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E. It has a strong positive backwash effect on learning during the course

• Anticipation of assessment drives study patterns, so assessment tasks shape what students do prior to the activity itself. If there is any hint that memorisation might be effective, students will be driven in that direction. They may need considerable persuasion that a task designed to prompt deep approaches to learning actually requires this of them and this may not conform to their previous experiences of how assessment works.

• The more instrumentally the student acts towards their studies, the greater the backwash effect of assessment.

• Of course, students need some experience of the type of assessment otherwise they may treat it inappropriately as one with which they are familiar.