Use level checks to keep up with student progress

A level label can hide the teaching problem

A classroom teacher needs an initial sense of the group’s English. A single label rarely explains what each student needs next. A learner may write a clear paragraph but struggle to use the same language when speaking.

The example report above contains four speaking responses and two written responses. It shows an estimated overall level of B2 and a score of 65/100. Speaking is 52; writing is 78. Reading only the overall label would miss that difference.

The explanation makes the scores useful. Writing is organized, relevant, and more controlled. Speaking communicates the main point, but pauses and recurring verb-form errors interrupt the flow. The teacher can now choose a more specific priority than simply giving the student harder work.

Read the evidence before choosing a priority

The report includes skill breakdowns, reasons for the scores, and response excerpts. In this example, speaking grammar is 45/100. Phrases such as “I will meeting my friend” and “I want to visiting the new library” reveal a recurring verb-form pattern.

The learner still answers the questions and communicates their intentions. Their writing separates ideas clearly and uses relevant details. Those strengths matter: the next task should help transfer existing knowledge into speech, rather than treating every part of their English as equally weak.

Check the report’s observations against the response evidence and what you hear in class. A transcript helps locate a pattern, and the recording, when available, gives it context. The teacher decides whether the suggested priority is a fair reading.

Here, another long essay would mainly exercise the stronger skill. A short spoken explanation gives the teacher a better chance to see whether familiar grammar holds up without time to edit.

Choose when the learner sees the feedback

For activities assigned to enrolled students, choose Immediate Feedback or Teacher review. Immediate Feedback makes the scores and report available when analysis finishes. The teacher can see the same submission and feedback.

Teacher review holds the report until you check it and send the feedback. That can be useful for a new class or a task whose results need context. The learner sees that feedback is waiting for review.

Guest links and embedded guest activities use immediate feedback. To review before release, assign the activity to enrolled students.

Add the teacher’s part of the feedback

The Teacher feedback to student field lets you connect the report to the learner’s next task. A useful note identifies a strength, names a manageable priority, and explains how to practice it.

The example below acknowledges the learner’s organized writing and direct spoken answers. It then focuses on two verb patterns, gives a 45-60 second speaking task, and asks the learner to check one sentence. That is enough direction to begin without turning the note into another report.

For a held report, use Send feedback when it is ready. For feedback already released, Send update adds your note. The learner receives your guidance alongside the analysis.

Bring the result into the next classroom lesson

Imagine an evening class learning to explain plans. One learner’s written answers are clear, but their speaking repeatedly mixes verb forms after “will” and “want to.” The teacher can keep the class’s shared goal while adjusting that learner’s practice.

Begin with a short written plan. Ask the learner to explain it aloud using keywords rather than reading full sentences. Afterward, have them find the verbs after “will” and try those sentences again. A partner can listen for the target while the teacher supports others with the same pattern.

The next independent speaking task can use a different everyday plan. Check whether the learner can carry the correction into that new answer without reading a script. The relevant evidence is what they do with the language, not just whether the overall score rises.

1. Notice

   Writing is stronger than speaking. Spoken responses repeatedly lose control after “will” and “want to.”

2. Choose

   Focus on those spoken verb patterns within the class’s task of explaining plans.

3. Follow up

   Look for the pattern in a new spoken answer and add a note about what changed.

Follow the learner, not just the number

Assigned work connects the student, activity, submission, report, and teacher feedback. You have somewhere to return when planning the next lesson or discussing progress with the learner.

Use comparable tasks over time and read the responses alongside the scores. One strong attempt does not prove a lasting change; one weak attempt does not describe everything a learner can do. A level check is a formative estimate, not a certified examination result.

In this example, the useful finding is the gap between written control and spoken use. Both teacher and learner can see it, and the next task addresses it directly.