Throughout the examination results fiasco earlier this year, the education secretary parroted the same mantra that end-of-course exams are the best system of measuring learning. He frequently added that this view was “widely accepted”. He has never told us why he holds this view or to which evidence he is referring. In fact, there is considerable evidence stretching back 40 years that various forms of continuous assessment and coursework give a better and fairer guide to pupils’ abilities.