Assessment could be defined as the “process of gathering, interpreting, recording and using information about students’ responses to an educational task. “(Harlen, Gipps, Broadfoot, Nuttal. 1992. P.214) It is a part of everyday life for all teachers; it is an integral part of teaching and learning and is a basis for planning lessons and schemes of work based on national curriculum. The main function of assessment is to support teachers and learners in achieving their objectives and aims; by providing information about the progress of learners and by helping institutions to improve and perform better.

Assessment can sometimes be seen as something extra that teachers have to undertake, outside of their daily routines; such as invigilating exams or taking books home to mark after school; although assessment is not just marking and awarding grades. It involves identifying at what stage of learning each pupil or student is at, as well as highlighting any miscomprehensions within their learning. It is then possible for a teacher to fill these voids of knowledge and plan lessons appropriately by tailoring lessons to the academic needs of the learners.

Using assessment is vital for any learning facilitator and it therefore underpinned by the governments teaching standards, which also make assessment very necessary. Teaching standard 6 requires that to “Make accurate and productive use of assessment”. (URL 5) Assessment itself is a very broad term and many variations exist with several purposes, each with their own intentions, advantages and disadvantages. Educational assessments can be categorized as either formative or summative. The main differences between the two are how each assessment type gathers information and who it will be used by.

Formative assessments are those that are carried out during the learning process, usually within lessons, aimed at improving