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Week 1 · Day 6 of 60 · Foundations

Concept Checking:
The Art of the CCQ

“Do you understand?” is the worst question you can ask in a classroom. Here’s what to ask instead — and how to ask it perfectly every time.

Week 1 Foundations12 min read5 interactive exercises+10 CCQ judge questions

The Problem with “Do You Understand?”

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You’ve just taught a new grammar structure. You look at your class. You ask: “Do you all understand?”

Heads nod. Maybe a few “yes”es. One confident student says “yes, teacher.” You move on — and in the next activity, half the class uses the structure completely wrong.

What happened?

⚠ The Fundamental Problem

“Do you understand?” is unanswerable. Students don’t know what they don’t know. A student who has completely misunderstood will answer “yes” with full confidence — because from their perspective, they do understand. They just understand something different from what you taught.

It also puts students in an uncomfortable social position. Saying “no” in front of peers is embarrassing. The path of least resistance is always “yes.”

This is not a criticism of teachers — it is a structural problem. The question invites a yes/no social response, not a demonstration of understanding. You need to check understanding, not ask about understanding.

Enter the CCQ — the Concept Checking Question.

What Is a CCQ? Definitions from the Source

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Cambridge English · Teaching Knowledge Database

A concept checking question (CCQ) is a question that a teacher asks to check that learners have understood the meaning of a new word, phrase, or grammatical structure — as opposed to asking directly whether they understand.

CCQs are usually simple questions to which students can give short answers, often yes/no, and which check the concept rather than the form or the ability to translate.Cambridge ELT Blog: CCQs explained CAMBRIDGE

British Council · TeachingEnglish

Concept checking questions are designed to check students understand the meaning of language by requiring them to demonstrate comprehension through simple responses, rather than just producing a yes/no answer to “Do you understand?”TeachingEnglish: Concept Checking article BRIT.COUNCILLearnEnglish Grammar Practice Hub BRIT.COUNCIL

In Plain Terms (Sourov’s Definition)

A CCQ is a carefully designed question that forces a student to demonstrate they understand a concept — without ever using the target language itself. If they can answer your CCQ correctly, they understand. If they can’t, they don’t. No guessing. No social pressure. Just evidence.

The 5 Golden Rules of CCQ Design

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Every effective CCQ follows these five rules. Breaking any one of them produces a question that looks like a CCQ but doesn’t actually check understanding. Study each rule carefully — then see it in action.

Rule 1

Target meaning, not form

The CCQ must probe what the language means, not how it is structured or conjugated.

BAD “What verb tense is this?”
GOOD “Is this finished or still happening?”

Rule 2

Do NOT contain the target language

If your CCQ includes the structure you just taught, students can answer by recognition, not understanding.

BAD “Have you ever been to Paris?”
GOOD “Did this happen once at a specific time?”

Rule 3

Answerable with yes/no or a number

Keep CCQs short-answer. Long explanations mean the student is guessing or paraphrasing, not demonstrating.

BAD “What do you think this means?”
GOOD “Do I still do this now? Yes or no?”

Rule 4

Use simple vocabulary

CCQs must be easier to understand than the structure being taught. Never use harder words than what you’re checking.

BAD “Does this imply a habitual iterative action?”
GOOD “Did I do this many times in the past?”

Rule 5

Use 2–3 CCQs per item, not one

One CCQ can be answered by guessing (50/50). Three CCQs answered correctly is strong evidence of real understanding.

BAD One question, then move on
GOOD Build a short “concept map” through 3 questions

Good CCQ vs Bad CCQ — Side by Side

Target Language	Bad CCQ ✗	Why It Fails	Good CCQ ✓
“I used to play football.”	“Do you understand ‘used to’?”	Unanswerable Social yes	“Do I play football now? No. Did I play many times before? Yes.”
“She must be tired.”	“What does ‘must’ mean here?”	Open-ended Requires metalang.	“Do I know for certain she’s tired? Am I guessing based on evidence?”
“I’ve lived here for 10 years.”	“Have you lived somewhere for a long time?”	Contains TL Recognition only	“Did this start in the past? Am I still here now? Is it finished?”
“If I were you, I’d apologise.”	“Is this a real or hypothetical situation?”	Hard vocab ‘Hypothetical’ is harder	“Is this real? Am I actually you? Am I giving advice or a fact?”
“She’s been promoted.”	“Explain ‘been promoted’ in your own words.”	Translation test Not a concept check	“Did this happen recently? Does this affect her now? Did she promote herself?”

