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

Students

nowadays are frequently evaluated through paper-based

exams

more than regular assignments in the classroom. It is believed that there are multiple pros and cons of having

this

approach to assess

students

.

Firstly

,

this

test will allow the

students

to be evaluated fairly as the content of the exam paper for all

students

is the same.

For example

, the

students

from all different schools will be seated for big examinations

such

as A Level with the exact same questions.

Hence

, it will be easier to determine the student’s performance just by comparing their results. Other than that,

students

will not have to be burdened with a load of homework by having a major exam. The reason is simply that the test will only let them focus on their studies, rather than struggle to finish their workload before the deadline.

On the contrary

, some people think that conducting an exam to outline the

students

’ capabilities is not entirely valid as

this

will only test them on their academic intelligence, but not on their soft skills.

For

this

reason, it will only be bad for the

students

as they do not acquire the important skills that are needed outside the classroom.

As a result

, the quality of the

students

will incline for a long time.

Moreover

,

exams

will only cause the

students

to be under pressure as they need to prepare diligently.

For example

, the

students

might get major stress from studying which leads to severe major mental illness.

This

is concerning as it will affect their mental well-being,

consequently

making them not have the mental capacity to keep up with their studies anymore. In conclusion,

exams

can bring both advantages and disadvantages for

students

at all study levels. It is up to how the

students

cope with their studies for

exams

and balance it will other skills to ensure they can be well rounded in all aspects.