Formal Exams Are Used To Assess Students At The End Of Each Semester In Many Countries | Band 7.5 IELTS Essay Sample
Formal exams are used to assess students at the end of each semester in many countries. Why are these exams used by schools and universities? What other types of assessment are possible?
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Band 7.5 IELTS essay sample
In many countries, traditional exams are commonly used to grade students at the end of every semester. These formal examinations are carried out in order to assess students’ academic skills and grade them accordingly. Nevertheless, there are other methods that can be undertaken / there are other grading criteria that can be undertaken by schools to assess their students. For example, they can ask them to write a paper or give a presentation.
It is important for the schools to gain information on a student’s academic level in order to determine the grades and promote them to the higher class. In other words, written exams ask students to answer the questions which allow schools to evaluate the student’s knowledge and grade them accordingly. For instance, schools would like to know whether they can promote their students to the higher class and whether they have to improve their teaching methods to adapt to the level of the students. It is for these reasons that formal examinations are still used in schools and universities today.
However, formal examination is not the only way to measure the student’s performance. There are several other informal methods as well. Instead of writing exams, students can be made to perform technical writing or prepare the presentation. Students may even perform group discussions throughout the semester. For example, many universities in Germany focus on the practical knowledge and hence assign a small project to write a technical paper and present findings in the class. Even though these methods are not formal, students get the chance to gain practical experience which is much needed for future endeavors.
In conclusion, the traditional examination is still a common practice all around the world, and it helps to monitor the progress of the students in order to promote them to the next class. In spite of the ubiquity of formal assessment, there are other much more varied and sometimes creative ways to examine students.
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