Abstract
This paper seeks to address the use of essays as a method of testing. Essays present advantages and limitations to both the teacher and the student. This advantages, as well as the challenges, have been addressed and discussed in this essay. This study also presents the immense benefits presented by the essay questions and the skills that are acquired by the students while answering the essay questions. This research presentation also explains how grading essay items use rubrics as a point of reference.
Introduction
Essay test, in learning institutions, is used to make assessment and evaluation of the skill acquired by the students. Essays are very important because they test the learning outcomes that include; integration of ideas, summarizing, organizing and self-expression of one’s point of view. Essays questions require the students to plan their answer in accordance with the question asked whose response may vary significantly in length. The essays test the student’s ability and achievements and provide an assessment of how the student presents his/her ideas.
Essay tests for students have both advantages and disadvantages. Essay type of questions can be used to assess the student’s ability to present his/her points in a systematic way. Essay tests are easier to prepare for the learners in contrast to multiple-choice tests. Essays can also be used in all subjects, and therefore it is a reliable assessment method that can be used by the education instructors. They also help the students to develop different skills such as arguments to justify a point of view and summarize a given piece of work.
The essay questions also form a pivotal part in building expression power and also help the examiner to test the functional knowledge of the learner. It also helps the learners to adopt new habits in studying. The habits that can be acquired through this type of testing are; creativity thought originality and also the freedom to express their thoughts. Reasoning critically, good presentation of work and logical thinking can also be developed by using essays to assess the learners.
However, essay testing also presents its limitations. This kind of testing often encourages students to cram and read selectively. Essays also require the learners to invest extensively in the time since they are required to do research and present their points in a systematic way. On the education instructors side, essays presented by the students prove to be time-consuming while assessing as well as reading them.
Rubrics are often used by the teachers in the grading of essays. Students in most cases are rarely bothered by what the education instructor wants but really by the methods for fulfilling a specific criterion in answering the essay questions presented to them. Many education instructors use rubrics both as a teaching tool as well as a grading tool. The rubric identifies the relevant aspects of a piece of literature.
Conclusion
Essays have been used by education instructors for a long time. They have proved in many ways to meet the examiner’s need to assess the abilities possessed by the learners. They, therefore, present an opportunity for the learners to sharpen their skills and also present their abilities to these education instructors. However, essays also present challenges that are important to address. The teachers need to distinguish where it is necessary to use an essay question from where other types of testing in more applicable and practical.
References
Gupta, C., Jain, A., & D’sSouza, A. S. (2016). Essay versus multiple-choice: a perspective from the undergraduate student point of view with its implications for examination. Gazi Medical Journal, 27(1).
Alawad, Z. M., Al Omary, H. L., Hassan, A. E., & Saeed, G. T. (2017). Multiple choice questions and essay questions in assessment of success rate in medical physiology. Journal of the Faculty of Medicine, 59(4), 333-335.
Nandan, T. M., Latha, G., Selvakumar, D., & Veena, C. N. (2017). Comparison of Essay Type and Multiple Choice Questions for Theoretical Formative Assessment among Second Phase MBBS Students in Microbiology. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. ISSN: 2319, 7706, 1529-1537.