Kazakh language knowledge level
assessment system - KAZTEST

State standards of the Republic of Kazakhstan c RK 1926-2009 “Communicative language competence in Kazakh Language. Elementary level. The general knowledge”, c RK 1928-2009 “Communicative language competence in Kazakh language. Pre-intermediate level. The general knowledge”, c RK 1925-2009. “Communicative language competence of Kazakh language Intermediate level. The general knowledge”, c RK1925-2009 “Communicative language competence in Kazakh Language. Upper-intermediate level. The general knowledge”, c RK 1927-2009“Communicative language competence of Kazakh language Advanced level. The general knowledge” developed by the National Academy of Education named after I. Altynsarin of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and included by the National testing centre of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Approved and put into effect by order №647-OD of the committee on technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan from 30 December 2009.

In the state standards the norms of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan (7 article); of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan №151 “About languages in the Republic of Kazakhstan” from 11 July 1997; of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan № 603-II “On technical regulation” from 9 November 2004; of the State programme on functioning and development of languages for 2001-2010 years approved by the President’s resolution №550 of 7 February 2001, the Conception of implementation and development of the KAZTEST system approved by the resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan №835 from 11 September 2008.

The state standards maybe fully or partially reproduced, circulated and distributed as the official edition without permission of the Committee on technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Nowadays the real way to expand the social function of the Kazakh language, to increase its value, necessity and full development is the effective implementation of language training, definition of the requirements to the quality of training, organization of the process of self-education of language users and continuous monitoring of the results. As language learning based on training by levels is achieved on stages, each level in accordance with the final goal requires a certain level of communicative competences of the language user.

Evaluation and determination of the level of development of communicative competences make it possible to determine the level of formation and development of linguistic identity. Assessment of the results of training is made after the completion of courses of each level. Competence of knowing the Kazakh language at communicative level is a key component of forming a model of linguistic identity.

Kazakh assessment of language knowledge determines knowledge of the Kazakh Language according to the six levels. Levels of knowledge of the Kazakh language are compared with the European levels of language proficiency in the following form:

The basis of measurement of language knowledge in teaching the Kazakh language is oral and written usage of language units in all spheres and situations. The aim of assessment of language proficiency is to determine the level of acquisition of the system of written and spoken language learning, the system of pronunciation, use of endings performing communicative tasks, word formation, understanding of all types of interrogative expressions and different types of sentences, ability to use direct and figurative meanings of words, ability to use language units for expressing purposes and thoughts, ability to write and speak. Lexical-grammatical units and the stock of material used for provision of the units are the basis for evaluation of understanding, knowing and using the listened and read information, ability to write and speak correctly. To form linguistic identity, in linguistics the following types of speech activity are used: listening, lexis-grammar, reading, writing and speaking. Teaching and assessing knowledge of the Kazakh language are aimed at determination of the level of usage of spoken, written speech, use of language in official and unofficial communication with the aim to express complicated way of language user’s thinking as well as in the process of written communication.