Children's achievement at school may affect the whole of their future lives, but how can it best be measured? In some educational systems achievements may be tested by an examination at the end of the course, when candidates are expected to prove that they have understood and remembered all the material that has been covered. Continuous assessment, on the other hand, is carried out throughout the course and may consist of assignments to be completed at home, or tests on shorter modules of learning at intervals during the year. This article examines the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
Both types of assessment have similar aims. Like continuous assessment, exams seek to measure students' progress, compare students with one another, and in some cases access students' suitability for further education.
Despite these similarities, there are a number of marked differences between the two approaches. The exam system ensures that all students are tested on exactly the Same material under the same conditions. In contrast, students completing course work outside the classroom may have had help parents or guardians, and it is harder for assessors to know how long they hav e spent on it. A growing concern is widespread plagiarism made easier by the use of the internet.
Some students being tested at the end of a course are tempted to leave all their work until the last-minute, cramming a lot of revision into a few weeks just before the exam. Teachers may find that assessment at regular intervals has a beneficial effect on work during the year.
It is clear therefore that these are significant differences between the two systems of assessment, with strengths and drawbacks to each. Continuous assessment may mirror the real-life situations that students will find in their working lives more closely than the final exam. But the benefits must be balanced against the criticism that only exam conditions can ensure fairness for all.