In education system, assessment through written formal examinations is valid or not.

It is an irrefutable fact that in order to quantify the skills based on the grasped knowledge, assessments play a significant/indispensable role. Considering this, whether written examination is a better medium to assess the skills or not is a matter of discussion. However, before deducing a reasonable conclusion, this essay will examine both sides of the argument.

There is a variety of factors wherein the necessity of having written exams could be supported. Firstly, making students more disciplined could be a substantial factor to be considered. It is generally seen that these examinations are conducted in a very time constraint manner with invigilators around, which does not let students to use the sources for plagiarism. Also, they are assessed on their actual knowledge and understanding without external assistance. IIT, GMAT, AIEEE etc. could be taken as fortifying examples to substantiate the viewpoint. Moreover, refining the basic understanding may be another noteworthy factor.

Despite the factors discussed above regarding the merits of written examination, not being a valid assessment is even a crucial aspect. Inhibiting the cognitive skills could be a prominent factor. It can be seen that written assessments assess the students based on the class knowledge, which may not only deter them from highlighting their actual skills but also impede their ability to think out of the box.

In the end, indeed, the validity of written assessments to assess the skills may be questioned; however, as far as I am concerned, the merit of this examination outweighs the demerits.