Which of the following best exemplifies formative feedback?

• A. Feedback provided during learning to guide improvement.
• B. Summative feedback given after a unit.
• C. Feedback focused only on grades.
• D. Feedback from peers with no guidance.

Answer: (A)

Formative feedback is feedback given during learning to guide improvement. Its goal is to help you adjust your approach while you’re still practicing, so you can boost understanding and skills before final assessments. This kind of feedback points to specific next steps, clarifies misunderstandings, and suggests concrete strategies you can try right away.

For example, a teacher might comment on a draft problem solution, highlight where ideas are strong, and provide targeted suggestions to improve the method or explanation. This keeps learning moving forward and helps you refine your approach.

In contrast, feedback that comes after a unit is summative; it evaluates what you’ve learned and often relates to grades rather than actionable steps for the next attempt. Feedback that focuses only on grades doesn’t tell you how to improve. And feedback from peers with no guidance may be helpful but isn’t reliably actionable unless there’s some direction or criteria to guide improvement.

So, the best example of formative feedback is guidance given during learning that focuses on improving strategies and understanding for the next attempt.