Assessment and Feedback

Assessment in the English classroom

Assessment is not only the mark at the end of a test. Learners’ answers, spoken contributions and written work can all give a teacher information about what they can currently do.

Our curriculum includes checking understanding, monitoring progress, formative and summative assessment, feedback and error correction. The handout also considers the purposes and limitations of different test formats.

The emphasis is on using that information. A score or correction should help you identify something about the learning and decide whether to revisit language, change the support or move the work forward.

Formative and summative assessment

Formative assessment is used to inform teaching and learning while they are taking place. Summative assessment evaluates achievement at a particular point, such as the end of a unit or course.

The purpose matters as well as the format. A short quiz can produce a mark, but the responses can also help a teacher identify what the class needs next. Our training asks you to consider what an assessment is intended to show and how the results will be used.

Cambridge International describes assessment for learning as part of teaching that provides feedback to inform improvement and subsequent decisions. This is wider educational context for the assessment philosophy described in our curriculum.

Checking understanding during a lesson

The course handout asks trainees to pay attention to the whole class. A lesson can appear successful when a few confident learners answer quickly, while others have not understood the language or the task.

You consider how questions, monitoring and learners’ work can reveal differences in understanding. You also need to distinguish a language difficulty from a problem with the instructions or materials.

This connects assessment with lesson planning. The response you ask for should relate to what learners are meant to learn. It should give you useful information rather than merely confirm that an activity has been completed.

Assessing different English skills

Our testing material considers a range of evidence, including listening, speaking, reading, writing and project work. Trainees examine how the form of a task affects what it can show about a learner.

Recognising an answer from a selection is different from producing spoken or written language independently. A task can therefore be suitable for one purpose without providing a complete picture of a learner’s ability.

The speaking and writing training includes accuracy, fluency and communication. The listening and reading training considers comprehension and the demands of different tasks. Assessment needs to take account of these purposes rather than apply the same judgement to every piece of work.

You also consider whether the vocabulary and instructions in a test make the task accessible. Otherwise, a result may reflect confusion about what to do rather than the language knowledge the task was intended to assess.

Giving feedback and correcting errors

Our course asks trainees to consider what to correct, when to correct it and how the learner can use the response. Immediate correction during focused accuracy work and feedback after more open communication serve different purposes.

Spoken feedback needs to take account of the flow of an activity. Written feedback allows closer attention to the work, but still needs a clear focus. Marking everything does not automatically tell the learner which issue to work on first.

The handout includes teacher correction, self-correction and peer correction. You examine their suitability instead of treating any one of them as the answer to every difficulty.

Related work in grammar and pronunciation teaching develops the language knowledge needed to recognise a problem before deciding how to respond.

Using assessment to plan further learning

A result becomes more useful when it influences what happens next. Our material considers reviewing test responses, revisiting previous language and selecting further practice according to what learners still find difficult.

This connects with recycling language in vocabulary teaching. Learners may recognise an item during one lesson but need further opportunities before using it independently.

The course also considers homework as an extension of classroom learning. Its purpose, demands and relationship to subsequent lessons need attention, rather than treating homework as additional work to set regardless of the learners’ needs.

Feedback on your own teaching

Assessment and feedback apply to you as a trainee as well as to the pupils you may teach. Our programme includes feedback on preparation and teaching, together with reflection on what happened in a lesson.

The course material asks you to consider clarity, participation, use of time and the learners’ experience. You review the relationship between the lesson you planned and what learners were able to do.

This reflection can inform a change to an explanation, a resource or the support you provide. Our teaching practice page explains how observation, feedback and reflection form part of practical preparation.

How assessment fits into the Level 5 qualification

Assessment and Feedback is not the title of a standalone TQUK unit. This page brings together related parts of Essential TEFL’s curriculum and the qualification.

The Teaching English Grammar unit includes analysing learner errors and correction. The productive skills unit includes correcting written work, while the lesson planning unit includes self-appraisal and learner feedback. These connections inform the preparation for assessing and supporting pupils.

Your own qualification assessment is a separate matter. The TQUK Level 5 Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (RQF) is assessed through internally set and marked work, subject to external quality assurance. The specification requires all learning outcomes and assessment criteria to be met to achieve a pass.

Essential TEFL’s Level 5 programme includes written assignments as well as practical training. Understanding a subject and teaching it in practice do not remove the need to provide the required assessment evidence. Written work needs to address the task, including explanation, analysis or justification where required, rather than rely on a list of terms.

The qualification specification also requires academic referencing. Tutors explain the work and give feedback on what has been demonstrated and what still needs attention. See the full curriculum and TQUK’s official TEFL/TESOL information. Qualification reference: 601/5234/5.

Completing the course and responding to feedback

Feedback helps you identify progress, but it does not replace the completion requirements. Trainees need to complete the required training, teaching practice and assessments for their enrolled course.

Our course completion terms explain the distinction between the Standard course and TQUK Level 5. For Level 5, written work and any further evidence or amendments need to meet the applicable requirements before certification.

Speak to the team before booking about the assessment involved or any support you may need. Submission instructions, deadlines and any agreed arrangements should be followed as provided in writing.

Questions about assessment and feedback

Will I learn how to assess my own English learners?

Yes. The curriculum includes checking understanding, monitoring progress, assessment methods, error correction and feedback. Trainees consider what evidence a task provides and how to use it to inform teaching.

Is feedback the same as giving a grade?

No. Feedback can explain strengths, difficulties and what to work on next. A grade or score records an assessment judgement but does not, by itself, provide that explanation.

Will I receive the Level 5 certificate automatically after classroom training?

No. Certification depends on meeting the required training and assessment requirements. Written assignments, amendments or further evidence may remain to be completed after classroom training. Your assessor will explain any outstanding work.

Is this a separate assessment qualification?

No. This page describes assessment and feedback within Essential TEFL’s teacher training. It is not a separately sold course or a qualification for becoming a professional assessor.