In recent years, there has been an increase in using exam assessment instead of continual assessment. Many schools and institutions prefer assessing students through exams. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this system. In this essay, I will explain the benefits and drawbacks.
First of all, I would like to talk about the advantages of this trend. The first advantage is the ability to evaluate students’ knowledge within a limited period. This encourages them to focus on studying and do better than others. Another perk is that this type of approach helps learners create clear goals and deadlines, helping them to structure their study plans and develop skills, such as time management. Furthermore, exams prepare students for future professional settings, where evaluations and deadlines are common.
Despite all the pros, there are also cons. With the trend of exam assessment, the nature of learning and understanding concepts started to disappear. Nowadays, students prioritize memorization, which doesn’t seem so good. This attitude can suppress our creativity and critical thinking. Exams also induce high levels of stress and anxiety, which may cause bad performance and impact both mental and physical health. Moreover, they provide only a glimpse of students’ abilities and talents, that may not fully reflect on that day. Factors such as exam pressure from peers or examiners can affect outcomes.
In conclusion, this type of evaluation is beneficial and disadvantageous at the same time. In my opinion, the benefits are great, but the cons shouldn’t be left unnoticed, or the students could harm themselves.