Alignment of the English questions in foreign language tests with the themes and learning outcomes of the secondary education English curriculum and their distribution according to the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy

This study aims to determine the alignment of the 2021–2022 Foreign Language Test (YDT) English questions with the themes and outcomes specified in the 2018 secondary-level English curriculum, as well as their distribution according to the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RBT). Adopting a qualitative research paradigm, the study employs document analysis as its primary method. The data were analyzed through descriptive analysis. During the descriptive analysis process, conceptual frameworks were developed using the curriculum's themes and outcomes, as well as the RBT matrix. Each YDT English question was examined individually and correlated with the relevant themes, outcomes, and RBT categories. Reliability was ensured by achieving consensus among the researcher and field experts during the coding process. The findings reveal that the 2021 and 2022 YDT English questions are not evenly distributed across the themes; however, the most frequently and least frequently assessed themes were found to be consistent across all grade levels. The results also indicate that outcomes developed with a strong thematic focus were not adequately measured, while more generally stated outcomes were assessed more frequently. It was also observed that the questions predominantly clustered at lower levels of the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, with none positioned at higher cognitive levels.