Nowadays, people have different points of view about the correctness of using exams as a knowledge assessment tool. While some believe examinations are a great method of evaluating a learner’s level, others argue that students face pointless stress and exams do not show us the real picture. I side with people who support exams to estimate grades.
Yet, admittedly, even the most well-prepared student might show weak results due to anxiety, fatigue and bad feeling, which can shake a learner’s desire to learn and unmotivate the pupil. On top of that, examinations might not clearly demonstrate the real skill of a student, because it does not include all aspects of knowledge such as critical thinking, creativity and ability to work in a team that remains without any attention. As a consequence, students might receive grades that do not comply with their true abilities, while their strong sides remain unrecognised.
These drawbacks notwithstanding, I think exams are the most reliable and equitable form of assessing grades. First of all, exams help determine how well the school curriculum was acquired by learners, alongside identifying gaps in knowledge, which require further work. One major advantage is that preparing exams improves discipline, responsibility and ability to work in limited time conditions. As a result, students become more organised, and study efficiently by managing their schedule and cope with work under pressure.
To conclude, although both views have their benefits, I believe exams are the best way of determining a learner’s rank.