Exams

Exams are what Singaporean students study for, and for test marks, but should this really be the case? Should exams be abolished, or tweaked in some way?

In my opinion, exams are useless. Exams are a way for teachers to judge how much a student has learnt over the months. It is also for a student to judge for himself. That being said, students usually mug like mad before the test. Thus, even students that have not been performing well, would suddenly turn into temporary geniuses. Not only does this make exams inaccurate, this "studying method" also makes students forget the facts immediately after the tests.

Secondly, students in Singapore are expected to deliver good results. Parents often stress their children out, with test papers and lots of revision. This can affect results negatively, and also affect the children psychologically. Though parents will not want to stress their children out, the way society works force them to buy lots of revision practice for their children, rather put their children's future at stake.

Lastly, there are many illegal hawkers who photocopy exam papers from top schools, and illegally distributing them. This brings out the ugly side of humanity, greed, where we are willing to do wrong things for personal gain. Parents anxious for their children to do well will buy these exam papers, further feeding this endless cycle.

Thus, I feel that exams are not needed, and should be abolished. Also, another alternative is to have monthly surprise tests, so the children are really tested, and have the tests conducted online, so papers cannot be photocopied, and sold in the streets illegally for personal gain, without crediting the setter.