Tests and examinations are a central feature of school systems in many countries. Do you think the educational benefits of testing outweigh any disadvantages?

Over the years, educational institutions in many countries have relied on tests and examinations as the gold standard for grading students. Despite the numerous benefits of using these methods to grade school-goers, the drawbacks cannot be overlooked.
This
essay will discuss the merits and demerits of tests and examination in details. The main advantage of having these testing systems in place is the fact that without them, it will be impossible to determine the efficacy of the lectures and classes.
This
is because, exams are based off the source materials educators use in training their pupils, and to ascertain their level of understanding of that topic, the
test
is required.
For example
, during my student years in Russia, tests were handed out to us at the end of every topic, and
this
helped us learn better as it exposed areas where we still had some misunderstandings.
Consequently
, the tutors were able to pass on information more effectively with us.
This
clearly shows the value of examinations and tests in the school system.
On the other hand
, tests and examinations have been shown to be a poor indicator of a students academic prowess.
This
is
as a result
of the testing environment in educational institutions, which has been shown to affect the actual performance of an average
test
taker, regardless of the level of preparation for the quiz.
For instance
, a research report from the University of Saratov in 2017, showed that
test
takers scored higher when the environment was more conducive than their counterparts taking a similar
test
in a less comfortable scenario.
This
shows that biases in the results of tests occur, and are not related to the students' ability, but
as a result
of the testing environment.
Consequently
defeating the purpose of the examinations. In conclusion, tests and examinations have been vital to every academic institution mainly because it serves as a feedback for teachers, and I believe
this
reason far outweighs the drawback,
that is
, tests may not actually reveal the level of understanding of the student.
Submitted by Gbolahan on

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Include an introduction and conclusion

A conclusion is essential for IELTS writing task 2. It is more important than most people realise. You will be penalised for missing a conclusion in your IELTS essay.

The easiest paragraph to write in an essay is the conclusion paragraph. This is because the paragraph mostly contains information that has already been presented in the essay – it is just the repetition of some information written in the introduction paragraph and supporting paragraphs.

The conclusion paragraph only has 3 sentences:

  • Summary
  • Restatement of thesis
  • Prediction or recommendation

Example:

To summarize, a robotic teacher does not have the necessary disciple to properly give instructions to students and actually works to retard the ability of a student to comprehend new lessons. Therefore, it is clear that the idea of running a classroom completely by a machine cannot be supported. After thorough analysis on this subject, it is predicted that the adverse effects of the debate over technology-driven teaching will always be greater than the positive effects, and because of this, classroom teachers will never be substituted for technology.

Start your conclusion with a linking phrase. Here are some examples:

  • In conclusion
  • To conclude
  • To summarize
  • Finally
  • In a nutshell
  • In general

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