Formative assessment and feedback in English lessons
Formative assessment is simply finding out, during teaching, what children have understood, and changing what you do next. Done well it is one of the best-evidenced things a teacher can do. It does not need more marking. It usually needs less.
The evidence in 60 seconds
- Feedback
- +6 months' progress on average, very low cost, extensive evidence (EEF Toolkit). Studies of verbal feedback show slightly higher impact, around +7 months.
- Works best when
- It is specific about how to improve, and focuses on the task, the subject or the child's strategies, not on the child as a person.
- Caution
- The EEF warns that poorly done feedback can harm progress, and that written marking costs a lot of teacher time.
What formative assessment is
Summative assessment tells you where a child ended up: an end-of-unit test, a Cambridge exam. Formative assessment happens during learning so you can act on it: a show of mini whiteboards, a hinge question, a quick conversation. The test is not the tool, it is what you do with the answers.
Barak Rosenshine's well-known summary of research on effective teaching puts it simply: ask a large number of questions, check the responses of all students, and aim for a high success rate. He suggests that around 80% correct during practice is a good sign that children are learning and still challenged.
What the evidence says
The EEF's guidance report on teacher feedback (2021) moves away from arguing about written versus verbal feedback and focuses on principles. Its first three recommendations are:
- Lay the foundations with high-quality teaching that includes checking for understanding. Feedback cannot fix an unclear explanation.
- Time it well and focus it on moving learning forward. It can work during, straight after, or some time after a task.
- Plan for how pupils will use it. Feedback that is not acted on is wasted.
The Toolkit adds that feedback should also be given when things are correct, not only when they are wrong, and that it can come from peers as well as teachers.
Checking every child, not just the hands up
- Mini whiteboards. Everyone writes, everyone shows on "3, 2, 1, show me". Paper in a plastic sleeve works too.
- Hinge questions. One multiple-choice question at the key point of the lesson, with wrong answers that reveal common mistakes. Fingers show A, B, C or D.
- No hands up. Ask, pause, then choose a name. Everyone has to think.
- Say it to your partner first. Then listen to three pairs.
- Exit tickets. One question at the end on a slip of paper. Sort into three piles: got it, nearly, not yet. That is tomorrow's plan.
Feedback that moves learning on
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| "Good work!" | "You used 'because' twice to give reasons. Add one more reason to your last sentence." |
| "Check your spelling." | "Two words in line 3 need 'ai'. Find and fix them." |
| "You're so clever." | "Reading it aloud to yourself helped you find that mistake. Do that every time." |
| Correcting every error in red | Mark one pattern, explain it once to the class, and give five minutes to fix it. |
Less marking, more feedback
- Whole-class feedback. Read the books, note common strengths and errors on one sheet, and spend ten minutes the next lesson teaching those.
- Live marking. Walk the room with a pen while they write, and give feedback in the moment.
- Codes, not comments. "Sp" for spelling, "?" for unclear, a star for a target met. Children fix what is coded.
- Peer checks against a model, with two specific things to look for.
- Green-pen time. Build in time at the start of the next lesson to act on feedback.
Try it tomorrow: a lesson with three checkpoints
Use your normal lesson, and add three moments where every child shows you their thinking. Topic example: "has got / hasn't got" at A1.
| When | Checkpoint | What you do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Start (5 min) | Whiteboards: "Write one thing you have got in your bag." | See who already uses "I have got". Skip or slow the explanation. |
| Middle (2 min) | Hinge question: "She ___ got a dog." A) have B) has C) is. Fingers up. | Mostly B: move on. Many A: reteach with two more examples, then ask again. |
| End (5 min) | Exit ticket: "Write two sentences about a friend: one has got, one hasn't got." | Sort into three piles. Start tomorrow with a 5-minute group for the "not yet" pile. |
Free exit ticket picker
Pick a type, then show the prompt on the board
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?
Formative assessment happens during learning so the teacher can adjust teaching; summative assessment measures what was learned at the end.
How much progress does feedback add?
The EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit estimates an average of six months' additional progress, based on extensive evidence.
Is verbal feedback as good as written marking?
Studies of verbal feedback show slightly higher average impact in the EEF Toolkit. Written marking can help but costs more time.
What is a hinge question?
A quick multiple-choice question at a key point in the lesson, designed so the wrong answers reveal specific misunderstandings.
What success rate should I aim for in practice?
Rosenshine's summary of the research suggests about 80% correct during practice: children are learning and still challenged.
See every child's progress at a glance
Our free Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 programmes include assessment points every few weeks. Litlings turns them into a class tracker, free for up to 40 pupils.
Try Litlings freeRelated
- Feedback (EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit)
- Teacher Feedback to Improve Pupil Learning (EEF guidance report, 2021)
- Principles of Instruction (Barak Rosenshine, American Educator, 2012, PDF)
- Metacognition and self-regulation (EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit)