Formal examinations are the only effective way to assess a student's performance. Continual assessment such as course work and projects is not a satisfactory way to do this. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Sample Response
Formal examinations have been used as means of assessing students on their understanding of various subjects since time immemorial. Considering it in isolation or in combination with other continual assessment such as course work or projects, it remains a subject of controversy as to the best method of assessment. In my opinion, a combination of the two may be a better way of assessing students. First and foremost, the aim of the assessment is to quantify how much the student understands the taught subject in its totality. An examination is usually administered on a single sitting. The outcome depends on various factors such as whether the examination is conducted in a conducive atmosphere, whether the student is healthy during the time of the examination and also the student’s mood. These are all non-academic factors that may affect the result of the examination. Secondly, a single examination may not cover the scope of the subject completely especially in broad subjects such as medicine and law. Continual assessments may then come in handy. In addition, formal examinations are not flexible enough to assess other qualities possessed by a student such as confidence and the ability of a student to present a topic to the public. These can only be done through other assessments such as presentations and other course works and projects. In conclusion, formal examinations are a good means of assessment but should not be used in isolation due to some of its shortcomings such as its inability to cover wide topics, being affected by other none academic factors such as a student’s mood or health. Therefore, continual assessments such as course work and projects should also be considered.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add the article Original: as means of Suggested revision: as a means of Why it matters: The singular countable noun 'means' requires the article 'a' here.
- 2. Use possessive object Original: assessing students on their understanding Suggested revision: assessing students' understanding Why it matters: The possessive noun directly identifies what is being assessed.
- 3. Fix dangling opener Original: Considering it in isolation Suggested revision: Whether it is used in isolation Why it matters: The revised clause gives the opening phrase a clear subject and creates a valid alternative structure.
- 4. Use plural count noun Original: other continual assessment Suggested revision: other forms of continual assessment Why it matters: The phrase refers to multiple assessment methods, so a plural count expression is needed.
- 5. Use concise wording Original: a subject of controversy as to the best method Suggested revision: a matter of debate as to the best method Why it matters: 'A matter of debate' expresses the controversy more naturally and concisely.
- 6. Remove unnecessary articles Original: the aim of the assessment Suggested revision: the aim of assessment Why it matters: 'Assessment' is used generally here and does not require the definite article.
- 7. Use natural assessment verb Original: quantify how much the student understands Suggested revision: measure how well a student understands Why it matters: Understanding is measured by degree or quality rather than quantified as an amount.
- 8. Make wording concise Original: the taught subject in its totality Suggested revision: the entire subject Why it matters: The shorter phrase conveys complete subject coverage directly.
- 9. Correct the preposition Original: on Suggested revision: in Why it matters: An examination is administered 'in' a sitting, not 'on' one.
- 10. Use precise setting Original: a conducive atmosphere Suggested revision: a suitable examination environment Why it matters: The revision specifies the setting whose conditions may influence performance.
- 11. Make wording concise Original: during Suggested revision: at Why it matters: The shorter time phrase is more natural.
- 12. Use concise collocation Original: cover the scope of the subject completely Suggested revision: cover the full scope of the subject Why it matters: 'Cover the full scope' expresses complete coverage more directly.
Suggested Rewrites
- as means of as a means of
- assessing students on their understanding assessing students' understanding
- Considering it in isolation Whether it is used in isolation
- other continual assessment other forms of continual assessment
- a subject of controversy as to the best method a matter of debate as to the best method
- the aim of the assessment the aim of assessment
Why this response received Band 6.5
The essay clearly rejects using examinations alone and develops several relevant reasons for combining them with continuous assessment, including temporary personal factors, limited syllabus coverage, and skills that written tests cannot measure. Its strongest feature is the practical range of supporting points. The main limitation is one-paragraph organisation and limited explanation of what examinations assess well; prioritise balancing the comparison in separate, focused body paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear qualified disagreement is maintained and supported with several developed limitations of examinations and benefits of continuous assessment.
Explain what formal examinations assess effectively before showing why combining methods produces a more complete evaluation of performance.
Coherence and Cohesion
The points follow a logical sequence, but the entire essay is presented as one paragraph and the long conclusion repeats earlier reasoning.
Use separate body paragraphs for situational limitations, syllabus coverage, and practical skills, then condense the conclusion.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied for education and assessment, though several expressions are awkward, imprecise, or unnecessarily formal.
Use natural terms such as ‘conducted in one sitting’, ‘cover the full syllabus’, ‘non-academic factors’, and ‘coursework’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence forms communicates the argument clearly, but errors recur in agreement, reference, parallelism, and noun forms.
Check singular-plural references and construct lists in parallel form, especially when summarising multiple shortcomings in the conclusion.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Formal examinations are the only effective way to assess a student's performance. Continual assessment such as course work and projects is not a satisfactory way to do this. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.