency): test taker reads a longer text

Read-aloud (pronunciation)

Read aloud (pronunciation) questions are perfect for testing just pronunciation on short utterances, such as a simple word or simple sentences up to 1024 characters. As an example, you can test if the candidate can pronounce the word "apple" correctly.

Read-aloud (pronunciation+fluency)

Read-aloud (pronunciation+fluency) questions are perfect for testing both pronunciation and fluency. They're perfect for testing how well test takers — say, candidates for a customer service role — can speak pre-defined, longer passages.

Interface difference

Both types have the same interface on the test-administrator side. They only differ in scope of test (see above).

Getting started

To get started, do the following:

• Select the appropriate question type for your question to display the associated configuration panel

• Type the instructions for the test taker either in the Question field on the left or the Instruction field on the right. For Read-aloud, this normally amounts to no more than simply directing the test taker to read the attached text.

Configuration panel

The configuration panel for the Read-aloud question types is composed of the following elements:

Instruction field

In this field, you issue the instructions to the test taker.

Ask the test taker to read the text on display, which you specify in the (mandatory) "Text to be read aloud" field (below).

Cue cards upload field

The "Cue cards" field is optional, but it allows you to provide additional context to the test taker by uploading a (single) cue card image.

You can upload a photo/illustration, or a screenshot of text with more context.

For example, if you're trying to assess the pronunciation of the word "apple", you might get the test taker to read some text about apples. Along with the text, you could show a cue card that's a picture of an apple, or a cue card that explains more what the test taker is reading.

Text to be read aloud field

The Read-aloud questions test the pronunciation of single words or short bits of text (pronunciation only) or longer passages (pronunciation+fluency) up to 1024 characters.

Type the word, sentence, or longer passage into the "Text to be read aloud" field at the bottom of the configuration panel.

For example, if you're testing the pronunciation of the word "apple", you can simply write the word "apple":

You can also type a sentence that repeats the word, and select either Read-aloud (pronunciation ony) or Read-aloud (pronunciation+fluency) question type, whichever appropriate:

Or you can present the test taker with a longer passage like this poem to test both pronunciation and fluency:

What the test taker sees

If you don't upload any cue cards, this is what the text to be read aloud might look like to the test taker:

If you do upload a cue card (like a photo), it would appear to the test taker as follows: