ABSTRACT

Such exams still make up the lion’s share of assessment in higher education, though in many disciplines this situation is considerably balanced by the inclusion of practical work, projects and other contributions to the evidence on the basis of which we grade and classify students. Notwithstanding growing concern about the validity and fairness of traditional exams, for all sorts of reasons they will continue to play a large part in the overall assessment picture. Despite the concerns about exams, we aim in the following discussion to suggest a number of ways that the use of exams can be improved, recognising that they continue to be valuable in a variety of contexts.