These days, many people propose that English is no longer a compulsory section for high school students in the Graduation Examination. The debate whether English should still be a mandatory subject for the National exams or not remains controversial. This essay will discuss both viewpoints with valid reasons and present my personal opinion.
On the one hand, abandoning English in the mandatory sections of the National exams would benefit some juniors struggling with language subjects. Firstly, pupils who are not proficient in English are able to focus on their personal strengths. Given that English isn’t a part of their examination, students are under no obligation to cram a large amount of its related knowledge. Therefore, they are able to concentrate and spend more time on their chosen subjects to demonstrate the best results. In addition, this change would also alleviate pupils’ stress and anxiety. The fewer subjects they are forced to study, the less exhausted they are likely to become. Instead of facing the pressure before each English test, students may obtain a sense of relaxation and good-condition spirit to prepare for the National exams. Thus making English an optional choice probably reduces depression for students, fostering a flexible academic environment.
On the contrary, the shift of making English an optional subject for the National High School Graduation Exam still sparks some drawbacks. In this globalized society, this change may decrease the opportunity of students to study and work abroad. Obviously, English is now a dominant language all over the world, it helps to break the boundaries of communication in international workplaces. An array of companies are inclined to recruiting employees with outstanding command of English, so removing English as a mandatory subject would ruin students’ chances in the future. Besides, fewer pupils learning English means that fewer of them will be capable of approaching other cultures. The English curriculum provides juniors with different information about other civilizations in many categories. Hence, if students are not obligated to take an English examination,they won’t lean on studying it and broaden their horizons.
From my perspectives, I believe that it is rather advantageous to consider English an elective section in the National exams. This absolutely helps students to direct themselves and choose suitable subjects from scratch so that they won’t be time-consuming to learn their hated subject. Although it is not compulsory, English can still be learnt by enthusiastic individuals. Many pupils do not attend the English section in the Graduation test somehow because it is academic, they may come back to learn it in a natural way by talking, listening to the English language.
In conclusion, the proposal that English should no longer be a compulsory section of the National High School Graduation Exam starting from 2025 is multifaceted. But it seems to be beneficial and suits modern life, in which students need to make their own choice.