Bloom’s taxonomy of learning: The 6 levels & examples

What is Bloom’s taxonomy of learning in simple terms?

Think of Bloom's taxonomy as a ladder of thinking skills. At the bottom, learners start by remembering basic information. As they move up each rung, they begin to understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and ultimately create new ideas.

In simple terms, it's a tool to help you answer questions like:

• 'What do I actually want my learners to be able to do after this course?'

• ‘Am I testing real understanding or just short-term memory?’

This framework helps teachers move beyond rote memorization in classrooms. In corporate training, it ensures employees not only know the rules or procedures but can also apply them, solve problems, and innovate on the job. In other words, it bridges the gap between knowledge and practical application.

With this understanding, we can now dive into how Bloom’s taxonomy has evolved over time.

Bloom’s original and revised taxonomy explained (1956 vs. 2001)

In 1956, educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues introduced what we now call Bloom’s taxonomy. Their goal was to create a structured framework for classifying learning objectives, helping teachers move beyond rote memorization and design lessons that promote deeper thinking. The original taxonomy had six levels:

1. Knowledge: Recall facts, dates, terms, or basic information.

2. Comprehension: Understand material and grasp meaning.

3. Application: Use knowledge in practical situations.

4. Analysis: Break information into parts to understand relationships.

5. Synthesis: Combine information to form a new idea or propose solutions.

6. Evaluation: Make judgments based on criteria and standards.

This hierarchy helped teachers design lessons that built toward deeper understanding and critical thinking.

Fast forward to 2001, when Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl revised the taxonomy to make it more action-oriented and relevant to modern learning:

1. Remember

2. Understand

3. Apply

4. Analyze

5. Evaluate

6. Create

The changes might look subtle, but they made a big difference. Each level became a verb that focuses on what learners do, not what they know. ‘Synthesis’ became ‘create’ and moved to the top, emphasizing innovation and problem-solving as the highest forms of learning.

Today, this framework is used everywhere from universities to corporate leadership programs, because real-world success depends on more than just knowing facts; it’s about applying and creating new solutions.

Next, we’ll take a closer look at each of the six levels, with practical examples to make them easy to apply in education and corporate training.

The 6 levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (with examples)

Understanding Bloom’s taxonomy is one thing, but seeing how each level works in practice makes it much more useful. So let’s bring the theory to life. Each level of Bloom’s taxonomy represents a different kind of thinking, from simple recall to high-level creation. You can think of it as a journey from ‘I know’ to ‘I can do’ to ‘I can innovate.’

Here’s a closer look at each level with practical examples:

1. Remember: building the foundation

What it is: This is all about recalling facts, definitions, or basic concepts. At this stage, learners can identify or list information, but aren’t necessarily making sense of it yet.

Example: List the steps in a customer service protocol or recall the company’s core values.

Why it matters: Remembering is the starting point for learning. Without a solid foundation of facts, progressing to higher levels like analysis or creation is difficult.

2. Understand: making sense of information

What it is: Learners go beyond memorization to explain ideas in their own words, summarize content, or interpret meaning.

Example: Summarize the main points of a new company policy or explain why a process is important.

Why it matters: Understanding ensures that learners aren’t just repeating information; they’re internalizing it, which prepares them for practical application. 

3. Apply: putting knowledge to work

What it is: This level focuses on applying what’s learned and putting it into practice. Learners demonstrate their ability to implement knowledge in realistic scenarios.

Example: Use new software to complete a task correctly or follow a safety protocol during on-the-job training.

Why it matters: Application is where learning starts to translate into action. Employees who can apply knowledge are more productive and confident in their roles.

4. Analyze: breaking information into parts and examining

What it is: Learners examine relationships, patterns, or structures, identifying cause-and-effect or comparing different approaches.

Example: Compare two marketing strategies and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Why it matters: Analysis encourages critical thinking, helping learners make sense of complex information and make informed decisions.

5. Evaluate: making informed judgments and decisions

What it is: At this stage, learners assess information and justify their decisions, weighing options against criteria.

Example: Recommend improvements for a training module based on employee feedback.

Why it matters: Evaluation teaches learners to think critically and make well-reasoned decisions, essential for leadership and problem-solving in any workplace.

6. Create: innovating and building something new

What it is: The highest level, ‘Create’, involves combining knowledge and skills to generate original ideas, solutions, or products.

Example: Design a new onboarding program for remote employees or develop an innovative marketing campaign.

Why it matters: Creation is where true innovation happens. Learners aren’t just following instructions; they’re contributing ideas and solutions that can improve processes and outcomes.

