Don't overdo it with your creativity!

The requirement to use only textbook material in literature exams has left teachers perplexed, leading to many controversial exam questions.

The exam, seemingly a "trendy" and creative design from Mac Dinh Chi High School (District 6, Ho Chi Minh City), lacked the basic requirements of the 2018 General Education Program and was unscientific and illogical, thus causing much controversy.

Lack of attention to detail, carelessness.

It's not just the "fake" exam at Mac Dinh Chi High School; the recent midterm literature exam at Vo Truong Toan Secondary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) has also drawn criticism from many teachers and experts for its substandard quality.

Specifically, the exam consisted of two parts: reading comprehension. Part 2, which should have been "Writing," was labeled "Essay Writing." A literature teacher from a junior high school also pointed out a fundamental error in the exam: citing unreliable sources. Furthermore, some questions in the exam were intended for 6th-grade students, not 9th-grade students. "Not to mention, the instructions were unclear and poorly worded, and the requirements were vague and unclear, causing difficulties for students," this teacher assessed.

A recent mid-term literature exam at Hoa Hung Secondary School (Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province) has sparked much discussion among teachers and students, revealing several inconsistencies in its question-setting. The exam spanned two pages with six questions, and many teachers and students felt it took half the allotted time (out of 90 minutes) to read through all the text.

Many exam questions have been controversial recently. (Image: Social media)

Mr. Do Duc Anh, a teacher at Bui Thi Xuan High School (District 1), said that besides typos, many exam papers also showed carelessness on the part of the question setters. Some papers required reading comprehension of a poem but did not cite the publisher. Meanwhile, the reading comprehension question asked students to identify the content of the entire poem. In the "Writing" section, students had to read and understand the entire story to write an analytical essay.

Given their abilities, the level of knowledge and skills acquired during the first half of the semester, ninth-grade students are completely incapable of meeting the requirements of such exam questions.

Consequences if exam questions deviate from the standard.

According to the head of the literature department at a high school in District 1, the change to not using textbook material for exam questions might seem like a minor alteration. However, if teachers don't prepare properly, it can easily lead to a chaotic situation of question creation.

In the old curriculum, the same works were taught for many years. Teachers taught the same material over and over again, even memorizing their lessons. When changes occurred, requiring the selection of materials different from the textbook, many teachers were inevitably confused and faced difficulties.

Many education experts believe that exam design is crucial because it reflects and assesses the level of student competency, thereby impacting the teaching and learning process.

Based on his teaching experience and exam preparation skills, Mr. Vo Kim Bao, a teacher at Nguyen Du Secondary School (District 1), noted that many groups and associations are currently selling pre-prepared lesson plans and materials under the guise of "exam question banks." This situation requires teachers to be vigilant and to improve their ability to select appropriate resources and materials.

According to teacher Do Duc Anh, many exam questions address current hot topics but are not necessarily educational. Exam setters need to carefully select materials to ensure that the exam questions deliver genuine educational value.

Given the current trend of many exam questions being described as "open-ended and following current trends," a literature lecturer at a university in Ho Chi Minh City commented that if teachers want to create open-ended exam questions, they first need to understand what "open" means. Openness doesn't mean chasing after current events, but rather openness in thinking, perspective, and perspective, allowing for flexible problem-solving and addressing real-life situations and social realities. Therefore, teachers must ensure that the exam questions meet the required knowledge and skills standards.

"If exam questions only cater to a trend or fad, that's not good, because that trend or fad only serves a specific group of people. Choosing the topic for the exam is a crucial step; it must address contemporary, humanistic, and educational issues, not simply follow trends or fads," this lecturer emphasized.

Define the objectives when creating exam questions.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training requires that before creating exam questions, teachers and schools must determine the competency objectives to be tested and evaluated, ensuring they align with the educational goals of the school, the subject, or educational activities. The forms of testing and evaluation must meet the requirements for developing students' competencies...

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ra-de-theo-chuong-trinh-moi-dung-sang-tao-qua-da-196241110205155693.htm