This week, our VCE Unit 3 & 4 students completed their final examination of 2025. Immediately afterwards, our Years 10 and 11 students entered their exam period and they will be followed by our Year 9s in early December.

Written exams have long been a feature of our matriculation system. There is continued debate over whether this is the most effective way to assess student skills and knowledge and to allow for teachers and students to address any areas that require further development.

In my view, the end-of-semester exam serves value in allowing for peak points of consolidation of knowledge and for bringing accountability to students in ways that can enhance their learning. It is with both gratitude and some consternation that I note the semesterly change of gears, as students become more serious about their diligence and effort. While I am pleased to see them applying themselves effectively, I have concerns that it takes the high-stakes examination to drive their motivation. 

I do worry that the cultural reception of exams feeds a misconception of student assessment which aligns grades with status or value. This is not the purpose of assessment. Rather, we adopt a range of assessment techniques in order to identify any gaps in a student’s learning so that these can be addressed and also to identify core strengths so that these can be consolidated.

Arguably, it would be more beneficial to see exam results as akin to the results of a blood test. Rather than feeling elated or humiliated by an outcome, we see this as a vital screening opportunity to obtain a clearer picture of health and wellbeing and, most importantly, as an opportunity to rectify any concerns through lifestyle changes or other interventions.

We assess students in multiple ways every day. We use formative assessments where we are gaining an understanding of how students are progressing with their learning throughout a unit.

Our teacher professional development program, Walkthrus, allows our educators to explore high impact teaching strategies. We have been looking into effectively utilising pedagogical tools that gear towards a constant evaluation of student progress. These include weekly and monthly review, quizzing, probing questions, cold calling and checking for understanding. 

Another factor that should be considered is that end-of-semester exams tend to advantage students who excel at a particular range of skills. Those with high written fluency and those who are able to perform well in stressful or timed situations, are more likely to succeed. However, students who need more time to work through problems and those who are less able to express their ideas in writing can find the format challenging. This does not mean that they are any less intelligent than other students. It is further reinforcement as to why we need to decouple exam results from self-worth. 

Last week, I wrote about how schools must change due to the advent of artificial intelligence. Perhaps ironically, the emergence of this technology lends weight to the value of exams in their current form. A handwritten exam environment can be easily quarantined from technology and this makes it more useful as a means of ensuring the integrity and authenticity of student performance. In this way, it is likely that despite some of the challenges outlined with regards to the reception of exams and their impact on learning, end-of-semester examinations are likely to remain an important part of schooling well into the future.