Exams
are an essential feature of secondary
education
.
However
, there is contention over whether frequent
exams
prepare
students
for post-
school
life. I believe that
teenagers
should be given regular
exams
as
this
will provide helpful practice before they go on to be assessed in university and
also
help develop a range of
skills
which are essential in the world of work.
An argument against regular
exams
in schools is that it moves the focus away from learning and onto preparing for
exams
. Exam-oriented
education
is often accused of ‘teaching the test’ rather than providing
students
with a fulfilling learning experience.
As a result
, these
students
often lack the ability to evaluate and engage critically with new information.
This
can cause problems for
students
when they enter university and have to show critical thinking
skills
.
However
, I would argue that
this
is a matter of how the
tests
are carried out.
Education
systems should be structured in
such
a way that
tests
, and
exams
are a test of competence, knowledge, or at least remembered information; rather than being the main focus. The fact that
exams
and
tests
can be carried out poorly is not, in my opinion, a good argument for not having them.
There are two reasons why I agree that
students
should have regular
tests
at high
school
.
Firstly
, having frequent
exams
at high
school
ensures that
teenagers
have had ample examination practice before continuing to higher levels of
education
. In
further
education
, it is almost certain that
students
will be tested in one way or another.
This
may be practical (
for example
, a vocational course will require
students
to pass practical
exams
) or academic (university
students
are evaluated on ‘coursework’ type
tests
, formal end-of-year
exams
, or a combination of both).
Hence
,
exams
at secondary
school
provide a foundation of experience which prepares
teenagers
for the
tests
they will encounter in
further
education
.
Secondly
, regular
exams
also
push
teenagers
to develop a range of
skills
that are useful in the world of work.
For example
, taking an exam requires a student to plan, prepare, and perform in the test,
thus
developing time management capability, resiliency, and the ability to deliver under pressure. These
skills
are invaluable in a professional setting, where it is essential to be able to organise the workload and meet deadlines. The more
exams
that
teenagers
have in high
school
, the greater the opportunity to develop
such
skills
.
In conclusion,
while
I acknowledge that exam-oriented
education
can fail to prepare specific
skills
needed for post-
school
life, I would argue that
teenagers
should be given regular
exams
because it provides good practice for future testing in
further
education
and develops a range of
skills
that will help
teenagers
when they start work.