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i hate that the education system is so exam-based

especially the secondary education system. it excludes bad test takers / those with test anxiety & before u tell me there’s learning support for them it’s very inaccessiblee so 🤷🏽 it takes forever to get approved/theyre very selective and for what, extra time? a different room? this doesn’t solve the root problem here of exams not even measuring what they claim to measure. sure theyre reliable and efficient..but the education system shouldn’t be like some factory churning out “”educated”” ppl, u kno..some irreliability and inefficiency is fine. it’s ****ing learning for gods sake.

sigh. i cant even be bothered w how **** the education system is right now. im kind of just shrugging it off. i hope it’s not as ****ing exclusive as it is now to future generations (tho it probably will be with increase in population, they’ll be adding even more “efficiency” measures. ofc efficiency measures that come at the expense of the students)

(btw im talking about the ibdp program but this goes for a-levels, etc)
(edited 6 years ago)

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Original post by remaal
especially the secondary education system. it excludes bad test takers / those with test anxiety & before u tell me there’s learning support for them it’s very inaccessiblee so 🤷🏽*♀️ it takes forever to get approved/theyre very selected and for what, extra time? a different room? this doesn’t solve the root problem here of exams not even measuring what they claim to measure. sure theyre reliable and efficient..but the education system shouldn’t be like some factory churning out “”educated”” ppl, u kno..some irreliability and inefficiency is fine. it’s ****ing learning for gods sake.

sigh. i cant even be bothered w how **** the education system is right now. im kind of just shrugging it off. i hope it’s not as ****ing exclusive as it is now to future generations (tho it probably will be with increase in population, they’ll be adding even more “efficiency” measures. ofc efficiency measures that come at the expense of the students)

(btw im talking about the ibdp program but this goes for a-levels, etc)


What do you propose to assess academic attainment?
same story here in Australia mate, same story everywhere in the world. you can't give everyone a participation medal. Everyone is subject to the same conditions so it's fair. Buckle up, head down and study instead of finding reasons to waste time and make these sorts of threads.
Original post by NeilFromAus
same story here in Australia mate, same story everywhere in the world. you can't give everyone a participation medal. Everyone is subject to the same conditions so it's fair. Buckle up, head down and study instead of finding reasons to waste time and make these sorts of threads.


how’s subjecting everyone to the same conditions fair? what about disadvantaged groups? see, that’s the thing with education. its version of fairness is equality..when really EQUITY is what we need.

& im not wasting time. you suggest studying fixes my problem but i still have really bad test anxiety that puts me at a disadvantage. ive done terribly on tests ive studied veryyy well for. studying isnt the problem for me.

..i dont know..like, excuse me for wanting to have a better education experience? to have **had a better education experience. its done its damage & is too late now.
Original post by 123Master321
What do you propose to assess academic attainment?


I've not necessarily proposed anything but one feasible way would be to have exams weigh less. I think it's that they're so high-stakes which makes them so anxiety-ridding/triggering for those with anxiety. so instead of 60% of my final grade being exams, 30% can be exams and the rest can be course work? internally or externally examined. I get that there's the issue of it not being the student's work with coursework, but many university courses are 100% coursework so if that didn't stop them there, it shouldn't here.
Original post by remaal
I've not necessarily proposed anything but one feasible way would be to have exams weigh less. I think it's that they're so high-stakes which makes them so anxiety-ridding/triggering for those with anxiety. so instead of 60% of my final grade being exams, 30% can be exams and the rest can be course work? internally or externally examined. I get that there's the issue of it not being the student's work with coursework, but many university courses are 100% coursework so if that didn't stop them there, it shouldn't here.


But the problem about coursework is possible plagiarism and cheating. That's why they scrapped it for GCSE 9-1 Science.
Original post by Jang Gwangnam
But the problem about coursework is possible plagiarism and cheating. That's why they scrapped it for GCSE 9-1 Science.


have strict plagiarism policies. use plagiarism checkers.
Original post by remaal
I've not necessarily proposed anything but one feasible way would be to have exams weigh less. I think it's that they're so high-stakes which makes them so anxiety-ridding/triggering for those with anxiety. so instead of 60% of my final grade being exams, 30% can be exams and the rest can be course work? internally or externally examined. I get that there's the issue of it not being the student's work with coursework, but many university courses are 100% coursework so if that didn't stop them there, it shouldn't here.


