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When I first heard about the idea of removing grades completely and just using pass or fail, it sounded kind of sweet. Imagine not having to stress over whether you got an A, B, or that painful C that just ruins your mood for the whole day. You just pass, you move, simple! There’s no pressure, no overthinking. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it is not that straightforward. See, on one hand, a pass/fail system could actually help students mentally.
A lot of people in school are not even learning anymore; they are just chasing grades. You will see someone reading all night, not because they want to understand anything, but because they just want to secure that “A.” And if they don’t get it, it feels like the end of the world. That kind of pressure is a lot, especially for younger students who are still trying to figure themselves out.
Some parents didn’t like seeing their children always at the bottom, so schools gradually removed positions and focused only on percentages. Personally, I feel that change reduced the competitive spirit among students.
Back then, many students pushed themselves just to make the top three because it came with pride, recognition, and respect from both teachers and classmates. Once positions disappeared, everything started to feel more “normal” and less competitive.
Now we are used to grading systems like A1, B2, and the rest. Even that still creates a level of motivation among students. Imagine if education became only “pass or fail”; many students would likely settle for the bare minimum instead of striving to do better.
Students are already becoming demotivated because of the years spent in school, the money involved, and, in the end, the lack of jobs to reward the effort.
Many people now go to school mainly for validation, but honestly, I think it is still better to have a certificate and not find a job than not have a certificate and miss opportunities for good jobs. The latter feels worse.
In the traditional education system, the grading system was popular, and it’s still popular now. Based on the exam results, the ranks of the students used to be determined. Everyone wants to be the top ranker, and many students compete for the top rank. It’s good and bad at the same time. It’s because when one student competes for ranking, they must make efforts and need to be dedicated to their studies. Such a thing boosts the progress of a student, but at the same time, competition can be unhealthy. Jealousy can be a troublesome thing and can bring several negative consequences.
That’s the reason many countries have stopped grading students and tried to treat all the students the same. On the surface, it seems like a good thing. It cannot discriminate between students, and there will be no first or last boy in a class, and equality can be maintained. But there is a negative side to it: students do not compete. If I can get the pass marks, why should I study hard for an A+ when both will be considered equal? Students lose motivation, as arranging the pass mark is not so difficult in my opinion.
Securing a good percentage in exams acts as a catalyst for success by providing early advantages in academic, personal, and career development. High scores often act as a gatekeeper, determining access to prestigious institutions and scholarships, which places high achievers ahead of others. There was an era when many students were disqualified because they were unable to meet the cutoff marks. Even a slight difference in their score made them miss the train. Later on, the marking system was upgraded to a grading system, which brought a fair evaluation method. But will the grading system prove effective? That is the biggest question to ask.
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