A small-scale qualitative study involving Primary 5 students from a Singapore school, investigating their conceptions of assessment in terms of purpose and usefulness of assessment, particularly with conventional and alternative assessment. The findings are similar with conceptions found in existing literature and reflect students’ awareness of the purposes, with “testing of knowledge” being the main response. Student participants’ reactions were also gathered and found to be largely negative due to the competitive and pressurising need to do well in assessment as a form of academic achievement. This study provides an exploratory insight into students’ conceptions and reactions as well as pedagogical implications for educators.