I have coursework anxiety. Having to do work outside of school and organize well really stresses me out since I am a serial procrastinator. I prefer the exam setting where I do it once and forget about it.
Whatever you do someone somewhere will have a problem with it. You can't make everyone happy.
Original post by remaal
I've not necessarily proposed anything but one feasible way would be to have exams weigh less. I think it's that they're so high-stakes which makes them so anxiety-ridding/triggering for those with anxiety. so instead of 60% of my final grade being exams, 30% can be exams and the rest can be course work? internally or externally examined. I get that there's the issue of it not being the student's work with coursework, but many university courses are 100% coursework so if that didn't stop them there, it shouldn't here.


Do you propose to do the same with, say maths? Personally, I dont think having coursework would be a feasible way of testing students in maths.
Original post by DrawTheLine
Whatever you do someone somewhere will have a problem with it. You can't make everyone happy.


it's one thing when some"one" has a problem and another when a majority or a substantial number does
Original post by Jang Gwangnam
But the problem about coursework is possible plagiarism and cheating. That's why they scrapped it for GCSE 9-1 Science.



This is so true. My terrible school gave no help or guidance to us during coursework. Few got above a B. I achieved As in my exams but Bs in coursework, which dragged my grades down. My brother's school however practically did the coursework for them. So he ended up with Bs overall despite getting Cs in exams. Yet we both have the same B grades.
So, courswork is only beneficial if you're in a good school that actually teaches you. If you're in one of the worst schools in the country coursework does the opposite.
Original post by remaal
I've not necessarily proposed anything but one feasible way would be to have exams weigh less. I think it's that they're so high-stakes which makes them so anxiety-ridding/triggering for those with anxiety. so instead of 60% of my final grade being exams, 30% can be exams and the rest can be course work? internally or externally examined. I get that there's the issue of it not being the student's work with coursework, but many university courses are 100% coursework so if that didn't stop them there, it shouldn't here.


What about people who don't do so well with coursework? I get where you're coming from but this is a difficult problem to solve which means the education system will probably remain as it is for the foreseeable future at least.

And also, the government is intentionally making exams harder - they need some people to fail so that they can take up the less skilled work so it actually benefits them in all honesty.
i agree with the test anxiety part but i still think school should have tests. You need to be able to teach the topic to show that you understood the concept so maybe the exams should be tailored to that concept when testing us, i would also get rid of the time constraints (still salty of my M3 exam) let me hand in the exam when i completed it!!! course works are good but they should be in a form of project e.g here is a problem or open ended question make/create a solution.
Original post by 123Master321
Do you propose to do the same with, say maths? Personally, I dont think having coursework would be a feasible way of testing students in maths.


oh yeah, it wouldn't go for every subject. besides with maths there's less spontaneity bc of how formulaic it is (than say, a literature or history or psychology exam where a lot of on-the-spot improv has to be done), thus, less anxiety. & it could still work with course work since there are worksheets and projects (application of maths is arguably more important than learning its foundations) and things like that, but I get that's it's important in maths to solve things in a timely manner and exams help w/ that. exams doo reap some benefits and that's why I'm noot saying they should be fully wiped out. just that the anxiety around them comes from how high stakes they are, so if they weighted less, that could make the biggest difference. not to mention changing exam conditions (for everyone, not just those that request it, bc that process in of itself is very nerve-wrecking/inaccessible) by doing away with exam halls (horrible, horrible places..) and having exams be in more familiar spaces to the students, like classrooms. having less students in the classroom and setting test times so that there is some extra time built-in, while still keeping it a challenge. not cramming exams into a short period of time, and spacing them out. hell, even calling them something other than exams. there's a lot of fear attached to that word (worse, the all-dreadful 'finals'). things like that.

also if with worksheets for example, the concern is that it's not the student's work, they don't have to be take-home ones. could be classwork. there's also participation to measure how well the student took in information. sure there's anxiety with that too but it's not comparable to the anxiety that exams which are 60% of your grade yield. though thinking about it, it's difficult to quantify participation without teacher bias, bc it'll be down to their final impression of the student. still, it should count. even if a very small percentage.
Original post by remaal
it's one thing when some"one" has a problem and another when a majority or a substantial number does


A lot of people also have anxiety over their driving tests, does that mean we need to find a different way to determine if someone is able to drive on their own?

