Getting the best of formative vs summative assessment in Higher Education
Formative assessment is assessment for learning: lowstakes, iterative activities that generate actionable feedback to help students close the gap between current and desired performance.
Summative assessment is assessment of learning: highstakes judgements against aligned criteria that certify achievement of intended learning outcomes.
Research consistently shows that institutions achieve the best results when they design programmes where formative and summative work together, and when summative tasks themselves are engineered to retain formative benefits. This deep dive clarifies key concepts, answers common questions, and outlines how WISEflow supports institutions to operationalise both approaches at scale.
ANSWERS TO 6 COMMON QUESTIONS
Formative = for learning (continuous feedback, improvement). Summative = of learning (judgement/certification). Both are necessary and complementary.
Sequence formative tasks to build towards summative assessments; embed opportunities to act on feedback — even in graded tasks — to enhance learning.
Yes — design summative tasks with formative scaffolds (clear criteria, staged drafts, feedforward, revision plans).
Either; best programmes combine formative drafts with a summative final essay aligned to explicit rubrics and exemplars.
Either; weekly lowstakes- practice is formative, while weighted tests certify achievement. Ensure validity and alignment to learning goals.
Primarily formative when coupled with timely, actionable feedback; summative grading still benefits from feedback that supports future performance.
DESIGNING PROGRAMMES THAT COMBINES BOTH RESEARCH INFORMED POINTERS
Make standards visible
Publish criteria, exemplars, and success indicators; build student feedback literacy so learners use comments productively.
Sequence tasks
Scaffold formative activities that culminate in meaningful summative tasks (e.g., prototypes → final products; draft → capstone).
Engineer feedback loops
Ensure feedback is timely and focused on controllable actions; design mechanisms so students must attend to and act on feedback (e.g., response plans, revised resubmissions).
Use European frameworks
Align programmelevel assessment with ESG principles on -studentcentred learning and robust assessment; leverage- external QA as enhancement, not just audit.
Activate students
Use peer and selfassessment- to build evaluative judgement, central to Sadler’s and Wiliam’s models of improvement and embedded formative assessment.
Mind the feedback science
Design comments that actually move learning forward; Hattie & Timperley highlight the importance of task-, process, and -self-regulationlevel- feedback over simple praise or grades.
HOW WISEflow SUPPORTS BOTH FORMATIVE & SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Institutions need platforms that make it easy to combine formative and summative at scale, with strong assurance. WISEflow offers:
- Multiple flow types for diverse formats. Openbook essays, portfolios, structured MCQ/-shortanswer tests, oral/practical assessments, -closedbook- digital exams, and sequenced assessments with conditional progression.
- Rubrics and multi-level annotations. Transparent criteria and consistent marking that support learningoriented- feedback in both formative and summative contexts.
- Academic integrity features. Lockdown browser for secure exams, invigilation and monitoring tools, integrations with leading similaritychecking- solutions, and optional remote proctoring.
- Authentic digital exams. Locked environments with finegrained- whitelisting to permit approved tools and websites (e.g., coding editors, LaTeX, drawing tools) while preserving integrity.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR EDUCATION LEADERS
Adopting a platform that supports both developmental feedback and robust certification simplifies governance, improves student experience, and aligns naturally with Europewide ESG principles on student-centred assessment and enhance mentoriented quality assurance.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The ESG emphasise student‑centred learning, transparent criteria, and robust assessment processes. Aligning formative and summative practices with ESG strengthens quality assurance and supports enhancement‑focused programme design.
Clear criteria, exemplars, and success indicators help students internalise expectations. This strengthens feedback literacy, enables self‑evaluation, and improves performance on both formative and summative tasks.
Peer and self‑assessment build evaluative judgement and help students understand criteria. These practices are central to well‑researched models of embedded formative assessment.
WISEflow provides multiple assessment formats (open‑book, closed‑book, portfolios, orals, MCQs), rubric-based marking, moderation tools, inline feedback, integrity controls, and workflows that scale across programmes and large cohorts.
With lockdown browsers, invigilation tools, similarity checking integrations, and optional proctoring features, WISEflow ensures secure summative exams while still enabling flexible formative practice and open‑book learning where appropriate.
A platform that handles developmental feedback and high‑stakes certification in one system simplifies governance, improves student experience, and aligns with ESG principles for student‑centred, enhancement‑oriented quality assurance.
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REFERENCES
Nicol, D. & MacfarlaneDick, D. — “Formative assessment and -selfregulated learning: seven principles of good feedback practice”.- [eric.ed.gov]
Yorke, M. — “Formative assessment in higher education — moves towards theory and enhancement of pedagogic practice”. [hrk.de]
Sadler, D. R. — “Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems”. [core.ac.uk]
Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. — “Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning”. [scirp.org]
Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. — “The Power of Feedback”. [oa.mg]
ESG — Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area. [ehea.info], [enqa.eu]