Band 6+: Most schools give their students grades based on their performance. Why do so many schools utilize this method of students evaluation? In what ways does this affect students?

In contemporary educational landscape, most schools use grading systems to evaluate student’s performance. This practice is deeply ingrained in educational institutions worldwide. However, its effectiveness and implications are being concerned around the world. This essay will explain why schools use this method and examine their impact on students.The primary factor attributed school adoption of this method is that it will provide a standardized measure of student’s academic abilities. Grades offer a quantifiable way to assess and compare student’s understanding of the material, which helps teacher identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, facilitating assistance for the areas that the learners need improvement. For instance, if a student frequently receive low grade in physics field, it suggests that they need extra help and support in that subject. Furthermore, grades serve as a means of decision whether or not they can reach higher educational level. There will be a set benchmarked scores for moving to the next grade level which ensures students with sufficient capabilities can gain entry to higher educational material, so they need to meet that criteria for progression.

However, there are both beneficial and detrimental effects of grading on students. On the positive side, good grades can boost students’ confidence and self-esteem, fostering them to keep studying hard for maintaining good performance. Achieving high scores helps learners feel proud of their abilities, which serves as motivation for them to persist and overcome challenges in their studies. Regarding the negative aspects, striving to achieve high grades will put students under pressure, leading to stress and anxiety. They may feel overwhelmed because they need to study more intensely that will meet the expectations of their families and teachers. This pressure can result in physical and mental exhaustion, such as sleep deprivation due to staying up late in order to complete assignments and fear of failure may drive them to cheating in exams, which will affect future academic outcomes.

In conclusion, schools adopt grading systems as a means of assessing students because they offer an objective approach to measure academic performance. Although grades can be effective in motivating effort and offering feedback, they may also result in stress and excessive pressure.