A lot of people are anxious over a job interview. What do we do instead when deciding who to hire?

This problem is everywhere. Tests are a part of life and can't be avoided. If not a school exam then it's a driving test or a job interview or something else.
Reply 16
so here in Germany we have a 50% participation (presentations in class, handed in homework and answering questions or giving input in class) and 50% to the two exams you write each year. I am really good in my exams but raising my hand in class and saying something makes me incredibly anxious. Therefore I would be happy if exams counted more, since my grades wouldn't be dragged down so much. I usually only amend my participation grade by handing in homework or essays, but that takes up so much time outside of school, I sometimes hate my life, whereas people with no anxiety get good grades because they are able to just say random stuff (sometimes not even relevant) while they don't put in as much work as I do. This is why assessing participation is hard and with biased teachers (it's impossible not to be, let's be honest) it's sometimes not easy to understand why someone got a better grade or a worse grade...
I for my part always wished only my exams would count, whereas some of my friends are thankful they can higher their grades through participating...

And even tough it annoys me so much I don't see any other way to do it, because this policy gives 50% to those good in exams and 50% to those who maybe are just good at participating.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Mesopotamian.
What about people who don't do so well with coursework? I get where you're coming from but this is a difficult problem to solve which means the education system will probably remain as it is for the foreseeable future at least.

And also, the government is intentionally making exams harder - they need some people to fail so that they can take up the less skilled work so it actually benefits them in all honesty.


don't you think that being good at course work is more important than being good at tests, though? like when you get to work, you'll be doing long-term projects for the most part..and you need to be good at that. I think that coursework anxiety is a more important hurdle to overcome. and again, I'm not saying exams should be wiped out. they too reap benefits and have importance in adulthood. just lower their stakes so that those with test anxiety (who outnumber those with coursework anxiety, unfortunately with standardized education u have to side with the majority) are not at such a disadvantage. there are so many intelligent people who are set back in life bc of this.

yeah, it's a difficult problem. not denying that. but that doesn't mean NOTHING should be done about it. even the smallest changes make a difference. radical change is never good with education reform anyway. and..& education is not a helpless cause.

hah, and you're right about the government thing. but there's always a political agenda behind things..so.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by remaal
how’s subjecting everyone to the same conditions fair? what about disadvantaged groups? see, that’s the thing with education. its version of fairness is equality..when really EQUITY is what we need.

& im not wasting time. you suggest studying fixes my problem but i still have really bad test anxiety that puts me at a disadvantage. ive done terribly on tests ive studied veryyy well for. studying isnt the problem for me.

..i dont know..like, excuse me for wanting to have a better education experience? to have **had a better education experience. its done its damage & is too late now.


Before I say anything else, I dont agree that exams are the best way to test peoples knowledge of a subject (and at least from my own chats with lecturers, they dont think it is either)

However, you shouldnt use the fact you have test anxiety
as an excuse you should use it is a reason to work on getting better at doing questions in exam conditions, finding ways to cope with it etc. You say its unfair but thats life, if you dont interview well you cant just say its unfair to do interviews because you dont interview well, you need to work on your weak points instead. Or what about people who get presentation anxiety? lots of interviews require you to give a presentation so as people get presentation anxiety, should they get rid of that too? Ultimately you will come across things in life that you arent great at at first you will either have to find ways to improve at it or let the opportunity that it may give you pass by as there are plenty of people in your situation where they struggle doing X or Y and just found ways to cope/get better at it and those are the people that succeed
Original post by remaal
especially the secondary education system. it excludes bad test takers / those with test anxiety & before u tell me there’s learning support for them it’s very inaccessiblee so 🤷🏽 it takes forever to get approved/theyre very selective and for what, extra time? a different room? this doesn’t solve the root problem here of exams not even measuring what they claim to measure. sure theyre reliable and efficient..but the education system shouldn’t be like some factory churning out “”educated”” ppl, u kno..some irreliability and inefficiency is fine. it’s ****ing learning for gods sake.

sigh. i cant even be bothered w how **** the education system is right now. im kind of just shrugging it off. i hope it’s not as ****ing exclusive as it is now to future generations (tho it probably will be with increase in population, they’ll be adding even more “efficiency” measures. ofc efficiency measures that come at the expense of the students)

(btw im talking about the ibdp program but this goes for a-levels, etc)


Do BTECs then; they're mainly coursework

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