1 exam, 50% of final grade. Students say Quebec must follow rest of Canada and change 'unfair' system
CBC
As students across the province get ready to write their ministerial exams, the pressure is high — and so are the stakes.
Luca Di Fiore, a Grade 11 student, says the final exam feels like a judgment.
"It seems unfair almost after everything you do throughout the entire year," he said.
"To hear that one test that you do at the end of the year, irrespective of everything you've accomplished throughout the entire year, could just change everything for you [is unfortunate]."
Quebec is the only province in Canada where some final exams account for 50 per cent of high school students' final grades. Some teachers and students have been pushing for change and wish to be heard.
The province has standardized Grade 10 and 11 exams in French, English, mathematics, history and science – all worth between 25 and 35 per cent of final grades.
But some, including history of Quebec and Canada and basic French as a second language, count for 50 per cent.
Other Canadian provinces also administer standardized exams, but none are weighted as heavily.
Quebec wasn't always the only province placing such emphasis on these exams. Alberta brought its equivalent – Diploma Exams – down to 30 per cent 10 years ago.
Di Fiore explained that if students are unable to retain everything they learned during the year, it can make all their hard work feel "pointless" when it all comes down to just three hours.
His classmate, Mia Beauchamp, shared that a poor exam result has the power to bring down her mood and her confidence and makes her doubt whether she'll pass the year.
"I think it's very stressful because we can't remember it all. Teachers aren't expected to remember it all, why are we?" she asked.
She believes the exam's weight should be reduced.
Di Fiore proposed replacing the ministerial exam with monthly standardized tests from the ministry.
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