Open and Closed Questions

A classification of questions by the constraint on the answer, not by whether the teacher knows the answer (that is the display/referential distinction). Closed questions have a limited, often single correct answer. Open questions invite extended, varied, and unpredictable responses.

This distinction is older and broader than the display/referential one — it applies to all communication, not just classrooms. But in ELT, the two classifications intersect in ways that matter for lesson planning and classroom interaction.

Definitions

Closed questions can be answered with a word, a phrase, or yes/no. The range of acceptable answers is narrow and usually predetermined.

• "Is this a noun or a verb?"
• "How many people are in the picture?"
• "Did she go to the shop?"
• "What's the past participle of 'write'?"

Open questions require extended answers. There is no single correct response, and the student must construct their own formulation.

• "Why do you think she made that decision?"
• "What would you do differently?"
• "How do you feel about learning grammar?"
• "Can you describe your ideal job?"

The Overlap with Display and Referential

These two classification systems are independent — they create four possible combinations:

	Display (teacher knows)	Referential (teacher doesn't know)
Closed	"What's the past of 'go'?"	"Are you married?"
Open	"Can you explain the difference between 'since' and 'for'?"	"What do you think about living abroad?"

Most CCQs and grammar-check questions are closed + display. Most discussion and personalisation questions are open + referential. But the combinations are not fixed — a teacher can ask an open display question ("Explain what the present perfect means") or a closed referential question ("Did you enjoy the film?").

The pedagogical power comes from choosing the right combination for the right moment.

When to Use Each

Closed Questions

• Checking factual understanding — "How many paragraphs does a Task 2 essay have?"
• Concept checking — "Is it happening now or in the past?" (yes/no or either/or)
• Warm-up and review — quick-fire closed questions activate prior knowledge efficiently
• Lower levels — students with limited productive capacity can participate meaningfully through short, constrained answers
• Controlled Practice — when the focus is accuracy and the target form is specific

Open Questions

• Developing fluency — open questions push students to produce extended language
• Freer Practice — after controlled work, open questions allow students to use new language more freely
• Critical thinking — "Why?" and "How?" questions demand analysis, not just recall
• Building STT — open questions inherently generate more student talk
• Assessment of depth — open questions reveal whether students truly understand a concept or are just parroting

Questioning Sequences

Effective teachers do not choose one type and stick with it. They sequence questions, often moving from closed to open:

1. Closed: "Did the graph go up or down between 2000 and 2010?" (checking basic comprehension)
2. Closed: "By how much?" (checking detail)
3. Open: "Why do you think this happened?" (extending thinking)
4. Open: "What might happen next?" (speculation)

This is sometimes called funnelling — starting narrow to establish shared understanding, then opening up to generate discussion. The reverse — reverse funnelling — starts open ("What do you know about climate change?") and narrows down to specifics.

Bloom's Taxonomy Connection

Closed questions typically target the lower levels of Bloom's Taxonomy:

• Remember — "What is the formula?"
• Understand — "Is this an example of a simile?"

Open questions can target higher levels:

• Apply — "How would you use this structure in a different context?"
• Analyse — "What are the differences between these two texts?"
• Evaluate — "Which solution do you think is better, and why?"
• Create — "Write a paragraph using three of these phrases."

Common Pitfalls

• Only asking closed questions — creates a rapid-fire quiz atmosphere with minimal STT. Students never get to construct extended language.
• Only asking open questions — can overwhelm lower-level learners who lack the linguistic resources for extended answers. Open questions without scaffolding produce silence or frustration.
• Treating "open" as automatically better — closed questions are essential for checking, clarifying, and managing. The issue is proportion, not hierarchy.
• Disguised closed questions — "What do you think — is it A or B?" appears open but is actually a binary choice. Teachers sometimes think they are asking open questions when they are not.
• Not allowing wait time — open questions require more processing time. Cutting the wait short defeats the purpose of asking an open question.

Key References

• Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives. Longman.
• Brown, H. D. (2014). Principles of language learning and teaching (6th ed.). Pearson.
• Ur, P. (2012). A Course in English Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Richards, J. C., & Lockhart, C. (1994). Reflective teaching in second language classrooms. Cambridge University Press. [Chapter on teacher questions]