Definition · Plain-language
Bloom’s taxonomy
Bloom’s taxonomy is a hierarchical classification of cognitive learning objectives, ranging from simple recall to complex creation.
The step most authors miss
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The six revised levels
The revised taxonomy orders cognitive processes from lower- to higher-order. Remember is retrieving facts from memory. Understand is grasping meaning, for example by explaining or summarising. Apply is using knowledge in a new situation. Analyse is breaking material into parts and examining relationships. Evaluate is making judgements based on criteria. Create, the highest level, is combining elements into a new, coherent whole. The revision replaced the original 1956 nouns with verbs and moved "create" above "evaluate" as the most complex process.
Original and revised versions
The original taxonomy, published in 1956 under Benjamin Bloom, used six noun categories: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. In 2001 a group led by Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl, several of them Bloom’s former students, revised it. They renamed the levels as verbs to emphasise active cognitive processes, and reordered the top two so that "create" (formerly synthesis) became the pinnacle. The revised framework also added a second, knowledge dimension distinguishing factual, conceptual, procedural and metacognitive knowledge.
How it is used in education
Educators use Bloom’s taxonomy chiefly to write learning objectives and design assessments pitched at the intended depth of thinking. Action verbs associated with each level — "list" and "define" for remembering, "compare" and "analyse" for higher levels — help phrase objectives precisely. The hierarchy encourages teaching and testing that goes beyond recall towards application, analysis and creation. For learners, it offers a way to gauge whether they merely remember material or can genuinely apply and evaluate it.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: a hierarchy of cognitive learning objectives by complexity
- Original: developed under Benjamin Bloom, 1956
- Revised: Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001
- Six revised levels: remember, understand, apply, analyse, evaluate, create
- Key revision: noun categories became verbs; "create" placed at the top
- Main use: writing learning objectives and designing assessments
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: The top level of Bloom’s taxonomy is "evaluate".
Actually: In the revised 2001 taxonomy, "create" is the highest level, above "evaluate". The original 1956 version placed "evaluation" at the top, but the revision reordered the upper levels so that synthesising something new — renamed "create" — became the most complex cognitive process.
Often heard: Bloom’s taxonomy ranks how clever students are.
Actually: The taxonomy classifies types of cognitive task by complexity, not learners by ability. It describes levels of thinking a task demands — from recalling a fact to creating something new — so it is a tool for designing objectives and assessments, not for ranking students.
Often heard: You must master each level fully before moving to the next.
Actually: The levels form a rough hierarchy of complexity, not a strict gate. Higher-order tasks generally draw on lower-order ones, but learners often work across several levels at once. The taxonomy is a guide for pitching objectives, not a rigid sequence that forbids analysis until recall is perfect.
Going deeper
