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Formal examinations are the only effective way to assess a student's performance. Continual assessment such as course work and projects is not a satisfactory way to do this. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

#examinations #student #performance #course #work #projects
Many educational establishments
such
 as schools and universities are choosing to assess their students through course
work
 and projects undertaken during term time rather than the traditional examinations. Continual assessment can be an effective way to evaluate student’s abilities, but formal examinations should
also
 be maintained. There are two principal benefits of formal examinations.
Firstly
, they are a fair system as every student has an equal opportunity since they all sit the same exam at the same time, meaning that those students who
work
 hard should be rewarded with a high grade.
In addition
 to
this
, it is
also
 difficult to cheat if the exam is properly invigilated.
However
, some students naturally excel in exams, whereas others find it difficult to
work
 under these stressful and time-constrained conditions. Formal exams, may not,
therefore
, always reflect a student’s true ability. Continual assessment,
on the other hand
, allows those students who
work
 at a slower pace more time to
work
 on their course
work
 and projects. The teacher can
also
 observe and assist students who may be weaker,
thus
 providing them with the opportunity to improve during the term. Not only
this
, projects encourage
team
cooperative work done by a team (especially when it is effective)
teamwork
work
, an important skill
that is
 necessary for future employment. Focusing only on formal exams may mean that
this
 important component of children’s development is not seen as important by teachers or students. To conclude, it is evident that both continual assessment and formal examinations are effective in different ways, but they
also
 have weaknesses. I would
therefore
 argue that in order to have robust evaluation procedures in the future, both should be used to assess students during their education.
Submitted by JAS on

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • controlled environment
  • academic ability
  • creativity
  • critical thinking
  • practical skills
  • holistic approach
  • high-stakes exam
  • rote learning
  • deeper understanding
  • plagiarism
  • standardized measure
  • consistency
  • fairness
  • track progress
  • feedback
  • equitable approach
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