Live CCQ Explorer — 5 Language Items

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Click each tab to explore a language item. For each one: read the target sentence, then click “Show answer” next to each CCQ to reveal what students should say — and why that answer proves understanding.

Present Perfect Cont.

2nd Conditional

Used to

Modal Deduction

Passive Voice

“I’ve been living here for 10 years.”Present Perfect Continuous · B1–B2

Concept Timeline — where does this action sit?

Start (10 yrs ago)Past

NOW

Future

✦ Key concept: Started in the past. Still continuing NOW. Duration emphasized. Action ongoing, not finished.

• Do I still live here now?Checks whether the student grasps the “still ongoing” meaning Show answer YES
• Did I start living here in the past?Checks the past origin of the action Show answer YES (10 years ago)
• Has the living stopped?Checks the crucial contrast with Present Perfect Simple Show answer NO — still happening
• Is the length of time important here?Checks awareness of “duration” — the key feature of PPC vs PPS Show answer YES — “for 10 years”

⬥ Teacher Note — Contrast CCQ

After these CCQs, write “I’ve lived here for 10 years” on the board. Ask: “Is this the same meaning? Almost — but this one sounds more permanent and finished. The continuous version emphasises the ongoing activity of living.”

“If I were you, I’d apologise.”Second Conditional — Advice · B1

Concept Map — Real or Unreal?

REALITY

I am not you. This is imaginary. I’m putting myself in your position as a thought experiment.

FUNCTION

I am giving advice. Not a prediction. Not a real conditional. Gentle, softened recommendation.

• Am I actually you?Tests whether student knows this is imaginary, not factual Show answer NO — imaginary
• Is this situation real?Core 2nd conditional concept: unreal/hypothetical present Show answer NO — hypothetical
• Am I giving advice, or am I saying what will happen?Checks the functional meaning — advice vs prediction Show answer ADVICE
• Do I think the person should apologise?Confirms the recommendation meaning Show answer YES

“I used to play football.”Used to + infinitive — Past habit · A2–B1

Timeline — the classic “used to” concept

Played

Played

Played

NOW

Future

✦ Repeated past action — NOT continuing to now. The action stopped. Multiple past occurrences, no present continuation.

• Do I play football now?The most critical check — confirms it stopped Show answer NO
• Did I play once, or many times?Tests the “repeated past habit” meaning vs simple past event Show answer MANY TIMES
• Is this a regular thing I did?Confirms “habit” — something routine, not occasional Show answer YES — regular habit

⚠ Common L1 Interference — French/Spanish speakers

French: “j’avais l’habitude de” — students may confuse “used to” (past habit, finished) with “be used to” (accustomed to, ongoing). Additional CCQ: “Am I still accustomed to it, or did I stop?” → STOPPED.

“You must be exhausted.”Modal of Deduction (certainty) · B1–B2

MUST BE

~95% sure
Strong deduction

MIGHT BE

~50% sure
Weak deduction

CAN’T BE

~0%
Impossibility

• Do I know for certain the person is exhausted?Distinguishes deduction from fact (“is exhausted”) Show answer NO — I’m deducing
• Am I guessing, or making a logical conclusion?Checks the “logical evidence” meaning of deduction modals Show answer LOGICAL CONCLUSION
• Am I very sure or only a little sure?Tests the strength of certainty — must vs might vs could Show answer VERY SURE (must)

“She’s been promoted.”Present Perfect Passive · B2

PASSIVE FOCUS

We focus on the person (she), not who did it. The agent (her boss) is unknown or unimportant.

PRESENT RELEVANCE

This happened recently. It has a current result — she now has a higher position.

