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.
The Problem with “Do You Understand?”
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?
“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
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 CAMBRIDGEConcept 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.COUNCIL LearnEnglish Grammar Practice Hub BRIT.COUNCILA 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
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.
Target meaning, not form
The CCQ must probe what the language means, not how it is structured or conjugated.
GOOD “Is this finished or still happening?”
Do NOT contain the target language
If your CCQ includes the structure you just taught, students can answer by recognition, not understanding.
GOOD “Did this happen once at a specific time?”
Answerable with yes/no or a number
Keep CCQs short-answer. Long explanations mean the student is guessing or paraphrasing, not demonstrating.
GOOD “Do I still do this now? Yes or no?”
Use simple vocabulary
CCQs must be easier to understand than the structure being taught. Never use harder words than what you’re checking.
GOOD “Did I do this many times in the past?”
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.
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
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.
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YESDo I still live here now?Checks whether the student grasps the “still ongoing” meaning
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YES (10 years ago)Did I start living here in the past?Checks the past origin of the action
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NO — still happeningHas the living stopped?Checks the crucial contrast with Present Perfect Simple
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YES — “for 10 years”Is the length of time important here?Checks awareness of “duration” — the key feature of PPC vs PPS
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.”
I am not you. This is imaginary. I’m putting myself in your position as a thought experiment.
I am giving advice. Not a prediction. Not a real conditional. Gentle, softened recommendation.
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NO — imaginaryAm I actually you?Tests whether student knows this is imaginary, not factual
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NO — hypotheticalIs this situation real?Core 2nd conditional concept: unreal/hypothetical present
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ADVICEAm I giving advice, or am I saying what will happen?Checks the functional meaning — advice vs prediction
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YESDo I think the person should apologise?Confirms the recommendation meaning
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NODo I play football now?The most critical check — confirms it stopped
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MANY TIMESDid I play once, or many times?Tests the “repeated past habit” meaning vs simple past event
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YES — regular habitIs this a regular thing I did?Confirms “habit” — something routine, not occasional
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.
Strong deduction
Weak deduction
Impossibility
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NO — I’m deducingDo I know for certain the person is exhausted?Distinguishes deduction from fact (“is exhausted”)
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LOGICAL CONCLUSIONAm I guessing, or making a logical conclusion?Checks the “logical evidence” meaning of deduction modals
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VERY SURE (must)Am I very sure or only a little sure?Tests the strength of certainty — must vs might vs could
We focus on the person (she), not who did it. The agent (her boss) is unknown or unimportant.
This happened recently. It has a current result — she now has a higher position.
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RECENTLYDid this happen recently, or a long time ago?Checks the present perfect “recent past with current relevance” meaning
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YES — higher positionDoes this affect her now?Tests the “result in present” meaning — the hallmark of present perfect
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NO — someone elseDid she promote herself?Tests passive understanding — someone else did this TO her
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NOT stated — not important hereDo we know who promoted her?Checks the passive “agent unknown/unimportant” meaning
Judge the CCQ — Interactive Game
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.
CCQ Builder — Write Your Own
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.
“I wish I hadn’t said that.”
- Did the person say something? → YES
- Are they happy about it? → NO (regret)
- Can they unsay it — change what happened? → NO
- Is this about the past or the future? → THE PAST
“She’s been promoted.”
- Did she promote herself? → NO — someone did it TO her
- Does this affect her situation NOW? → YES — higher job
- Did this happen recently or years ago? → RECENTLY
- Do we know who promoted her? → NO — not important here
“As soon as I get home, I’ll call you.”
- Will I call before or after I get home? → AFTER
- Is there a long wait between arriving and calling? → NO — immediately
- Am I at home now, or is this in the future? → FUTURE
- Will I call at some point today, or the moment I arrive? → THE MOMENT I ARRIVE
Full Practice Tasks — CELTA-Standard
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.
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?
- Did the person say something? → YES
- Are they happy or unhappy about it? → UNHAPPY
- Can they change what happened? → NO
- “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.
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.
- 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)
- “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.
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.
- 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
- 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
These are specific pages — not generic homepages. Each one goes directly to exercises, articles, or reference material relevant to CCQs and concept checking.
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 ↗Concept Checking — TeachingEnglish
British Council’s TeachingEnglish article with classroom strategies, examples, and discussion of when and how to use CCQs.
TeachingEnglish: Concept Checking ↗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 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 ↗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 ↗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 ↗