Students at school and university have to take too many tests and exams. These tests make it harder to teach and harder to learn and put students under unnecessary pressure. Is this a fair comment?

Schoolchildren have been asked to sit examinations for centuries. Students in every corner of the globe are regularly tested by their teachers in academic institutions. There is no doubt that, in the correct circumstances, testing can be a valuable tool.
However
, when used wrongly or excessively, the test may become a dangerous weapon and be detrimental both to the tutor and the learner. Educators can point to a number of advantages of testing. Setting tests can help to develop a positive sense of competition amongst students, which can inspire them to learn more effectively and perform successfully.
Similarly
, exams can demonstrate to pupils how much progress they have made and the areas in which they are doing well.
This
could be extremely motivating.
Furthermore
, exams demonstrate to teachers what their pupils have learnt and what needs to be revised later.
This
may make teaching more effective. At the same time
however
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, however
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, it is necessary to acknowledge the potential weaknesses and dangers associated with examining.
Firstly
, tests can be excessively stressful for candidates and may even lead to nervous breakdowns or, in the worst-case scenario, attempted suicide.
Likewise
, they can result in too much competitiveness between
fellow-students
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fellow students
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and those who achieve lower scores may experience lower self-esteem or suffer from being bullied.
Finally
, exams can be extremely unfair. Some students consistently achieve low exam scores despite being academically bright. These individuals are unlikely to reach institutions of higher education, even though they deserve to. All in all, it is fair to say that testing can be of great benefit both to those who teach and those who study.
Nevertheless
, tests must be used sparingly and with caution as they can, at times, be both damaging and unjust.
Submitted by igoncalves.guerreiro on

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Stick to this essay structure:

  • Paragraph 1 - Introduction
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