Preparing for the past, not the future

Exams are no doubt one of the most important points of our higher education. They are extremely prominent in high school and university.

I have always struggled with exams; time limits and memorising have never been my strong point.

But isn’t it a bit strange? Cramming all this knowledge into your brain, only to forget it once the exam has passed.

People stop learning for the sake of learning and instead for the exam (or credits!).

I have noticed that what we learn starts to be solely for what is going to be in the exam – if it is not in the exam, people stop revising, stop learning that particular fact or set of information.

I also think only having two hours to complete two essays is ridiculous. What’s the rush?

My parents’ generation and their parents’ generation probably all sat many exams, and I think it’s time we moved on.

Exams foster competition. Competition causes students to compare themselves against each other and rank themselves against each other. I can tell you that this is a nasty environment to be in. Instead of competition, we should be taught about collaboration and teamwork.

On top of this, exams affect your mental health. I know it can cause panic attacks or anxiety for my classmates, my friends, and my peers. I don’t think this is right.

Exams are preparing our students for the past, not the future.

Vita Jerram, year 10 student, Brooklyn advertising how much better they are than state schools (which I fund).

Public funding of private schools should be ceased forthwith.

Chris Nicholls, Woburn