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?
Some people believe that the best way to ascertain a pupil's academic performance is through formal examinations, rather than different forms of continuous assessment.
Although
there are strong arguments on both sides, I strongly believe that formal examinations are the best barometer of a graduate's educational progress.
One argument in favour of formal testing is that such
examinations are standardized. In other words
, every pupil gets a fair chance of displaying his educational growth. It is generally difficult to maintain such
bias free marking in analysis of course work or projects. For example
, in an annual exam for grade eight, every scholar in the class will receive the same questions. Thereafter
, they will be marked based upon the same answer key. Consequently
, the result of such
an exam will be a better reflection of individual student's progress because the whole process was standardized.
Not only this
, formal testing system is less stressful for the students. While some degree of stress is common in every form of examination, educational systems that incorporate continuous scrutiny of the junior's performance are more stress prone. For instance
, when a student is tested only twice or thrice a year, he has to worry about examinations only at those intervals. In system of continuous assessment, on the other hand
, the pupil remains in constant pressure of performing in order to secure good grades, thus
resulting in excessive anxiety. Some students may even find such
studies less enjoyable.
In conclusion, it is abundantly clear that a formal review of educational progress ensures a bias free assessment and keeps student free from undue stress. It is highly recommended that future courses should be designed to evaluate students only at pre-specified intervals.Submitted by Amer Rauf on
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