Developing Assessment Literacy

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Why is assessment literacy important?

Smith et al (2013) define assessment literacy as 'students’ understanding of the rules surrounding assessment in their course context, their use of assessment tasks to monitor or further their learning, and their ability to work with the guidelines on standards in their context to produce work of a predictable standard.' By understanding these assessment 'rules', students are able to take control of their learning and will be better equipped to meet expectations and improve their academic performance.

Being assessment-literate can also reduce stress and confusion around exams or assignments, making the process feel more fair and transparent. Ultimately, it empowers students to become a more confident, independent, and effective learners.

Prompts for critical thinking

How well do you think your students understand the assessment tasks and grading criteria they typically encounter?
Have you considered the impact of cultural background on how students interpret and respond to assessment tasks?
What strategies do you use to ensure that students engage with and learn from the feedback they receive?
How do you model critical assessment thinking for your students so they can become assessment-literate learners?
How can you include time for assessment literacy next time you are teaching?

Developing assessment literacy with students

Developing students’ assessment literacy involves intentional teaching strategies that help them understand assessment processes, criteria, and the role of feedback in learning. Below are some suggested strategies which can be implemented to support the development of assessment literacy with students:

1. Ensure assessment criteria are clear and transparent 2. Involve students in the assessment process

Where possible, involve students in co-constructing or discussing the learning outcomes for a course. This can increase their investment in the assessment process and improve their understanding of what is expected.
Co-create rubrics with students where appropriate to help them understand what quality work looks like. This can help to increase student agency as well as develop a learning community (Deeley and Bovill, 2017) around assessment and feedback.
Use exemplars (if appropriate) to show samples of previous work at different grade levels and discuss why they earned those marks.

3. Support feedback literacy

Help students interpret and use feedback, not just receive it (Race and Brown, 2025). Facilitate structured activities where students respond to feedback by setting goals or revising work.
Encourage dialogue around feedback to discuss common feedback themes in class or offer feedback clinics. Carless and Boud's Feedback Literacy Model (2018) provides a framework for understanding how students can develop the skills and attitudes needed to effectively engage with and utilise feedback to enhance their learning. They argue that feedback is not a one-way process (i.e., just from the tutor to the student), but rather a dynamic interaction in which students actively participate and make sense of the feedback in ways that contribute to their development.
You can read learn more about embedding meaningful feedback opportunities within the Role of Feedback section Link opens in a new windowof this toolkit.

4. Scaffold Assessment Tasks

Break larger assignments into stages (e.g., proposal, draft, final) with formative feedback embedded along the way.
Start with structured activities: checklists, guided rubrics, or report section starters.
Offer low-stakes or ungraded practice assessments to build confidence and understanding (Irons and Elkington, 2021) before summative graded tasks.

5. Encourage Reflective Practice 6. Provide Opportunities for Dialogue

Host assessment-focused tutorials, workshops, or drop-in sessions where students can ask questions about tasks, criteria, or feedback.

Use interactive technologies like quizzes or polling tools to test understanding of assessment expectations in an engaging and non-threatening (Morris, Perry and Wardle, 2021) way.

7. Embed Assessment Literacy Across the Curriculum

References

Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education,43 (8), 1315-1325.

Deeley, S. J., & Bovill, C. (2017). Staff student partnership in assessment: enhancing assessment literacy through democratic practices. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(3), 463-477.

Irons, A., & Elkington, S. (2021). Enhancing learning through formative assessment and feedback. London: Routledge.

Morris, R., Perry, T., & Wardle, L. (2021). Formative assessment and feedback for learning in higher education: A systematic review. Review of Education, 9(3)

Race, P., & Brown, S (2025) The Lecturer's Toolkit. London: Routledge.

Smith, C.D., Worsfold, K., Davies, L., Fisher, R. & McPhail, R. (2013) Assessment literacy and student learning: the case for explicitly developing students ‘assessment literacy’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38:1, 44-60.

Useful resources

Link opens in a new window Enhancing Assessment: a practitioner guide from Advance HE (2024)

Using Formative Assessment to Catalyse Self-Regulated Learning, Professor Nancy Perry (Department of Education public seminars)Link opens in a new window

Assessment and Feedback Literacy Guide from the University of Liverpool's Centre for Innovation in EducationLink opens in a new window

Students' creative expressions of assessment (Warwick Education Conference, 2024)Surfacing the complexity of students’ experiences of assessment and feedback processes (Balloo et al, 2024) Assessment Literacy Snapper Tool (University of Liverpool, Centre for Innovation in Education)