As the exam season kicks in, most students can be seen stressing and revising for their GCSE’s, A levels or PPE’s.

It is believed that Chanakya, an Indian teacher, philosopher, economist and royal advisor of the BC era, was the first to introduce the exam system. The practice of examinations has always played a big role in every person’s life. Exams are considered as a effective way to measure a student’s knowledge and to familiarise them with the feeling of working with stress and other necessary skills needed for the adult life. While exams are not the most pleasant, they provide fair evaluations on every student and deepens their learning.

But how do exams help us?

Exams allow students to develop major skills such as time management, working with deadlines, developing memory, concentration, working under pressure and much more.

Competition created by exams among the individuals is motivating and pushes them to acquire more knowledge. Competition lurks around everywhere in the world. Without competition, it would be extremely hard to survive; it is good that you become familiar with it from a young age.

Not all students are able to independently study at home. If there were no exams or schools, the only knowledge they would have is of TV shows and games, not the knowledge needed for a successful life in the future. Exams help develop good practice of independent study and better concentration, so that this habit can be used for jobs and university later on.

Most jobs, careers and universities will require certain qualifications, which can range from degrees to your GCSEs. To gain these types of qualifications, usually, you need to maintain good grades and be able to perform well on tests. This leads to scholarships and offers from prestigious institutes. Obtaining opportunities also increases confidence and self esteem, which initially also develops personality.

Do exams only have positives?

One of major arguments against exams is they bring a lot of stress and anxiety. This results in many students not being able to to concentrate properly or memorise due to their own mental conflicts. Mental problems can develop and negatively affect individuals, which will eventually influence their futures. Anxiety can also make students forget answers which causes them to perform badly during an exam.

Cramming is a common thing students do during exam seasons. While they may get the good grades, they will not understand the subject fully and it will limit the student’s knowledge. Often, crammed information gets forgotten quickly, which proves its disadvantage.

It is a common habit of parents to compare their children to others, especially during exam season. Every individual has their own strengths and weaknesses, however frequent comparisons decrease a student’s self confidence and self esteem, while also making them depressed. Again, it is not a good idea for a good mental outlook.

Peace, a 14 year old student, commented “exams cause stress and anxiety in a lot of people as they are told to do well and good grades.”

Another student, 15 year old Mark, agreed with Peace and added “it puts too much emotional stress on students” and “it tests memory not skill and puts too much pressure to do well.”

However, she does agree exams also “test if children have actually retained information.”

While the opinions of students have been heard, the thoughts of parents are not as widely heard.

A mother of 2 children, 12 and 15, expressed her view saying exams “always evaluate you, always keeps you focused and active and teach you to become hardworking.”

However, she argued that exams can “make them (students) bored, and too much of anything is never good; it can put pressure on the kids and if they are always studying only, they will not be a part of the real world and they will become isolated”

Ayush, 9 years old was asked his opinion on exams. He replied “it’s kind of hard and it’s annoying but it helps you learn about yourself.”

You cannot deny that exams are very essential and provide vital skills which students require. However, it can be argued that the examination system is not the best. Exams should focus and test on the understanding of concepts and knowledge, and also test other valuable skills, instead of solely basing it on memory. If an individual fails an exam, it does not necessarily demonstrate their lack of capabilities; memorisation is not the only useful skill wanted, they could possess certain skills others might not have. It is important that while we encourage kids to study, revise and perform well on exams, we also pay attention to their interests and other skills, in order to reduce the chances of serious problems like poor mental health and low self esteem and confidence.

After all, they are the future.

Ursula Karki

Eltham Hill School