• Did this happen recently, or a long time ago?Checks the present perfect “recent past with current relevance” meaning Show answer RECENTLY
• Does this affect her now?Tests the “result in present” meaning — the hallmark of present perfect Show answer YES — higher position
• Did she promote herself?Tests passive understanding — someone else did this TO her Show answer NO — someone else
• Do we know who promoted her?Checks the passive “agent unknown/unimportant” meaning Show answer NOT stated — not important here

Judge the CCQ — Interactive Game

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Below are 10 CCQs. For each one, decide: is this a GOOD CCQ or a BAD CCQ? Judge carefully — the explanations will reveal common mistakes that even experienced teachers make.

Interactive Game

Good CCQ or Bad CCQ?

Score: 0 / 0 answered · 0 correct

Target: “I might go to the gym later.” — Modal of possibility

CCQ: “Have I decided to go to the gym?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “She must have forgotten.” — Modal of deduction (past)

CCQ: “Must she have forgotten? Do you think she must have?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “I wish I hadn’t said that.” — Third conditional / past regret

CCQ: “Am I happy about what I said?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “By the time she arrived, we’d already left.” — Past Perfect

CCQ: “Who left first — us or her?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “You’d better leave now.” — Strong advice / warning

CCQ: “What does ‘you’d better’ mean in this context? Can you explain it in your own words?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “As soon as I get home, I’ll call you.” — Future time clause

CCQ: “Will I call before or after I get home?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “She can’t be at home — her lights are off.”

CCQ: “Can’t she be at home?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “He had the car repaired.” — Causative have

CCQ: “Did he repair the car himself?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “I’d rather not go out tonight.” — Preference

CCQ: “Does the speaker have a preference to not go out, or do they prefer to go out?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Target: “He tends to be late.” — Habitual tendency

CCQ: “Is he sometimes late? Is it a regular thing for him?”✓ Good CCQ✗ Bad CCQ

Final Score: –

CCQ Builder — Write Your Own

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Now it’s your turn. For each language item below, write 3 CCQs in the text box — following the 5 golden rules. Then click “Reveal model CCQs” to compare yours with expert examples.

Item A

“I wish I hadn’t said that.”

Past regret — Wish + Past Perfect · B2

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Concept to check: The speaker is expressing regret about a past action that cannot be changed. They said something — it happened — they wish it hadn’t. Key meaning: past action, negative feeling about it, cannot undo it.Reveal model CCQs ▾

✦ Model CCQs

1. Did the person say something? → YES
2. Are they happy about it? → NO (regret)
3. Can they unsay it — change what happened? → NO
4. Is this about the past or the future? → THE PAST

Why these work: Each is yes/no or past/future. None contains “wish” or “hadn’t.” They build a concept map: past action + bad feeling + unchangeable = regret.

Item B

“She’s been promoted.”

Present Perfect Passive · B2

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Concept to check: Three layers: (1) Present Perfect — recent past with current result; (2) Passive — she received the action, did not do it; (3) the promotion has a tangible present effect on her status now. Reveal model CCQs ▾

✦ Model CCQs

1. Did she promote herself? → NO — someone did it TO her
2. Does this affect her situation NOW? → YES — higher job
3. Did this happen recently or years ago? → RECENTLY
4. Do we know who promoted her? → NO — not important here

Why these work: CCQ 1 tests passive; CCQ 2 tests present perfect relevance; CCQ 3 tests recency; CCQ 4 tests the classic passive “agent omission” function.

Item C

“As soon as I get home, I’ll call you.”

Future Time Clause · B1

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Concept to check: The call happens immediately after arriving home. Two future events: arriving home happens first; calling happens second — with no gap. Students often confuse “as soon as” with “when” (which allows a gap) or use “will” in the time clause. Reveal model CCQs ▾

✦ Model CCQs

1. Will I call before or after I get home? → AFTER
2. Is there a long wait between arriving and calling? → NO — immediately
3. Am I at home now, or is this in the future? → FUTURE
4. Will I call at some point today, or the moment I arrive? → THE MOMENT I ARRIVE

Why these work: They check sequence (Q1), immediacy (Q2), future reference (Q3), and the key meaning “as soon as” = immediate sequence (Q4). None contains “as soon as” or “call.”

Full Practice Tasks — CELTA-Standard

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These tasks are written to CELTA written assignment standard. Each asks you to produce both good and bad CCQs — because understanding why bad CCQs fail is as important as writing good ones.

Practice A

“I wish I hadn’t said that.”

