Students nowadays are very likely to be inclined to the idea of having CCTs scrapped and hopefully it would be abolished for good, or at least until they graduate. Many come up with this reason: The mere hour or less that is taken for a student to complete a CCT is simply insufficient, inadequate and inaccurate to measure their level of understanding of the subject. This seems reasonable at first sight but is no more than a student’s clever attempt to have CCTs abolished and to achieve good grades through projects and assignments. This, thankfully, has only been wishful thinking thus far.
CCTs are fundamentally, tests. And these tests, like all others, serve as a tool to determine a student’s understanding of a subject. The student’s understanding is based on how much effort he puts into studying and preparing for the test. Hence a student will only get a good grade if he studies sufficiently for it, or in other words, only if he deserves it. In the event that a student is unwell or mentally unable to take the test, he should have taken the initiative and be responsible enough for himself to take the day off and sit for the test another day. This strikes out the reasoning of the system of having tests is unfair as students will not be able to perform well as they are not feeling well.
A suggested alternative which is grading based on projects and assignments to assess the student’s ability is possible on a small scale to add variety into the grading system. However it is not feasible on the large scale. The teacher cannot fully observe the process of students completing their project. Certain students take advantage of this flaw by not pitching in for group projects, leaving the rest of the group to complete the project without him. Also students may submit slipshod work that is misinterpreted will be given a good grade. Is that fair? In tests there is always straightforward black and white answer. In the event that there are any discrepancies, the teacher will be qualified to go through the student’s answer one more and see if the student deserves the mark.
CCTs are fundamentally tests, and tests are not as simple as they sound. It is a tried-and-tested system that has been proven to be useful and reliable time and time again. Over the years it is this system that has been used to determine is students are qualified to graduate from primary to secondary education, secondary to tertiary education, tertiary education to a university. It determines what schools a one is able to attend, and also whether one will receive his or her degree.
There is a vast array of uses that tests have, it is indeed very useful. Hopefully the scrapping of CCTs will only remain in the recesses of the minds of students and system of tests can continue to be in use.