Each level builds on the one before, creating a clear path from simple understanding to complex problem-solving. By understanding these stages, trainers can design courses and activities that guide learners naturally, ensuring they not only absorb information but also know how to use it effectively. Which brings us to the next logical question: how do you take this theory and apply it in real-world training or education?

How to apply Bloom’s taxonomy in practice?

Applying Bloom’s taxonomy is about structuring your entire learning experience. Here’s how it works in practice:

1. Start with clear learning objectives: Decide what you want learners to achieve at each stage.

2. Match activities to cognitive levels: Use exercises and projects that match each Bloom level. Reading might suit ‘remember,’ while group problem-solving fits ‘analyze’ or ‘create.’

3. Create assessments that measure progression: Test not just memory, but application, analysis, and creativity. Move from simple quizzes (remember/understand) to complex projects (evaluate/create).

For instance, a corporate compliance course might start with employees remembering safety regulations, then understanding why they matter, applying them in case studies, analyzing risk scenarios, evaluating outcomes, and finally creating new safety improvement plans.

When done right, Bloom’s taxonomy helps trainers design a roadmap for learning, making sure knowledge moves from simple understanding to meaningful action.

Next, let’s look at examples across corporate and educational settings.

Examples of Bloom’s taxonomy in education, assessments, and corporate learning

Seeing Bloom’s taxonomy in action makes it truly useful. This section explores applications in both corporate and educational settings. You’ll see how the six levels guide course design, assessments, and activities, helping learners build knowledge progressively and meaningfully.

In adult or corporate training programs

Corporate trainers can use Bloom’s taxonomy to structure workshops, e-learning, and blended training programs. For example:

• Remember/Understand: Learners review core procedures and explain their importance.

• Apply/Analyze: They tackle realistic scenarios, troubleshoot issues, and compare outcomes.

• Evaluate/Create: They critique performance results and propose new process improvements.

This structured approach turns passive learning into active skill development, which is not just a formality but actually improves performance and decision-making.

In schools and higher education

Teachers use Bloom’s levels to design curricula, assignments, and exams. A science teacher, for instance, might ask learners to:

• Remember: Define scientific terms.

• Understand: Explain the principles behind an experiment.

• Apply: Conduct the experiment.

• Analyze: Interpret results and find patterns.

• Evaluate: Critique a study’s methodology.

• Create: Propose a new experiment based on findings.

By progressing through these levels, learners develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that last a lifetime.

With a good grasp of Bloom’s taxonomy, you can now craft precise learning objectives and questions.

Bloom’s taxonomy questions and learning objectives

One of the most practical ways to use Bloom’s taxonomy is to design questions and learning objectives that target each level of thinking. Clear objectives define what learners should be able to do, while well-crafted questions help assess whether they’ve reached that level.

Example action verbs and question prompts per level:

• Remember: list, define, recall.
  Question example: ‘Can you list the main steps in the onboarding process?’

• Understand: explain, summarize, describe.
  Question example: ‘How would you explain the importance of following the onboarding steps?’

• Apply: demonstrate, use, solve.
  Question example: ‘Can you use the onboarding checklist to guide a new hire through their first day?’

• Analyze: compare, differentiate, organize.
  Question example: 'What differences can you identify between two onboarding approaches?'

• Evaluate: assess, justify, critique.
  Question example: ‘How would you assess the effectiveness of the current onboarding process?’

• Create: design, develop, invent.
  Question example: 'Can you design a new onboarding strategy for remote employees?'

By combining these verbs and questions, you can create specific, measurable learning objectives.

For example: 'By the end of this course, participants will be able to evaluate the onboarding process and design an improved onboarding strategy.'

This approach ensures that your training targets every cognitive level-from recall to creation-making learning outcomes both clear and actionable.

From theory to practice: How an LMS makes Bloom’s taxonomy smarter

Now, imagine pairing Bloom’s taxonomy with a Learning Management System (LMS) like Easy LMS. Here’s where it gets powerful:

• Structured learning paths: Easily design courses that follow Bloom’s levels.

• Interactive content: Engage learners with quizzes, videos, and exercises that target specific cognitive skills.

• Track progress and KPIs: See which learners are advancing through levels and which areas need improvement.

• Reusable, scalable content: Apply the same material to multiple clients, each with a branded portal, without reinventing the wheel.

For consultants and training providers, this combination saves time on administration while ensuring learners actually develop skills, not just complete checklists. Try it out for free and see the impact!

Useful resources

1. Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives

2. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Objectives

3. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Measurable Verbs