B2

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Write 3 good CCQs for this structure, then write 2 bad CCQs and explain exactly why they fail — which of the 5 golden rules do they break?

Reminder of the concept: Past action the speaker regrets. It happened. Cannot be undone. The feeling is negative. Time reference is past, not future. Show model answer ▾

✦ Model — Good CCQs

• Did the person say something? → YES
• Are they happy or unhappy about it? → UNHAPPY
• Can they change what happened? → NO

Show bad CCQ analysis ▾

✗ Bad CCQ Analysis

• “Do you wish you hadn’t said something?” → Breaks Rule 2: contains “wish” and “hadn’t said” — target language. Students answer by recognition.
• “Can you explain the feeling in this sentence?” → Breaks Rule 3: requires long metalanguage response, not a short demonstrable answer.

Practice B

“She’s been promoted.”

B2

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Write 4 CCQs that check three separate concepts: (1) the passive meaning, (2) the present perfect meaning, (3) the present relevance. Then write 2 bad CCQs and identify which rule they break.

Three concepts to check: Who did the action? (passive) · When? (recent past) · Does it matter now? (present perfect relevance) · Do we know who promoted her? (passive agent) Show model answer ▾

✦ Model CCQs

• Did she promote herself? → NO (passive)
• Is she in a higher position now? → YES (present relevance)
• Did this happen recently or long ago? → RECENTLY (PP)
• Do we know who promoted her? → NO (passive agent omission)

Show bad CCQ analysis ▾

✗ Bad CCQ Analysis

• “Has she been promoted?” → Rule 2 broken: contains the entire target language. A student can answer yes with zero understanding.
• “What does the passive voice do here?” → Rule 1 broken: tests knowledge of form/grammar terminology, not meaning.

Practice C

“As soon as I get home, I’ll call you.”

B1

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Write 4 CCQs and then write 3 bad CCQs. For the bad CCQs, try to deliberately break a different rule in each one — Rules 1, 2, and 3 respectively.Show model answer ▾

✦ Model CCQs

• Will I call before or after arriving? → AFTER
• Is there a long wait between arriving and calling? → NO
• Am I at home now? → NO — future
• Will the call happen the moment I arrive? → YES

Show bad CCQ analysis ▾

✗ Bad CCQ Analysis

• Rule 1 broken: “What verb tense is used in the time clause?” → Tests form, not meaning.
• Rule 2 broken: “As soon as you get home, will you call?” → Contains the target structure. Answerable by repetition.
• Rule 3 broken: “Explain what ‘as soon as’ means and how it differs from ‘when.'” → Requires a long metalinguistic explanation, not a simple answer.

Go Deeper — Curated Resources

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These are specific pages — not generic homepages. Each one goes directly to exercises, articles, or reference material relevant to CCQs and concept checking.

Cambridge English

What Is a Concept Checking Question?

Cambridge ELT Blog article explaining CCQ principles with classroom examples. Directly relevant to CELTA and Delta preparation.Cambridge ELT Blog → CCQs ↗

British Council

Concept Checking — TeachingEnglish

British Council’s TeachingEnglish article with classroom strategies, examples, and discussion of when and how to use CCQs.TeachingEnglish: Concept Checking ↗

British Council

Grammar Practice — LearnEnglish

The British Council’s full grammar exercise library. Use this to find target structures for your CCQ practice — each grammar page includes level tags and examples.LearnEnglish: Grammar Hub ↗

Oxford

Oxford Online Grammar Practice

Oxford Learner’s Bookshelf and grammar reference — use the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary grammar notes to check the full MFP of any item before writing CCQs.Oxford: Grammar reference ↗

Cambridge Dictionary

Grammar in Context — Cambridge Dict.

Cambridge Dictionary’s grammar section with usage examples in authentic contexts. Essential for writing CCQs that reflect real language use, not textbook examples.Cambridge: Grammar reference ↗

British Council

Present Perfect Exercises

Direct link to British Council’s present perfect practice exercises — useful for designing CCQs for one of the most commonly taught and misunderstood structures.LearnEnglish: Present Perfect ↗

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Part of the 60-Day ELT Video Masterclass by Sourov Deb · sourovdeb.com