Literature informs that being autonomous in one’s learning is significant to learning success (van Krayenoord and Paris 1997; Little 2005). In a learner autonomy environment, learners are facilitated towards setting their own goals for learning, thinking through the strategies or tactics to be used for learning, taking actions to achieve the goals set earlier, monitoring and evaluating the results of their work. All these will get learners more engaged in learning and will fortify the transfer of responsibility from the teacher to the learner.

Self assessment and plays a particular important role in developing learner autonomy. Self assessment is characteristic of the active, responsible learner, one who cultivates a sense of his or her progress, achievement, and perhaps level of competence (Jones, 1995). It encourages self monitoring, evaluation of learning goals as set, and making new learning plans.

This paper reports on an investigation of how self assessment could make an impact on developing learner autonomy. A curriculum embedded with four self assessment tasks was designed and used for teaching in three junior secondary English language classes in three different schools in Hong Kong. Data analysis of the information collected from teacher and student reflections, teacher and student interviews consolidated the relationship between self assessment and learner autonomy. However, self assessment can promote autonomous learning only if the tasks are appropriately designed and delivered. Some implications will be made regarding these issues.