What is Mixed Ability Grouping in Education

Louise Petty

March 24, 2025

5 min read

Mixed ability grouping is a teaching method that brings together students of varying skill levels to work collaboratively. Many UK teachers opt for mixed ability grouping in their classrooms as it has a range of benefits for all types of students and is a popular alternative to sets and streams. In this article, we’ll look at what mixed ability grouping entails, the key advantages and disadvantages of mixed ability grouping, and provide some practical strategies for teaching mixed ability classes.

What is Mixed Ability Grouping?

It’s a given that all students in a classroom have different skills, different abilities and different ways of learning. Students are also likely to be different ages, from different backgrounds and part of different social circles. All of these things contribute towards a mixed ability classroom.

Mixed ability grouping is when a classroom is divided into groups made up of students of differing abilities. All pupils are taught the same curriculum in the same way and are not split up into ‘sets’ based on their educational attainment. Instead, pupils are mixed up so that the groups they work in include students of different abilities to themselves.

The aim of mixed ability grouping is for the higher-attaining students to inspire, guide and support the lower-attaining students to perform well.

Ability Grouping vs Mixed Ability Grouping

Unlike mixed ability grouping, ability grouping is when students are placed into different teaching groups based on their educational attainment, academic ability and/or their strengths; the strongest-performing students are put in a ‘higher’ set and those that struggle are separated into a ‘lower’ set.

Ability grouping has many positives for students and can help teachers to better target their resources and expertise. It can also help pupils to perform better at school if they are receiving an education that’s better suited to their level of ability. However, grouping students by academic ability is not always the right solution, and mixed ability teaching is often the preferred method of many teachers.

Benefits of Mixed Ability Grouping

There are many benefits of mixed ability grouping in education for both students and teachers, such as:

All students feel like valued team members, regardless of their ability, as they are all given a voice and a role to play in the group.
Students are less likely to compare themselves to others.
Mixed groups are more diverse and inclusive, as skills, background and social status don’t matter.
Students’ morale is boosted as they’ll feel more respected and included, leading to a more positive learning environment.
It gives students a sense of achievement when they work as a team with others and share their varied skills and knowledge to solve a problem.
It encourages a more collaborative environment where students can learn from each other through peer-to-peer learning.
Students develop important social skills by working with people who are different to them, such as communication, teamwork and emotional intelligence skills.
Teachers can better focus on providing targeted support to the students who need it most.
It helps teachers to ensure good classroom management.

Disadvantages of Mixed Ability Grouping

Whilst it has many positives, some of the disadvantages of mixed ability grouping include:

Teachers are required to find resources and lesson plans that cater to all abilities, learning styles and needs, which can make them less focused and be time-consuming to create.
Classroom management can be harder, as some students will finish tasks before others and may then disrupt the rest of the class.
High-achieving students can become bored and frustrated, having to slow down or carry out easier tasks for their lower-achieving peers.
Lower-achieving students can feel demotivated and as if they can’t keep up with the higher-achieving students in their group.
There may be an imbalance of power within the group, with the more confident, high-achieving students taking on more work and not giving other students the opportunity to speak or contribute.

How to Teach Mixed Ability Classes Effectively

To teach mixed ability classes effectively, teachers need to be organised, communicate well and continue to monitor their students’ progress throughout the term. To make mixed ability grouping successful, teachers can consider the following classroom strategies:

Use neutral group names – avoid naming mixed ability groups with words that can inadvertently suggest a hierarchy or that one group is better than the other. For example, using numbers and letters, or colours with negative connotations (like ‘red’ and ‘green’), can make students feel inadequate or unmotivated if they perceive their group to be ‘lower’ than others. Instead, name your groups after something neutral, like the seasons or cartoon characters.

Give groups clear instructions – for groups of mixed abilities, clear tasks are essential for success. Make sure all group members understand the task, how long they’ve got and what they’re expected to do. A clear focus will make the group more inclusive, by preventing higher-achieving students from taking charge and avoiding any lower-achieving students from falling behind and becoming demotivated because they don’t understand.

Rotate the group’s leader – whether it’s every week, every lesson or every 15 minutes, change which student leads each group on a regular basis to avoid one person being in charge the whole time. Give each student in the mixed group an opportunity to lead, be the spokesperson and make the decisions to promote inclusivity, teamwork and fairness.

Mix up individual, group and pair work – mixed ability groups work well in many situations, but it’s also a good idea to vary the type of group work students do. All pupils have different learning styles and preferences, so try to cater for everyone in your mixed classroom by opting for a variety of individual work, pair work and group work so that everyone feels included and has the opportunity to learn their way.

Provide scaffolded support – scaffolding can encourage lower-achieving students to participate more in mixed group settings, as it ensures they are given the resources and support needed to join in. Scaffolded support will help students gain confidence and feel more comfortable working in a team alongside their higher-achieving peers.

Plan extra activities for high-achieving students – in mixed ability groupings, the higher-achieving students may often finish their tasks early, especially if they find the tasks easier. This can present problems for teachers if the students then go on to disrupt other learners because they’re bored and have nothing to do. To prevent this, always plan extra tasks for students who finish first to make sure no one is left feeling uncatered for.

Monitor and assess the groups regularly – regularly monitoring the performance of mixed ability groups is essential for students’ educational attainment. Monitoring the groups enables teachers to spot any problems, whether it’s with group dynamics or pupils who are struggling, so that appropriate attention can be given to those who need it.

Mixed ability grouping is an effective classroom method where students of varying academic abilities work together in the same group, rather than being separated by skill level. Mixed ability grouping can boost inclusivity, morale and peer-to-peer learning, but it can also cause classroom management difficulties for teachers. To be effective, it’s essential that teachers are organised, communicate well and continue to monitor their students’ progress within their mixed groups.