Supporting Assessment Design at Key Stage 3
Effective assessment questions
This section enables you to:
- understand the structure of Bloom’s Taxonomy;
- explore command words associated with different cognitive skill sets; and
- reflect on the implications of the taxonomy for assessment writing.
Bloom’s Taxonomy, thinking skills and assessment
Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework created by Benjamin Bloom to classify different levels of thinking skills needed for learning. The taxonomy has six levels, set out as a pyramid, with each representing a specific cognitive skill set. Watch the animation to find out more.
Reflection
- Do you use Bloom’s Taxonomy to help you write assessments or to focus your questions?
- Do your assessments reflect the hierarchy of this taxonomy?
- In light of the taxonomy, is there anything in your assessments you would like to adapt?
- Is there a uniform approach across your department or school in the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy?
- How useful do you find this?
Using command words effectively
This section sets out some of the command words typically associated with each skill level in Bloom's Taxonomy. Select a skill level to view:
- examples of command words that you can use to help design assessments, lesson plans and activities which target specific cognitive levels and promote deeper learning among your pupils; and
- sample questions and stems that illustrate the application of different command words, spanning from basic recall to higher-order thinking and creativity.
Remember
- How do you define …?
- Without looking at your notes, recall what happened when …
- List the main events that led to …
- Name the key characters in the story of …
- Identify the author's main argument in paragraph …
- Clearly state the steps for calculating mean, median and mode.
- Select the best summary of the passage from the options provided.
Understand
- Explain the main causes of … in your own words.
- Describe the key features of a …
- Briefly summarise the main events in chapter …
- How would you interpret the author's message in lines …?
- Paraphrase the following lines from the poem.
- Classify each of the following into categories based on …
- Compare the plots of story A and story B.
- Give three examples of literary devices used in the passage.
- Rewrite the following passage from the perspective of character X.
Apply
- Apply what you know about the characteristics of mammals, reptiles and amphibians to classify these animals.
- Use the timeline of events to determine the main causes of World War I.
- Demonstrate how to find the surface area of a triangular prism.
- Illustrate the process of photosynthesis in a diagram.
- Solve the following inequality.
- Implement the scientific method to design an experiment testing how sunlight affects plant growth.
- Show step by step how to convert grams to kilograms.
- Use the nutritional information to calculate the calories per serving.
Analyse
- Analyse the character's motivations and explain what these reveal about the theme.
- Break down the poem stanza by stanza and explain how each one contributes to the overall meaning.
- Differentiate between the key theories that attempt to explain plate tectonics.
- Compare and contrast how the authors of passage A and passage B develop their perspectives on technology.
- Categorise each battle from the Hundred Years' War based on the outcome and strategies used.
- Carefully examine the pattern in the data. What conclusions can you draw from any trends?
- Investigate how changing the slope in the equation affects the line in the graph.
- Based on the passage, infer how the author feels about deforestation. Include supporting evidence.
Evaluate
- Evaluate the author's argument and determine if the evidence is sufficient to support their claims.
- Judge which of the Scientific Revolution thinkers had the most influence on modern science and justify your selection.
- Critique the effectiveness of the experimental design by identifying any confounding variables.
- Assess the merits and limitations of using nuclear energy as a power source.
- Justify which of the three literary devices was most impactful in the passage using evidence.
- Defend which battle was the turning point of the American Revolutionary War with supporting reasons.
- Prioritise the steps for solving a quadratic equation and explain your ordering.
- Determine the most appropriate graph to visually represent the data in the table.
Create
- Create an original poem that uses personification to describe the seasons.
- Design a science experiment to test the effect of sunlight on plant growth.
- Generate ideas for reducing waste in the cafeteria and propose a plan.
- Plan a five-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting two characters from the novel.
- Produce a timeline of major events that led to the War of 1812.
- Invent a scene between two characters that is not in the original play.
- Compose a fictional story incorporating symbolism to represent key themes.
- Develop a model that illustrates the nitrogen cycle.
- Construct a flow chart showing the key steps in the water cycle.
- Imagine you are on the Titanic and write a diary entry depicting your experience.
See also Annexe 6: Command Words in Fair Access by Design: Guidance for awarding organisations on designing high-quality and inclusive qualifications (Qualifications Wales and CCEA Regulation, 2019).
The following can help you ensure you are using command words effectively:
- Use command words consistently and correctly to elicit the kind of answer required.
- Avoid using more than one command word in a sentence or question.
- Avoid words that prompt inadequate single-word answers.
- Use different command words to elicit different kinds of responses, not purely for the sake of variety.
You may also wish to share this resource with your pupils to help them understand a selection of command words:
Reflection
- Is there consistency in the use of command words across your department/school?
- Do you provide clear instructions and definitions for the command words used in your assessments to ensure pupils understand what is expected of them?
- Are you providing scaffolding or support for pupils to develop the skills necessary to meet the requirements of higher-level command words?
- Do you vary the command words you use in assessments to assess different levels of cognitive complexity and promote higher-order thinking?
- Do you review and reflect on the appropriateness of the command words used in previous assessments to inform your future assessment design?
- Are you providing pupils with opportunities for self-assessment or reflection on their ability to understand and respond to different command words?