ABSTRACT
A paper from the UK Employment Department (1992) observes that a sound system, depending always on its purpose, will exhibit some, perhaps all, of the following characteristics:
there will be clarity of purpose
assessment will enable the learner to review progress and plan further learning
similarly, it will allow the provider to review progress and adjudge teaching effectiveness
it will be clear what is being assessed and how judgements are reached
assessment will essentially assess what it claims to assess (validity)
it will appear credible to tutors, learners and institutions
it will be cost-efficient
an outcome will be clear records of attainment which are useful to third parties
the system itself will be subject to quality assurance procedures.
