Formal examinations are the only effective way to assess a student's performance. Continual assessment such as course work and projects is not a satisfactory way to do this.

Formal examinations are usually considered as the most effective and the only way to properly assess student's skills. Therefore, continual assessment is often ignored, but I think education system should foster and develop both types of mentioned approaches due to uniqueness of every person.

The main reason for prevailing of formal examinations over other approaches is that it provides precise and fair assesing of student's knowledge. Furthermore, we are all used to having exams, which makes it's position almost indisputable. Exams give students deathlines, which motivates them, and the same conditions for everyone makes exams the most fair way of assessing. However, exams can not assess individual person's skills such as communicating , organisatonal or leader skills, since exam consists of professional questions of subject. It would be hard for a creative person to show his or her full potention only in terms of exams. It requires allowing students to have some time to show what they can.

Continual assessment, on the other hand, can provide these conditions. To make person thriving, you have to be and work with him or her some time. Being a good employee is not only having dry knowledge without any vital primary skills about dealing with people. If students were given proper environment and possibility to work with other student, they will reveal themselves to others which would cause process of synergy. (The condition where two or more creative persons aiming for the same goal and make even better result than if they were separated) Nevertheless, if we had not been in need of knowledge about our chosen profession, everybody would have been able to work in every profession which obviously is not possible. So, we also need a method which would assess precisely the necessary knowledge, for instance, exams.

All in all, although we will always be in need for formal examinations, continual assessment would allow to open all potential of students. From my point of view, those who control the education system have to consider to lead both types of assessing, since the profit from it would be colossal.