What does it consist of?
This technique involves asking short, focused questions to check whether students have understood a key concept, such as the meaning of a word, a grammatical structure, or the use of a tense.
CCQs replace ineffective questions like “Have you understood?” or “Any questions?”, as they require students to show real understanding.
They should be level-appropriate and usually involve closed or limited answers (yes/no, A/B, short responses).

What do we achieve with this technique?
– Ensuring real understanding of the content taught.
– Identifying misunderstandings before moving on.
– Encouraging participation from all students, including less confident ones.
– Supporting accurate use of language in communicative contexts.

Example:
In class, the teacher wants to check that students understand the word red. The teacher shows a picture of a London bus and asks: “Is this blue?”
Students answer: “No, it’s a red bus.”
Through an indirect question, the teacher confirms understanding without asking for direct translation.

Common Teacher Mistakes

• Turning CCQs into mini-lectures.
• Using the target word inside the CCQ.
• e.g., “Is red a red colour?”
• Asking too many CCQs.
• Asking linguistically harder questions than the target structure.
• Confusing CCQs with ICQs (Instruction Checking Questions).