Ipsative Assessment: helping all learners progress
What is Ipsative Assessment?
Ipsative assessment is an assessment based on a learner’s previous work rather than based on
performance against external criteria and standards. Learners work towards a personal best
rather than always competing against other students. When threshold standards must be met
for an award, ipsative feedback could be combined with traditional grades.
What are the benefits of such an approach for learners?
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Standards and criteria referenced assessment can be demotivating for learners who do
not achieve high grades, while ipsative assessment emphasises the progress learners
are making and is more motivating.
Ipsative feedback helps learners to develop by highlighting where there is more work to
do. Ipsative feedback can also help high performing students to achieve even more.
Ipsative assessment helps learners self-assess and become more self-reliant.
What are the benefits of such an approach for teachers?
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Providing ipsative feedback helps focus on what the learner needs to do next rather than
dwelling on the inadequacies of current performance.
Some students are more likely to act on ipsative feedback than highly critical feedback.
A focus on learner progress will distinguish between poorly performing students who are
progressing, albeit slowly, and those who are not progressing and who are therefore
unsuitable for the course.
What are the disadvantages of ipsative assessment?
The biggest problem is that assessors need to have access to records of a learner’s past
assessments to make comparisons and these are not always available, although electronic
records can help. It also means that assessments of different modules in a modular scheme
may need to be linked and this may be difficult if the modules have very different learning
outcomes. Finally, ipsative assessment requires a different way of thinking about assessment
and this may take time for teachers and students to get used to.
An example of ipsative assessment
Learners on a Masters in Leadership programme completed an assignment submission form
which asked them to list previous feedback points and how they had addressed this feedback in
their current assignment. Tutors then provided further feedback on how well the previous
feedback had been addressed and the progress the learner was making as well as suggesting
the next steps for the learner.
For more details contact g.hughes@ioe.ac.uk