Published experimental thermodynamic and phase diagram data for the Ca–Zn, Sr–Zn, Y–Zn and Ce–Zn systems have been critically evaluated to provide assessed thermodynamic parameters for the different phases of the systems. The parameters allow all thermodynamic properties and phase boundaries for each system to be calculated within reasonable error limits. Because a strong compound-forming tendency and pronounced minimum in the enthalpy of mixing curve is observed for the liquid phase of all the systems, the Modified Quasichemical Model (MQM) in the pair approximation has been used throughout the assessment work to treat short-range ordering in the liquid.