I have thought many times about the grading system in Bangladesh. Because I was never satisfied with the letter grades system. I always wanted to feel good about my results but I could not because we do not have a pass/fail system. I feel like this is the system that we all needed for a long time.
It would be less stressful for the students. But I also know that it can not depict how much good the student is or how well they are actually doing. But still I believe pass/fail system can help students in many morale ways, even though it has some drawbacks.
From my personal experience, grades always has been a big deal in my life. Letters such as A, B, C, or even lower has affected my perspective about myself. I still recall that I used to have sleepless nights before the exam day. But I never got the grades as my parents had expected from me. It never felt good, I used to cry out of pressure while writing in the exam hall.
It was super discouraging, and at a time I felt like a failure. So, a pass/fail system sounds better because it will be a lot better than the letter system, it will reduce some pressure. It's like if I passed then I would acknowledge that I have met the basic requirements, and I'll not be compared with other students by my teachers or my parents.
Pass/fail system would decrease the competitive mindset between the students. Students will stop trying to be “the best in class,” they would start to focus on understanding what they are learning. This is definitely gonna create a relaxed environment where learning doesn't feels like a race anymore. Students like me who has anxiety, this could really help to boost our confidence and mental health.
I know students also feel motivated when they study hard and get grade letters of first class and it feels like their effort was recognized. But if it was just pass/fail, that extra motivation might not be there. There might be some students who just wanna pass so they would only need a minimum to do that so they do not give their best.
I would not lie, but these grades system did help me to recognize my mistakes and where I stood. With a low grade, I would instantly understand where I needed to improve. With a high grade it would be clear that if I'm on the right track or not. This thing in pass/fail system we will not get to see. Another problem arrives which is that there are different type of students like everyone is passing, and few of them are like who never studies. They only study before the exam night and barely giving any efforts. On the other hand some students who are giving their best. So without letter grades, it may be harder for to see the gap between the students.
I feel that, pass/fail is useful but only in few situations, so it should be limited to certain subjects. Like somewhere where ranking doesn’t matter only lessons matter. But if we apply pass/fail system for everything then it might not be the best idea. So, I would like it more if it's more like a mix of both systems. Also, I believe that the education system in Bangladesh is not that good yet, but hopefully it will be near the future. I hope people will start appreciate the efforts of a student instead of just scores.
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