What type of test is used to judge the students’ language expression ability…

Educational assessment tools differ in the kind of response they require from a student, and this determines what the tool can actually measure. A fixed-response format (matching, true/false, multiple choice) restricts the student to selecting among given options, so it mainly measures recognition and recall. A free-response format that requires the student to compose an extended piece of writing on their own, by contrast, also reveals how the student expresses ideas in language and organizes those ideas into a coherent structure, because the student must independently plan, sequence, and word the response.

Among the four given test types, only the essay-type test asks the student to produce an extended, self-composed written response to a prompt. To answer well, the student must decide what points to include, in what order, and how to phrase them — this is what lets an examiner judge language expression (vocabulary, sentence construction, fluency) together with organizational skill (logical sequencing, coherence, structuring of ideas) in a single response.

• Objective type test — presents fixed alternatives such as multiple-choice, true/false, or matching items; the student only selects an option, so the format tests recognition of facts rather than the student’s own composition of language or structure.

• Short answer type test — requires a brief factual or definitional response of a phrase or a few sentences; the short length leaves little room for extended organizational planning.

• Oral test — assesses responses spoken in real time; it can reveal speaking fluency but produces no written composition through which written-language expression and structural organization can be evaluated.

Because only the essay format requires the student to independently construct and organize an extended written response, the essay-type test is the correct choice.