ABSTRACT
For large numbers of young people approaching the end of compulsory education, the whole system of school grades, marks, examinations and certificates still seems either irrelevant to their lives or a reminder of the millstone of failure which may be the most memorable outcome of their schooling. It may be the failure to gain worthwhile qualifications which rankles most, or the memory of many uncomfortable, deadening occasions when once more it was made clear that, relative to their peers, they were not up to the mark. How and why has assessment come to play this negative role for many pupils in our schooling system? And is it just liberal idealism to think that assessment could play a positive, constructive role in the learning process for all pupils?
