Which term describes assessment conducted during a course to support language learning?

• A. Formative assessment
• B. Formative evaluation
• C. Genre analysis
• D. Global revision

Answer: (A)

Formative assessment is the ongoing checking of a learner's progress during instruction to support language learning. It provides timely feedback to help students improve and lets teachers adjust teaching to meet current needs. Because it happens throughout the course and informs next steps, it’s not about final grades but about guiding learning. Quick checks like micro-quizzes, speaking prompts, or short feedback prompts illustrate the idea. This differs from formative evaluation, which usually refers to evaluating a program or instruction at a broader level rather than day-to-day learning; genre analysis is a linguistic method for examining types of texts; global revision is the process of editing a text, not assessing learning progress.