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Educational Progress And Achievements May Be Judged Essay

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There are many ways in which educational progress and achievements may be judged (Bartlett and Burton, 2016). If this is the case why is our knowledge predominantly determined by formal exams rather than other forms of assessment such as presentations or coursework?

To understand why formal exams are an issue it must first be made clear what the purpose of education is. In terms of political rhetoric the message for selling education is that it will maximise opportunity, ensure better jobs, create greater social status and raise living standards (Pring, 2013). Academic skills are not the only outcomes of education, there are social skills as well, yet academic skills are the only skills considered to be worthy and therefore the only skills that are tested or examined. The aim of our educational institutes is to promote and improve social, mental and physical well being whilst transferring academic knowledge.

Formal exams are useful in the fact that to some extent they do asses the thinking of the individual without the input of their peers or teachers ideas and therefore also avoid plagiarism. Exam results can also help with parent’s decision making on the best school of their child, as league tables give an indication to the performance of the school. Exam style of assessment can also provide teachers with the evidence needed for lesson plans as they give an understanding of what the child has understood and hasn’t understood. And since the education system is

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