Hinge-question starter

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Formative assessmentXLSX

Hinge-question starter

Wiliam's mid-lesson checkpoint, operationalised: a five-point design checklist and a question-bank grid with misconception-mapped distractors and a worked example.

What's inside

  • Five-point hinge-question design checklist
  • Question-bank grid: hinge concept, options, key, misconception map, decision rule
  • A worked example showing how distractors diagnose specific errors

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Hinge questions

19 rows × 10 columns
Hinge-question starter
Design checklist first, then the question bank — one row per hinge question, misconception-mapped distractors, decision rule agreed before you ask.
Source: Wiliam 2011 (2nd ed. 2018), Embedded Formative Assessment
Design checklist
1. Placed at the lesson's hinge — the point where what comes next depends on this concept.
2. Every student answers (poll, cards, quiz tool) — not one volunteer.
3. Answerable in under two minutes, interpretable by you in under thirty seconds.
4. Each distractor maps to one specific, known misconception.
5. Decision rule set in advance (e.g. ≥80% correct → move on; else reteach now).
Lesson / topicHinge conceptQuestionABCDKeyMisconception each wrong option catchesDecision rule
Fractions — additionCommon denominators before addingWhat is 1/2 + 1/4?3/42/61/62/4AB: added numerators and denominators. C: subtracted. D: added numerators over the larger denominator.≥80% choose A → continue; most choose B → reteach equivalence now

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  • Five-point hinge-question design checklist
  • Question-bank grid: hinge concept, options, key, misconception map, decision rule
  • A worked example showing how distractors diagnose specific errors

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