There seems to be an increasing trend towards assessing students through exams rather than through continual assessment. What are the advantages and disadvantages of exams as a form of assessment?

There is no doubt that

assessment

is one of the most important activities of a school year.

Although

continuous

assessment

has been touted as an effective assessing methodology, physical time-bound

examination

continues to be the preferred testing tool throughout the world. In

this

essay, I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of exams as a means of evaluation. One of the most important advantages of

examination

Suggestion

the examination

as an

assessment

tool is unbiased and objective results.

This

means that students from varying cultures, backgrounds, and countries can be tested on the same set of questions and the results can objectively determine their level of understanding of the topics assessed.

For example

, IELTS

examination

uses a timed testing approach to find the English language proficiency of the test-takers. IELTS is able to effectively gauge the English language ability and provide the results in a nine band format.

In contrast

, if continuous

assessment

is used as a tool, the impression of students

on

Suggestion

with

to

a teacher can have a positive or negative impact on the teacher’s

assessment

of student’s knowledge. The major disadvantage of using

examination mode

Suggestion

an examination mode

of

assessment

is the stress and mental

pressure

on students. One has to understand that a child can get under

trumendous

extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree

tremendous

pressure

if his performance in a three hour

examination

would decide his future. The children who are unable to handle

this

pressure

often take dramatic actions.

For instance

, many students take the extreme step of suicide before

examination

as they are unable to handle the

pressure

and expectations to do well in exams.

However

, continuous

assessment

can be very useful in reducing the burden since the students would be evaluated for their abilities throughout the year in a stress free environment and a single bad day would not have a drastic impact on their future plans. In conclusion, timed

examination

provide an effective and unbiased method to determine a student’s knowledge and understanding of the tested subject.

However

, it

also

results in high mental stress due to the importance of the exams for the future of children.