Applied task-based assessment furthers pupils’ learning

When I finished the last of the written examinations for my university degree, I gave a big sigh of relief.

Never again would I have to sit and work alone, responding from memory to questions which I had not seen before with an eye on the clock, knowing that the next step in my career would depend on the next three hours.

Why ‘never again’? Because in the world after formal education, success depends on how one does real tasks. In my own case, when I started to do research in physics, I had to handle problems with unfamiliar equipment, interact in a research group, relate to workshop technicians, and learn for myself about several aspects of theory a general first degree could not cover.