Discussion essay (Advantages/Disadvantages)

There seems to be an increasing trend towards assessing students through exams rather than through
continual assessment.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of exams as a form of assessment?
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PLANNING: (Thesis, Supporting sentence, Examples, Alternatives)
BP1: advantages
T: no room for cheating
S: invigilator
A: risk of plagiarism
T2: time-efficient
S: one/two per year

BP2: Disadvantages:
T: problems
E: pressure, harm performance
S: brightest students perform poorly
E2: narrow range of info
S: not full test
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In recent years, the approach of (because of “increasing trend”) using exams to assess students has
risen in popularity over the alternative of continual assessment. This essay will highlight both the
benefits and drawbacks that result from such an approach.

To begin with the positives, a crucial advantage that examinations have as a form of assessment is that
they leave little room for cheating. This is because exams are usually undertaken in the presence of an
invigilator, whose job it is to detect any candidate breaking the rules. In contrast, continual assessment
increases the risk of plagiarism since assignments are often completed with the help of the internet.
Besides reducing cheating (remind the readers of the previous point), exams are also more time-
efficient. As they tend to only appear once or twice per year, they free up more time for students to
revise and prepare.
Nevertheless, assessing students via examinations does present some problems. For instance, some
students are extremely intelligent and creative, but when put under pressure their minds can go blank.
Considering that exams are situations of intensely high pressure, it is no wonder that even the brightest
of students sometimes perform poorly. Another significant disadvantage of this system is the narrow
range of information which students are tested on. Unlike with continual assessment, the small window
of time in tests limits how many questions can be asked, thus failing to test students’ knowledge in full.

In conclusion, although formal examinations are beneficial in terms of cutting out cheating and
improving efficiency, it is important to consider that they also harm some students’ concentration and
are arguably not as thorough as continual assessments. (Summarize the content through paraphrasing)

Nevertheless = However = In spite of

For example, = For instance, = To illustrate,

It is no wonder that = It is not surprising

Topic: Many elderly people are no longer looked after by their families but are put in care homes or
nursing homes.
What are the advantages or disadvantages of this trend?
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BP1: advantages
T: better equipped in terms of facilities to help old people
E: no stairs/ stairlift/elevators
S: mobility problems are accommodated
T2: staff
S: families settings do not have rare/skills
E:
BP2: disadvantages
T: lack of loves ones
S: possible visits but loneliness regardless
R: risk of depression and weak immune system
T2: surrounded by illness/death
R: decrease happiness
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It is increasingly common for families to send their elderly relatives to live nursing homes, rather than
take care of them at home. This essay will highlight some of the benefits and drawbacks that have
resulted from this switch/change.

Looking firstly at the positives, a significant advantage is that care homes are often (avoid
generalization) much better equipped to deal with the demands of elderly people than family homes.
For example, nursing homes do not usually have stairs, and for those which do, stairlifts and elevators
need to be installed. This means that the typical mobility problems which tend to appear among
geriatrics are not exacerbated. Not only this, but the staff who work at nursing homes have been
professionally trained to manage the needs of the elderly. It is rare for family members to possess these
skills.

However, care homes for the elderly also present some disadvantages, the most obvious of which is
the lack of loved ones around. Although it is possible for friends and relatives to visit nursing home
residents, these visits can be infrequent, and loneliness is often the consequence. To make matters
worse, it has been shown that those who are lonely are at greater risk of becoming depressed and
having their immune system weakened. Furthermore, care home residents are often surrounded by
illness and death. Such an environment is likely to decrease happiness and trigger severe depression.

In conclusion, despite the benefits of specially-trained staff and well-equipped facilities that nursing
homes can offer the elderly, the drawbacks of loneliness and depression should also be taken into
consideration.