Many people believe that formal “pen and paper” examination is not the best method of assessing academic performance and prefer online forms of testing. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.

For a very long time using traditional examination has been the norm to assess students’ knowledge in many countries. There is a growing argument that this is not a very good way to test a pupil. I personally believe that the formal ‘pen and paper’ system is not the gold standard anymore for the reasons mentioned below. First of all, most of the examinations in schools and colleges focus on how much the student remembers from the curriculum. There is an undue pressure on the kids to memorise facts and jot down answers on exam day. It’s basically a test of memory rather than understanding and application of concepts. Holistic learning takes a backseat in this process. In addition, the non-academic talents of children are kept aside. Some children have innate talents in music, arts, sports, etc which are of no use in traditional system of schooling assessments. Recently in the news I read that Finland has abolished exams for children less than ten years. I think that other countries should follow this and encourage kids to take up more extra-curricular activities. Finally, when young ones are graded pass and fail according to marks they get, there may be unnecessary comparisons. The ones that ‘failed’ may feel inferior and left out. They may go to the extent of dropping out of school, unable to bear the humiliation. Hence, it is the duty of teachers and schools to address this issue. In conclusion, it may be detrimental to use grades as parameter to students’ learning. I strongly feel that the question-answer pattern may be outdated. It puts unnecessary stress on young ones, kills their talents and failures may have lasting impact on kids’ mind. Therefore we must not focus too much on book-knowledge in children.