The essay topic is too long: Whose responsibility is it?

The regulation that literature test materials cannot be taken from textbooks students are studying causes many difficulties and risks for teachers - Photo: MY DUNG

The second semester literature test for grade 10 at Marie Curie High School (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) continues to be a hot topic on forums. The debates about the length and difficulty of the test seem to have no end.

90 minutes to do the test, the test is three A4 pages long

According to the exam matrix, 6 questions in the "Reading - Comprehension (5 points)" section have ensured the testing levels from recognition, understanding to application and high application of the characteristics of the short story genre. The exam closely follows the text, is suitable for the competency assessment framework and the differentiation requirements of the exam.

Except for question 6 (overview of the work's ideas), questions 1 to 5 (asking about: narrative voice, point of view, narration, finding details expressing character's personality, errors in using Sino-Vietnamese words), students can answer relatively well even without reading the entire text.

For question 6, to do well, students only need to grasp and perform the operation of finding keywords and topic sentences. It is also necessary to put it in the context of the curriculum: in this semester, students learn and practice reading and understanding the short story genre. And the form of short questions in the reading comprehension section is familiar to students from secondary school.

In the "Writing (5 points)" section, the requirement to write an argumentative essay is also the type of question and knowledge content that students have learned.

So, the statement that the essay is difficult (if not taking into account the time factor) is somewhat unconvincing. The only question here is: with 90 minutes to do the test, is this test long or not?

The length of the text in the "Reading - Comprehension" section has sparked debate not only among students and teachers but also among public opinion.

Let's try to explain why the test maker chose this material?

Although the requirement for exam questions to use materials other than textbooks has been implemented for many years, the 2018 general education program for grade 10 has only been applied for 2 years, so confusion in testing and evaluating students is inevitable.

The short story genre is also a problem. The person who sets the test is often worried that if they only use excerpts as material, students will have difficulty understanding or not fully understand the text. So the person who sets the test even provides information about the author of the text used as material.

Skimming or reading?

As a result, we have a three-page A4 essay, which makes students feel overwhelmed when they first receive the essay. This is a normal mentality, because at that time students are in the exam room, under pressure from the exam.

Therefore, some opinions that students have learned the skill of “skimming” so they will not be confused are not convincing. Because clearly, the test requires the skill of “reading comprehension”, not “skimming”.

The view that the length of the text in the literature exam is "nothing" compared to the texts appearing in English exams, and from that, concluding that students' Vietnamese reading skills are getting worse and worse is also a lame comparison.

Because one side is learning language, the other side is learning literature (including literary appreciation). The level of reading comprehension and text analysis are different.

Not to mention that English exams are mostly multiple choice, students only need to reason logically to find the most correct answer among the four options given. Literature exams are essay-based and include all four levels of recognition, comprehension, application and high application.

To be fair, the text was too long, which made it somewhat difficult for students to complete the test. This is a professional lesson that needs to be noted, discussed and possible solutions found in the future.

Selecting materials for a literature exam has never been easy, because it must simultaneously meet many strict requirements according to regulations of professional levels from groups, schools to departments.

So, are the review operations being carried out? What is the responsibility of the team leader, the board of directors, and the subject network specialist?

And most importantly, what are the specific directions and instructions for setting questions from the professional staff of the Department of Education and Training?

We cannot put all the responsibility on the shoulders of the test makers.

The essay questions make students complain that they are too long and too difficult.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-van-gay-ngop-vi-qua-dai-trach-nhiem-cua-ai-20240430113523972.htm