Abstract: A system and method for computer based assessment in which at least one question prompt is displayed and means for a user to enter at least one search query is provided. Potential answers that are deemed relevant to entered search queries are displayed to the user and may be selected to form all or part of the user's answer. Because users select pre-determined potential answers, rather than construct answers, appropriate feedback and a mark score can be determined simply and unambiguously. Because potential answers are only displayed in response to a relevant search query being entered, users cannot simply recognize a potential answer as being correct without first having actively searched for it, and the set of potential answers for a question can be relatively large as only the subset that are relevant to a search query are displayed for selection at any one time.