Making good long-answer questions...

…for summative assessments.

Hello all. Welcome to the 109th edition of TEPS Weekly! 

Have you read a student’s long-answer response and thought, This isn’t what I was expecting at all! Chances are, the student felt the same way while writing it!

Long-answer (or essay-type) questions are common in Indian school exams, especially in summative assessments. But how often do we stop to ask: Are these questions really helping students think deeply and express what they’ve learnt?

It is important to begin with the learning outcome when creating assessments. Let's take an example of a learning outcome: Students will be able to explain the types, causes and effects of pollution. If you frame a question based on this learning outcome, it will help you assess if students can explain these specific aspects of pollution (types, causes and effects of pollution) and not any other aspects.

Let’s explore this further by comparing how two students – Hafiz and Vidya – might respond to two versions of a long-answer question.

• Long-answer question set by Hafiz’s teacher: Write about pollution.

• Long-answer question set by Vidya's teacher: Explain two types of pollution affecting your locality. For each, suggest one solution and explain why it would work. Write in about 150-200 words. (5 marks)

Both questions are on the same topic – pollution. But the way these questions will be seen by each student is going to be different.

For Hafiz, a question like ‘Write about pollution’ may be confusing. What exactly am I supposed to write? Should I explain the causes? Effects? Or types? How long should it be? Is there a specific point that I should focus on?

This kind of question offers too much freedom with very little direction, and ends up testing memory more than understanding.

For Vidya, a question like ‘Explain two types of pollution affecting your locality. For each, suggest one solution and explain why it would work. Write in about 150-200 words. (5 marks)’ tells her exactly what is expected from her. I have to write about 2 types of pollution that are affecting my locality. I have to suggest one solution for each and explain why it works. I have to write the answer in less than 200 words, but it should be more than 150 words.

Vidya thinks about her locality, analyses two types of pollution, suggests solutions and justifies them. She’s not just recalling facts, she’s applying them.

What makes Vidya’s question better?

The difference isn’t just in the length or language. It is in the design of the question. A good question should reduce the chances of getting an unexpected response and should increase the chances for the teacher to gauge if the student has understood and can apply their understanding.

So, what principles did Vidya follow while framing the question?

1) Aligned with the learning outcomes (LO)

The key principle of writing a good long-answer question is making sure that it is directly connected to what students are expected to learn. Teachers must check if the question matches the knowledge and skills they’ve stated in the learning outcome.

In the above example, the LO is: Students will be able to identify and explain the types, causes and effects of pollution.

Hafiz’s question is too broad. The response to this question from students could be aspects covered in the learning outcome, or they may be outside the learning outcome. So, for a teacher it becomes difficult to gauge whether a student has met the learning outcome or not.

Vidya’s question helps the teacher check if the student can identify types of pollution, link them to real-life situations (their locality), explain the cause and suggest possible solutions, and explain their reasoning for each solution. So, it is clearly aligned with the learning outcome.

Well-defined learning outcomes help in building focused questions. When each question is built on a clear outcome, assessment becomes easy and helps track students’ real progress. 

2) Focused on key concepts and core knowledge

An effective long-answer question should test key concepts and core knowledge, not trivial or unrelated facts.

The vague nature of Hafiz’s question may lead students to focus on their favourite parts of the topic, and they may miss out on some core areas. Some students might focus only on what the word pollution means, others on what a polluted environment looks like, and some may just repeat textbook content without depth.

Vidya’s question stays focused on pollution in the students’ locality.  It checks understanding of major themes, like types, causes and solutions, not just surface-level recall.

3) Focused on the application and integration of knowledge

Long-answer questions are good at testing higher-order thinking skills. So, an effective long-answer question should encourage students to apply what they’ve learnt in different contexts.

Hafiz’s question doesn’t demand application. It might allow students to simply list facts or definitions without deeper thinking.

Vidya’s question asks students to observe and think about their surroundings, which essentially means applying their learning to real-life pollution issues.

Teachers can use directive verbs like analyse, evaluate and justify to encourage higher-order thinking, rather than basic recall prompts like list, define or write.

4) Written in a clear and focused manner

Students often lose marks not because they don’t know the answer, but because the question confuses them. Good questions give students enough information to plan and respond effectively. 

Look at the following question: Elaborate on at least two predominant ecological contaminations prevalent in your village that may or may not be impacting your nearby area currently or before, and describe possible remedial steps that might help to overcome such problems, including reasons if applicable write in about 100-200 words

Do you think it is written in a clear and focused manner? Let’s check it.

While creating a long-answer question, teachers have to keep the following points in mind:

• Simple, clear and unambiguous language:

  • Use words that are easy for students to understand. 

  • Avoid technical or difficult terms.

  • The language shouldn’t be confusing or open to different meanings (unambiguous).

  • Ensure that there are no grammatical errors.

In the above question, 

• The words like ‘predominant’, ‘ecological contaminations’, and ‘remedial steps’ may be too complex for school students – difficult vocabulary

• Phrases such as ‘currently or before’ and ‘if applicable’ are unclear and make students unsure of what’s expected – ambiguous language

• There is no full stop after the word ‘if applicable’, which affects sentence structure and reading comprehension – grammatical error

• Negative wordings like no, not or least should be avoided as far as possible.

  • It makes students stop and think more about what not to write.

  • Students may misread the question, leading to wrong answers.

In the above question, phrases like ‘at least’ and  ‘may or may not’  introduce confusion and reduce clarity. 

• Free from extra or confusing details.

• Extra information is any detail in the question that is not directly needed to understand or answer what is being asked.

• The question should include only relevant information to help students understand and answer the question without confusion or overload.

Since the question mentions both the village and the nearby area, students may be confused about where to focus. 

• The context and content are fully elaborated within the question stem.

  • A question stem is the instruction or prompt given to students. It tells students the topic, the task and specific points to cover.

  • A fully elaborated question stem helps students clearly understand what is expected in their answer.

  • It includes boundaries like ‘Give two reasons’ or ‘Include examples', etc.

  • It mentions marks or weightage

  • It specifies the expected length of the response (word limit)

5)  Is free from bias, stereotypes or personal opinions

• Write the question in a way that doesn’t favour any group.

• Avoid stereotypes or generalisations about people, cultures or communities.

• Do not include your personal opinions or beliefs in the question.

• Ensure the question is fair and respectful to all students.

Look at this example: People living in slum areas often don’t manage waste properly, which leads to pollution. Explain two types of pollution caused by such communities and suggest what they should do to improve their environment. Write in about 150–200 words. (5 marks).

• The wording reinforces a stereotype that people in slums are responsible for pollution. 

• The question reflects a judgmental tone that aligns with common negative beliefs rather than neutral, fact-based information.

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Edition: 4.16