Model Essay

Examination not assessment

In the past two decade, the use of formal examinations has become less frequent in many countries. The educational systems in some societies however are still dominated by formal examinations. I believe that, to a certain extent, examinations can give an unfair assessment of a student’s ability. Even thought examination result has been used extensively as a means of assessment in the past, there are times when they do not appear to reflect a student’s ability accurately.

Firstly, examinations can be unfair in several ways. For example, that whole career of a candidate depends upon what he or she does on a certain day and hour of an exam. If the candidate is ill, or if he or she has had some emotional trauma, these factors could have a negative effect on the student’s exam results. Furthermore, some students do not perform well under pressure and require a longer time to reach useful conclusions. Even though they may have studied diligently and know the subject matter thoroughly their performance does not reflect their ability. For these students, examinations appear to be unfair.

Yet, some people believe that examinations make people work hard. They assume that in order to do well, students need to work throughout the course as they know they will have to prove themselves at the end.

However, in many ways, exams have the opposite effect; some candidates merely cram so that they can perform quickly for the demands of the tests. Other forms of assessment such as course work and oral presentations are a more accurate reflection of how hard students work. In the assessment of their ability, students diligence, initiative, deductive reasoning and organizational skills are considered, which are important indicators of ability but are rarely tested in a formal examination.

In conclusion, even though formal examinations have been used in the past, they should no longer be used as the only means of assessment because they can be an unfair indication of the student’s overall ability. In the long term, other less formal means of assessment such as course work or oral presentations are a more useful indicator of the skills required in adult life and, therefore, a more accurate indication of a student’s ability.