In Romania, literary commentaries, which are supposed to be a way for students to reveal their opinions about a topic and their interpretation on a piece of writing they have studied, have devolved into "templates" that need to be replicated word for word and completed with a few words from the text itself. The subject of whether or not these analyses should be a part of the high school graduation exam is rather popular and much-discussed.
  On one hand, the task, as it is now, discourages independent thought. The purpose of most essays and compositions is to allow the students to express their beliefs, to let their individuality shine through. Romanian literary commentaries are more like molds that need to be filled, so the exam becomes a test of memory, rather than one of ideas. Moreover, their existence appears to prove there can only be one interpretation of a novel or poem, but that is not the case. Differences in perception were what led to the conclusion "There are as many meanings to a book as there are people who read it" and they should be out in the open.
  On the other hand, the format facilitates the correction and grading process. Usually, there aren't are not many teachers called in to check the test papers and each person's job would be much more difficult if they allowed the students to structure their analyses however they wanted. Also, the grading component is less complicated because strict criteria have been established beforehand that certain information, in a particular order, deserves a number of points. If they had to take account for subjectivity into account, as well, the results would be inexact and inconsistent.
  All in all, literary commentaries help teachers value[a...] the test papers objectively and accurately, yet they contribute to the reduction of creativity. I believe we need to eliminate the "templates", replacing them with a list of keywords that must be included, rather than completely remove them from our exams. This would allow the students to use their own thoughts more while giving teachers a checklist of terms to look for.

Last edited by Cristina.without.h (2019-10-05 20:35:13)