English Paper Writing Test Is Unfair

I WISH to comment on the IGCSE English Second Language writing paper, which our Grade 12 pupils are required to write at the end of the year.

It seems that new ideas about how people write have not yet found their way into our education system. Consequently we are stuck with a discredited ancient view of the writing process, thereby making ourselves accomplices to the marginalization of our youth.My contention is that since its introduction, the IGCSE English paper has been denying thousands of our pupils opportunities to experience real writing.Instead of providing them with opportunities to write in drafts, rewriting their work, pupils are compelled to put their first ideas on paper, on the basis of which they are then evaluated and graded.Is that fair? What makes this practice unpalatable is the fact that the paper in question determines the future of the majority of our pupils.Many of them do not pass Grade 12 because of their poor performance in English.Compositions contribute nearly 50% of the total marks for reading and writing.The problem is that the writing questions, which are normally at the back of the paper, do not seem to reflect what research into writing has revealed: they seem to be based on an old way of teaching writing, which regards writing as linear.This kind of perception of writing is simplistic as it regards writing as a one-off activity.According to this view, you start writing at point A and finish at point B.In my opinion, this is a gross simplification of a far too complex process.How many of us produce readable texts at the first attempt? I am sure if we have such gifted writers, they are not many.Even seasoned writers, including journalists, write in drafts.They rewrite their texts several times, even twenty times, before they come up with a final version.The same applies to native speakers of English.Those who seem to advocate the current way of testing writing are always quick to argue that the purpose of the test is to see if pupils can write under examination conditions.Yes, I agree that we want to have future citizens who are able to think quickly and put their ideas on paper.However, the nature of the process is such that it cannot allow writers to take shortcuts.Therefore testing in this way is not likely to yield the desired results.If anything, it is reinforcing a wrong perception of writing and will blind pupil writers to the fact that writing is something that can be improved.It should be noted that the ideas we communicate in writing are not buried somewhere in the recesses of our heads waiting to be offloaded onto paper at a push of a button, as it were.We think to generate ideas then arrange them on paper, read through them to see if they say what we want them to say, change or discard those we think do not help us to communicate and sometimes we rewrite the entire text several times.In fact, the process is more complicated than words can capture.Writing requires time, creativity and involves a number of stages.More time is necessary to foster a correct perception of the writing process and cultivate the right attitude.I hope all stakeholders will seriously consider this issue to ensure that pupils get sufficient time to do real writing and re-writing.Metusalem Nakale OshakatiConsequently we are stuck with a discredited ancient view of the writing process, thereby making ourselves accomplices to the marginalization of our youth.My contention is that since its introduction, the IGCSE English paper has been denying thousands of our pupils opportunities to experience real writing.Instead of providing them with opportunities to write in drafts, rewriting their work, pupils are compelled to put their first ideas on paper, on the basis of which they are then evaluated and graded.Is that fair? What makes this practice unpalatable is the fact that the paper in question determines the future of the majority of our pupils.Many of them do not pass Grade 12 because of their poor performance in English.Compositions contribute nearly 50% of the total marks for reading and writing. The problem is that the writing questions, which are normally at the back of the paper, do not seem to reflect what research into writing has revealed: they seem to be based on an old way of teaching writing, which regards writing as linear.This kind of perception of writing is simplistic as it regards writing as a one-off activity.According to this view, you start writing at point A and finish at point B.In my opinion, this is a gross simplification of a far too complex process.How many of us produce readable texts at the first attempt? I am sure if we have such gifted writers, they are not many.Even seasoned writers, including journalists, write in drafts.They rewrite their texts several times, even twenty times, before they come up with a final version.The same applies to native speakers of English.Those who seem to advocate the current way of testing writing are always quick to argue that the purpose of the test is to see if pupils can write under examination conditions.Yes, I agree that we want to have future citizens who are able to think quickly and put their ideas on paper.However, the nature of the process is such that it cannot allow writers to take shortcuts.Therefore testing in this way is not likely to yield the desired results.If anything, it is reinforcing a wrong perception of writing and will blind pupil writers to the fact that writing is something that can be improved. It should be noted that the ideas we communicate in writing are not buried somewhere in the recesses of our heads waiting to be offloaded onto paper at a push of a button, as it were.We think to generate ideas then arrange them on paper, read through them to see if they say what we want them to say, change or discard those we think do not help us to communicate and sometimes we rewrite the entire text several times.In fact, the process is more complicated than words can capture.Writing requires time, creativity and involves a number of stages.More time is necessary to foster a correct perception of the writing process and cultivate the right attitude.I hope all stakeholders will seriously consider this issue to ensure that pupils get sufficient time to do real writing and re-writing.Metusalem Nakale Oshakati