Essays / 'pen and paper' exams [4]

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Topic: Many people believe that formal 'pen and paper' examinations are not the best method of assessing educational achievement

Essay:

There has been a lot of debate among educators about the true significance of written exams ( known as 'pen and paper' examinations) In my opinion, such a testing method, in a way, proves to be efficient when it comes to assessing a student's academic performance. However, it is far from being the best way to weigh educational achievements.

A considerable advantage of a paper exam lies in its cost-effectiveness. In comparison with other formats of examinations, namely oral or computerised tests, written exams would seem to require less involvement of administrators and examiners, thus bearing less expense and fewer resources. This is especially the case when a large-scale examination like university entrance exam is held. Moreover, paper and pen examinations, according to a recent study, are more likely to contain higher level of objectivity. The justification for this is rooted in the fact that name and personal details of a candidate is removed from the paper. Meanwhile, face to face exams, for instance, would probably make biased evaluation due to the assessor's prejudice against the candidate.

Aside from those major benefits yielded by paper-based exams, educators have to take into account certain drawbacks. Paper tests, first and foremost, fail to produce an accurate assessment of an examinee's ability. The fact remains that although a vast area of knowledge is covered, only a very tiny portion is tested, even randomly. Similarly important is that a growing body of evidence reveals that written tests, up to a point, overlooks countless other critical skills such as team work skills, presentation skills and practical knowledge, to name but a few. Not surprisingly, many test-wise students would choose to resort to special/sophisticated (?) tricky techniques, rather than to serious learning, to deal with examinations. Last but not least, this traditional type of testing is highly likely to provide ( allow? ) favourable conditions for cheating - an undesirable practice of taking exams, particularly in Asian education systems.

All in all, some undeniable advantages associated with written exams serve to justify for their importance( necessity ? ) and popularity in current academic context worldwide. However, there should always be room for improvement by initiating/ working on new practical and highly effective methods of testing to supplement the traditionally long-held one ( conventional ones ? )

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