Meaning & use
continuous assessment
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableformal
A way of judging a student's work by regular tasks during a course rather than by one final exam.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: 'Continuous assessment is used in this course.' You can say 'a continuous assessment task' for one piece of work.
Patterns
- by continuous assessment
- continuous assessment of something
- use continuous assessment
The course is graded by continuous assessment, with no final exam.
Continuous assessment gives students feedback throughout the semester.
noununcountablebusinesstechnical
The ongoing checking of a process, worker, or system over time.
Grammar: Used in business and technical contexts.
Patterns
- continuous assessment of something
- under continuous assessment
The safety of the plant is under continuous assessment by a special team.
Continuous assessment of employee performance replaced the old yearly review.
Common combinations
- by continuous assessment
- The module is assessed by continuous assessment and a short project.
- continuous assessment of
- Continuous assessment of student progress helps teachers adjust their lessons.
- under continuous assessment
- The new drug is still under continuous assessment for side effects.
- continuous assessment system
- The school introduced a continuous assessment system last year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ongoing assessment
- A more general phrase often used in American English; it does not always imply a formal grading system.
- formative assessment
- Focuses on feedback to improve learning, while continuous assessment can also count toward the final grade.
Opposites
Word family
- assess verb
- To judge or measure the quality or value of something.
- assessment noun
- The act of judging or measuring something.
- assessor noun
- A person who judges or evaluates something.
Commonly confused: continuous assessment or continual assessment?
continuous assessment vs continual assessment
'Continuous' means without stopping, while 'continual' means happening repeatedly with breaks. Continuous assessment happens regularly throughout a course.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'continuous assessment' correctly.
Choose one answer.
Continuous assessment means regular work during a course, so 'every essay counts' fits. Option 1 is wrong because continuous assessment is a system, not a single event you 'have'. Option 2 is wrong because 'continuous assessment' is a noun, not a verb. Option 3 wrongly defines it as a final exam.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “continuous assessment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.