In formative assessment the emphasis is more on helping pupils learn.  (See section on Formative Assessment

Summative assessment can have a negative impact on pupils’ motivation

Schools can work to change the culture of assessment to make more effective use of summative assessment

After summative assessment, low-achieving pupils had lower self-esteem than higher-achievers, whereas there had been no correlation between self-esteem and achievement before

Repeated practice tests reinforce low self-esteem of low achievers

“Big bang” tests cause anxiety in pupils, especially girls

Tests do motivate some pupils.

They also widen the gap between high- and low-achievers’ motivation

Summative assessment promotes “extrinsic” motivation, in which pupils respond to the promise of some kind of reward rather than “intrinsic” motivation in which they perform because they are interested and want to do the work.

When results of summative assessment are presented as primarily relating to individual pupils the negative effect on low-achievers is more pronounced than when the results are for evaluation of school or authority standards.

Secondary age low-achievers may deliberately underperform in summative assessments because they are failing anyway

Summative assessments can be limiting for the most able

The curriculum can be narrowed by “teaching to the test”. 

This can even mean that time is taken away from curriculum content.

It can also produce distortion in terms of teaching techniques

Summative test questions may not be framed in the same way as those preferred for formative assessment.

Teachers can spend a lot of time on summative assessment which does not directly improve pupils’ learning.

Teachers sometimes adopt a more didactic “transmission” style of teaching which disadvantages those who don’t respond well to it.

The content of the assessment

The way in which the assessment is constructed

A test’s linkage with the way the items have been taught

Consistency across tasks

Consistency in scoring/grading

“Intrinsic” interest in tasks can be encouraged (see above)

Pupil awareness of learning goals rather than test performance goals can be developed

A wide range of types of understanding can be included in summative assessment

Some formative assessment evidence may be included in summative reports

Peer- and self-assessment could be included in summative records

Tests don’t need to be formal written assessments

The comparison of individual pupils on the basis of scores can be avoided

Summative tests can be placed before the end of a teaching block so that there is some opportunity for follow-up based on the results, and even reassessment

Summative judgements can be made on the basis of a variety of tests (varied both in form and content)

Pupils could carry forward lessons from assessments even into the next school session (eg in the form of a copy of their school report)

Feedback can be given to pupils in terms of the learning goals rather than just a test mark

Tests might be devised to assess separate elements of the course separately

In practising for summative assessment, pupils can make up and answer their own questions.  (Research has shown this to be an effective strategy)

Tests can be timed according to pupil readiness rather than leaving them to the end of the block of work

Summative assessment can be presented to pupils realistically, as being limited

Tests can provide evidence for evaluating courses and teaching approaches

Whole-school discussion of such assessment principles can be helpful