What is ICQ and CCQ in Teaching?

So what is ICQ? And…what is CCQ? And what have they got to do with teaching?

Let's get straight to it!

ICQ stands for…

Instruction Checking Question

ICQ Meaning in teaching:

You're just checking the student understands what you've told them to do.

ICQ Example

So for example, if I show them an apple and instruct them to tell me what colour it is…the instruction checking question would simply be:

‘Do you understand?'

Or, I could give them two binary options, such as:

Did I ask you, ‘What colour is the apple?'

Or did I ask you, ‘What shape is the apple?'

And that's it. An ICQ is simply a question checking that your student has understood the ESL instruction. Hopefully you now have a grasp on an ICQ meaning in teaching.

If you want to be simple and direct, ask ICQs.

Now, on to the next form of ESL checking – CCQ…

What is CCQ in teaching?

CCQ stands for…

Concept Checking Question

CCQ meaning in teaching:

Now with CCQ teaching, you want to check the student's understanding of the concept after they have completed the instruction.

CCQ Example – Vocabulary and Concept Check

So for example, if you have asked the student to read a sentence about someone's weekday routine, you can then use CCQ by asking:

‘What is your routine on weekdays?'

If the student answers this question, then they have definitely understood the concept of ‘routines' and you've done your job as a teacher.

Teachers Can Also Get Paid to Train AI

Checking that a learner understands is a skill with a second market. In AI training work you read an answer an AI model wrote and judge whether it would actually help a student. Three ICQ and CCQ habits carry straight over:

• Writing instructions nobody can misread, the way a good ICQ does. AI training tasks run on written prompts and guidelines.
• Checking for real understanding, the way a CCQ does. You test whether an AI explanation gets the concept right or only sounds right.
• Marking against clear criteria. Outlier lists creating grading rubrics and rating and ranking answers as tasks, and micro1 says consistency, meaning following rubrics precisely, is how it measures quality.

Ethos, one of the platforms we review, hires experienced teachers to create, evaluate and refine AI-written lesson plans, curriculum maps and progress reports for an AI lab. Its listings ask for 5 to 20 flexible hours a week, fully remote.

Most applications start with a screen. Mercor uses an AI interview, most about 20 minutes, with a free practice interview first. DataAnnotation uses a Starter Assessment you can only take once, reviewed for thoroughness and accuracy rather than speed. Every micro1 applicant does a skill-based AI interview with its AI interviewer, Zara. The AI interview and skills assessment guide covers both.

Open roles change every week. Our AI training jobs for teachers page is checked daily, and the Educator / School Professional role page has the current listing. Read the Ethos review for how applying works, or the AI training jobs guide for the basics. Online teaching can sit alongside it.

Sources, checked 2026-10-20: Ethos Educator / School Professional listing, Ethos IEP Coordinator listing on LinkedIn, Mercor AI interview help page, DataAnnotation FAQ, Outlier homepage, micro1 guide to AI training jobs.

Why is Using CCQ so Important for Teaching English Online?

When teaching ESL online, the engagement of the student within the class is of great importance.

Many teachers at first are intimidated by the correct CCQ meaning in Lingostar or other online teaching jobs

– but look at it this way…

…if you were to simply read the course material like a robot to the student, there is no way of knowing that they are engaged.

It could simply be an endless stream of foreign words flooding their way.

So using CCQ (and ICQ also) is the way to check their engagement and understanding…much like TPR.

ICQs and CCQs are merely forms of explicit instruction

What is Explicit Instruction?

The explicit instruction definition is ‘the act of a teacher frequently monitoring a student's understanding to ensure they are comprehending the meaning of instructions.'

Basically a fancy way of saying – ‘Checking they get what's going on.'

CCQs and ICQs are also a wonderful way to keep the interaction flowing in the class. You want to avoid being a lecturer when teaching ESL online. You should always endeavour to get the student talking for 90% of the class compared to your 10%.

This is for sure a tough task, but it's always good to have something to reach towards. After all, it's not your English that needs the practice…

So no need to overwork those linguistic muscles!

If you would like to put your ICQ and CCQ to the test, you can apply to teach online below:

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