As an educator with a deep interest in evidence-based frameworks that foster student growth, I’ve found that the SOLO Taxonomy offers a refreshingly clear and practical approach to understanding learning progression. Whether you’re a new teacher or an experienced leader seeking to deepen your team’s pedagogical toolkit, the SOLO Taxonomy provides a structured way to support students in moving from surface to deep learning.
What is the SOLO Taxonomy?
SOLO stands for the “Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes.” Developed by John Biggs and Kevin Collis in 1982, it offers a hierarchical model for assessing student learning. Unlike Bloom’s Taxonomy, which categorises types of thinking, SOLO describes the quality and depth of student responses. This makes it particularly useful in helping both teachers and students recognise what progress looks like.
The Five Levels of SOLO
- Prestructural: The student response shows little understanding or is off-topic. They are not yet grasping the concept.
- Unistructural: The student can identify or make one relevant point but lacks connection to a bigger idea.
- Multistructural: The student offers several pieces of relevant information, but they remain disconnected.
- Relational: The student can integrate several aspects into a coherent understanding. They can explain how ideas relate.
- Extended Abstract: The student goes beyond the content, transferring knowledge to new contexts and offering original insights.
Why I Use SOLO in My Practice
In my role as a leader in a primary school setting, I am constantly looking for ways to help students articulate what they are learning, how they are learning, and why it matters. SOLO has been especially powerful in staff training, lesson observations, and student goal-setting. I’ve used it to structure assessment rubrics and also to design learning intentions and success criteria that make progression visible and attainable.
One example I often share with teachers is when a student moves from simply listing facts about a historical figure (multistructural) to explaining how that figure’s decisions impacted a broader historical event (relational). It is a small shift in thinking, but a huge leap in understanding.
Central to SOLO’s research base is the idea that students learn most effectively when they can actively recognize and articulate the depth of their understanding. Research has consistently demonstrated that using SOLO-based assessment criteria helps students become more aware of their cognitive processes, enabling them to progress from merely recalling isolated facts to integrating and applying knowledge creatively across different contexts. Multiple studies conducted in diverse educational settings have found that classrooms employing SOLO approaches experience enhanced student motivation, greater academic achievement, and improved metacognitive skills. By encouraging learners to explicitly track and understand their own learning journey, SOLO significantly impacts students’ long-term retention and deepens their conceptual grasp, thereby cultivating independent and reflective lifelong learners.
Case Study: Implementing SOLO at Redhill Primary School
A fascinating case study from Redhill Primary School in the UK demonstrates the effectiveness of SOLO Taxonomy. In 2017, teachers introduced SOLO-based rubrics and visual aids across Year 5 classrooms during a unit on ecosystems. Students started at the unistructural level by identifying individual animals and plants. Gradually, lessons guided them towards understanding relationships between organisms (relational) and eventually led to extended abstract tasks such as designing their own ecosystems and explaining their ecological balance. Teachers observed a remarkable shift: students who initially struggled became more confident, and class discussions deepened significantly. According to teacher surveys and observations, not only did comprehension improve, but student engagement and enthusiasm also saw substantial growth. By clearly illustrating progression, SOLO enabled students to reflect meaningfully on their learning journey, enhancing both academic outcomes and classroom dynamics.
How to Use SOLO in the Classroom
- Design Tasks With Progression in Mind: Begin with simple recall tasks and gradually move toward questions that require synthesis, comparison, and application.
- Develop SOLO-Based Rubrics: Use the five levels to build self- and peer-assessment rubrics. This helps students recognize where they are and what the next step looks like.
- Use Visual Aids: Diagrams like SOLO triangles or learning ladders help students visualize their progress.
- Encourage Reflection: Ask students to identify their current SOLO level and set goals to move to the next one.
Linking SOLO to Wider Pedagogical Strategies
SOLO aligns seamlessly with other frameworks such as formative assessment, metacognition, and inquiry-based learning. It helps make visible the invisible process of learning, empowering both teacher and student. In my experience, it also strengthens classroom dialogue. Students begin to speak in terms of depth rather than just right or wrong.
Concluding thoughts…
The SOLO Taxonomy is more than a classification tool. It is a shared language for learning. It equips students to become more self-regulated learners and enables teachers to more precisely target their support. For educators aiming to deepen learning and develop student agency, SOLO is a valuable ally.
As someone passionate about fostering independence, reflection, and deeper thinking in learners, I continue to return to the SOLO Taxonomy as one of the most practical and transformative tools in my professional repertoire.
