What are the advantages and disadvantages of exams as a form of assessment?

pros and cons of exams as a form of assessment

In recent years, it has been a common belief that the standard way to assess students is by exam, not process or various assignments. In this essay, we will discuss the pros and cons of the growing trend of assessment.

Starting with the positives, this is a quick and effortless method for assessing the overall knowledge levels of all students. This kind of assignment makes it possible to categorize a large number of students at the same time and in a short period. For example, at my school, we have a monthly test to evaluate my level and inform the teachers about my progress in class. Furthermore, administering students through exams will get them used to a competitive environment in later life. For instance, in the entrance exams to university, these students are forced to compete with plenty of individuals which can make them learn to withstand pressure and become more mature in the future.

Despite these advantages, some negative impacts of this assessing trend should be taken into consideration. Students will focus on accumulating knowledge and neglect developing life skills. As a result, they may focus too much on memorizing things for exam questions without spending time developing teamwork and presentation skills in class. A further disadvantage is that these students are usually under great pressure and stress. During exam season, many students experience mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders which can become more severe.

In conclusion, exams are helpful to assess the student's level and help them get used to the fiercely competitive environment. At the same time, having a rigid system might not be a better way to evaluate the knowledge of students though.

Well, I cannot say that you discussed the essay in the incorrect manner because you did present a positive and negative explanation of testing as an assessment tool. The problem with your presentation is that the development of the discussion is uneven. Since you are presenting 2 topics per paragraph, your tendency is to overdevelop one aspect of the explanation, usually the first reason, then the second reason does not get the same sort of development explanation. So that makes the second reason less of a scoring benefit and more of a scoring disadvantage as it will result in deductions due to under developed explanation paragraphs.

The best way to solve that problem would be to have you use a comparative explanation instead. For one reason, explain the positive and the negative. That way a balanced discussion is presented for 2 reasoning paragraphs covering different topics, but it becomes more of a scoring benefit as the development of the discussion is more equal between the advantage and disadvantage considerations.

refrain from using "we", "i", "our", "my"..., especially in an example. They will make your evidence less objective and persuasive.