There Seems To Be An Increasing Trend Towards Assessing Students Through Exams
Need help with IELTS writing? Get your essays, letters and reports corrected by me.
Sample essay
In recent years, the practice of using exams to assess students has become more popular than the alternative method of continual assessment. This essay will highlight both the benefits and drawbacks of conducting formal written examinations.
To begin with the positives, a crucial advantage of conducting examinations is that it leaves students with little room for cheating. They have to write the exam under the supervision of an invigilator. They do not know what questions will be asked on the test. As a result, in order to score good marks, they have to learn the entire syllabus. By contrast, continual assessment increases the risk of plagiarism since students often complete the assignments with the help of the internet. Students also have the opportunity to seek the assistance of their parents or private tutors. Exams are also quite time efficient. They are conducted just once or twice a year and hence students have plenty of time to revise their lessons and prepare.
Nevertheless, the practice of assessing students through examinations does have some problems. For instance, some extremely bright and creative students may not perform well on written examinations because they cannot handle the pressure. Written examinations are also a source of immense anxiety for most students. Another disadvantage is that due to reasons beyond their control, some students may fail to take the exam. For example, students can fall ill on the day of exam or there may be a family emergency that prevents them from preparing well for the exam. In their case, their performance will be poor.
In conclusion, formal written examinations prevent cheating to a great extent and encourage students to study hard. However, they are a source of immense anxiety for most students and often fail to adequately assess their knowledge and learning potential.
Do you have an essay on this topic? Submit it below in the comments for a free band score estimate.
