You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Only formal examinations, written or practical, can give a clear picture
of students true knowledge and ability at university level. Continuous
assessment like course work and projects are poor measures of
student ability. How far do agree with this latter statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from
your own knowledge or experience
You should write at least 250 words.
The assessment methods of students ability at the university level are
now undergoing many conceptual changes in the recent times.
Traditionalist would argue that formal examination is the best
approach in analysing the academic performance of a student, but
researches, of late, have continuously proved the superiority of course
work and projects in judging the comprehensive ability of a student.
In the first place, formal examinations can, sometimes, generate exam
phobia among students, as they are usually conducted at the end of
the term, which certainly means that students are forced to study an
extensive syllabus. This would generate a great amount of stress and
fear among many students. In such circumstances, students may not
be able to perform to the best of their potential, which is a drawback
of this type of assessment. On the other hand, continuous assessment
and course work help students to approach examinations in a relaxed
manner. Such examinations take place throughout the year, which
means students do not have to study the whole syllabus at the end of
the term.
Secondly, formal examinations mainly test the rote memory of
students, whereas continuous assessments and project work help
students do a great deal of research and discover information by
themselves. The second method, certainly tests the creative ability of
students in a more efficient way as compared to formal examinations.
In conclusion, course work and project works have proved to be much
more effective in assessing the comprehensive ability of students.
Such methods have benefited students in approaching examinations in
a very relaxed manner.