The verb in each objective names the level of thinking intended, from remembering to creating, and the assessment asks for that same level.
Why it matters
Bloom’s levels run from remembering and understanding up through applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. The verb tells everyone which one you mean.
When the verb undersells the goal, writers aim low: a “list” objective gets list questions, even when the job needs judgment.
What passing looks like
- The verb fits the intended level: identify for remembering, compare for analyzing, justify for evaluating.
- Questions for that objective ask for the same level, not lower and not higher.
- A course meant to change how people work has objectives above “remember.”
Example
Objective: List the steps of the incident response plan. Assessment: A scenario where learners decide what to do first during an incident.
The problem: The verb aims at recall, but the assessment, and the job, need learners to apply the plan.
Objective: Given a security incident, apply the incident response plan to choose the first three actions.
What Pedagrade can’t tell
A verb doesn’t fix the level on its own: “explain” can mean repeating an explanation or building a new one. When the wording could go either way, treat the finding as a prompt to look closer.
This check is covered by Pedagrade’s published accuracy tests. See the accuracy report.
Learn more
- Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl (eds.), A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing (the revised Bloom’s taxonomy)
- Pedagrade guide: Bloom’s taxonomy verbs for learning objectives
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