In 2011, the General Medical Council (GMC) recommended
a series of changes to the current use of workplace-based
assessments (WPBAs) in postgraduate medical training in
their discussion paper, Learning and assessment in the clinical
environment: the way forward.1 The paper recommended the
introduction of separate formative and summative assessments
as part of the revision of current WPBAs.
The distinction was made between assessments for learning
(formative assessments) and assessments of learning
(summative assessments).2 The purpose of an assessment for
learning is to provide teachers and learners with information
that would facilitate further development.2,3
The GMC recommended the introduction of supervised
learning events (SLEs), which are trainee-led formative
assessments that aim to promote and facilitate learning.1