Essay - Tests and examinations

Sample IELTS essay - Writing task 2 Academic

Too much emphasis is placed on testing these days. The need to prepare for tests and examinations is a restriction on teachers and also exerts unnecessary pressure on young learners. 

To what extend do you agree or disagree? 

Give reasons for your answer and include relevant example from your own knowledge or experience.

While “burning the midnight oil” for your final exam, you may find yourself nervously shaking and on the verge of exploding. On this fatal date many of your future hopes can be crushed. Too much strain is put on a single, taking approximately an hour, assessment. This practice has been taken for granted for many years and only recently some voices are raised its old – fashioned.

The testing system has one distinctive feature that enhances the process of education. It is universal and standardized while at the same time it does not take into account the individual. Therefore, teachers are relieved from the burden of designing a personal exam paper. However, some scientists argue that each student possesses unique qualities (creativity, imagination, logical thinking) and unified, strict methods of assessment cannot bring them on the surface.

Nowadays, ambitious parents push their kids to be more obsessed with marks. There are many cases of people encouraging their children to calculate perplexing equations or studying French. All this at the expense of playing outside, socializing and just being a kid. The reason is obvious – the better the under aged perform, the higher prospects for “hot” schools.

Another aspect of the stressful practice in the modern examination is that it shows only the momentary situation. Even though, you may have problems with one part of the textbook, the outcome depends on pure chance. A good step in reversing the process is the ¾ test throughout the semester, implemented by new universities.

On balance, the outdated approach to assessment should be reached and adapted to fit in the modern situation. More constructiveness and reducing the anxiety are vital if society wants to keep people willing to learn and not just to achieve high marks.