Assessment in secondary school falls into two broad categories: formative assessment, which happens continuously during learning to guide what comes next, and summative assessment, which marks a defined point in time and produces a grade or judgement. Both serve important but different purposes, and understanding the distinction helps parents interpret what schools communicate about their child's progress.
What is formative assessment?
Formative assessment — sometimes called Assessment for Learning (AfL) — is any activity whose primary purpose is to help teachers and pupils understand what has been learned and what still needs work, in order to adjust teaching and study accordingly. The grade or mark, if one exists at all, is not the point: the feedback is.
Effective formative assessment activities include:
- Questioning in class — a teacher asking the whole class to show answers on mini whiteboards, or selecting individual pupils to explain their thinking, to check understanding in real time
- Marking and written feedback — comments in exercise books explaining what was done well and what to improve, often with a specific "target" for the student to address
- Exit tickets — a brief written task at the end of a lesson that pupils hand in, allowing the teacher to see whether the lesson's main idea has landed
- Peer and self-assessment — students marking each other's or their own work against criteria, a skill that builds metacognition (the ability to think about one's own thinking)
- Low-stakes class tests and quizzes — a ten-question quiz on last week's material that the teacher reviews but does not record in a mark book
The key feature of formative assessment is that it feeds directly into what happens next — a teacher who sees that most pupils answered a question incorrectly will revisit the topic rather than moving on.
What is summative assessment?
Summative assessment — sometimes called Assessment of Learning — measures what a pupil has achieved at a specific point in time and produces a record that is reported to others: a grade, a level, a mark, or a grade boundary.
Common examples of summative assessment in secondary school:
| Assessment | When used | What it produces |
|---|---|---|
| End-of-unit test | End of a topic within a term | A mark or grade for that unit |
| Internal mocks | November/March of Years 10–11 | Predicted grades, revision feedback |
| End-of-year examinations | June/July | Year grade, used for setting or progress data |
| Public examinations (GCSE, A-level) | End of Year 11/13 | Nationally recognised qualification grade |
| Teacher-assessed NEA or coursework | Submitted during the course | A component grade towards the final qualification |
Summative assessment is typically how parents receive formal progress information: the grade on a report, the mock result, and ultimately the GCSE or A-level grade are all summative.
Why do both types of assessment matter?
A school that relies only on summative assessments provides pupils with too little feedback too infrequently — a student might go an entire half-term without knowing whether their understanding of a topic is sound or flawed, only to discover the problem when a test comes back with a low mark. Summative assessments alone tell students what the score was; they often do not clearly tell them why or what to do about it.
Research published by the Education Endowment Foundation shows that high-quality formative assessment is among the most cost-effective ways to accelerate pupil progress. The 2011 review by Black and Wiliam, which coined the term Assessment for Learning, found effect sizes comparable to expensive school reform programmes — achieved simply through better use of feedback and questioning in ordinary lessons.
Equally, summative assessment matters because it creates accountability and motivation. Knowing that an end-of-unit test is coming encourages consolidation of knowledge in a way that ongoing classwork alone may not. Mocks serve as a rehearsal for the high-stakes examination and give pupils honest feedback about where they stand.
How can parents use this knowledge practically?
When reading a school report or a mark, parents can ask two different questions depending on the context:
- For formative feedback: what has the teacher told my child to improve, and has my child acted on it? Look at the written comments alongside any grade. A low mark with no actionable feedback is of limited use.
- For summative results: how does this performance compare to expectations? Ask whether the mock grade is in line with what the teacher expects, or whether there is a significant gap — and if so, what the plan is to close it.
Parents can also support formative learning at home by asking their child not just "what did you learn today?" but "what did you find difficult?" and "what did your teacher say about your work?" These questions prompt the metacognitive reflection that high-quality formative assessment is designed to develop.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between formative and diagnostic assessment?
Diagnostic assessment is a specific type of formative assessment used at the start of a topic or unit to identify what pupils already know and where their existing misconceptions lie. A teacher who gives a short quiz at the start of a new unit — before any teaching — is using diagnostic assessment. The results shape how much time to spend on different parts of the topic. It is formative in purpose because it informs future teaching, but it is specifically focused on the baseline rather than ongoing progress.
Do grades in formative assessments appear on school reports?
This depends on the school. Some schools include all marks in a report to give a comprehensive picture; others report only summative grades. What matters for a parent reading a report is whether the marks shown reflect high-stakes formal assessments or the natural fluctuations of ongoing class work. If a report grade seems unexpectedly low, it is worth asking whether it reflects a major assessment or a series of smaller formative tasks.
What is AfL and why do teachers mention it?
AfL stands for Assessment for Learning, a term introduced by Dylan Wiliam and Paul Black whose research in the late 1990s and early 2000s demonstrated the power of formative feedback. AfL has become the dominant framework for formative assessment in UK schools. When teachers or school improvement plans mention AfL, they are referring to the structured use of questioning, feedback, peer and self-assessment, and sharing learning objectives with pupils — all aimed at making the learning process more transparent and responsive.
How do mock exams relate to formative and summative assessment?
Mocks sit in an interesting middle position. They are summative in format — a timed, invigilated paper producing a grade — but many schools use them primarily for formative purposes: to identify which topics need more revision, which question types a student struggles with, and how well examination technique has developed. The most valuable mock feedback is not the grade alone but the detailed breakdown of where marks were lost and the teacher's advice on what to prioritise before the real exam.
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