Merits of essay writing:
1. It is relatively easier to prepare and administer a six-question extended response essay test than to prepare and administer a comparable 60 item multiple choice test items.
2. It is the only means that can assess an examinee’s ability to organize and present his ideas in a logical and coherent fashion and in effective prose.
3. It can be successfully employed for practically all school subjects.
4. Some of the objectives – such as ability to organize idea effectively ability to criticize or justify a statement, ability to criticize or justify a statement, ability to interpret etc. can be measured by this type of test.
5. Logical thinking and critical reasoning, systematic presentation etc. can be best developed by this type of test.
6. Its helps induce good study habits such as making outlines and summaries, organizing the arguments for and against, etc.
7. The student can show their initiative, the originality of their thought and the fertility of their imagination, as they are permitted freedom of response.
8. The response of the students need not be completely right or wrong. All degrees of comprehensiveness and accuracy are possible.
9. It largely eliminates guessing.