A different way. The same goal.

Some feelings about exams differences between China and Poland

Four months of staying in Poland is coming to an end for me. How time flies! What accompanies me these days are the endless exams. While I am busy studying for the exams in my last exam period in Poland, I cannot help comparing the similarities and differences between the exams in China and Poland.

Similar to Poland, exams in China are a standard way of evaluating whether or not students have studied hard during the whole semester. Students need to prepare thoroughly for the exams since their final mark depends on the results of the exams.

But unlike in Poland, in China students usually have only one or two tests (or exams) during the whole semester. Students spend their whole day absorbing knowledge from the teacher and the Internet, and they are required to stay at school most of their time to adapt to the scholarly atmosphere and discipline of the school. During their years in college, students meet all kinds of people, go out with friends, study, participate in various activities, do sports and so on; student’s life is busy but colourful. Teachers are also very busy. One teacher may teach a class consisting of more than a hundred students, so only during the final exams he or she has time to comment on students’ work.

This has both advantages and disadvantages. It makes a school a place full of competition, which is advantageous for students pursuing knowledge. But too much competition means too much pressure. This always gives students an impression that their success depends on a single chance and not on consistent efforts.

I also find the type of the questions we have in exams different. Let’s compare the integrated skills exam: in Poland the exam focuses on students’ practical skills. The tasks test the ability to comprehend a text (reading), grammar (multiple choice questions), grammar and reading (cloze test) and writing. There is only one paper divided into sections; each section needs to be completed within a certain time limit. Exams in Poland test students’ ability to use their knowledge in practice. Students summarize a passage, make sentences, or write a passage. In the Chinese educational system students pay more attention to the theory, but in Poland they need to think about how to put this theory into practice.

At last, the marking system is different. In China, one can receive one hundred points in total. Students get a clear score with the exact number of points at the end of the term. A student is required to get sixty points in order to pass an exam. In China even one mark can determine whether someone is considered to be a good student. One point can make such a difference to a student who considers it to be a matter of honour to get the best grades possible. In Poland students only get one overall mark.

Generally speaking, no matter how large the difference between the Chinese and the Polish education systems is, still there is something in common. Exams are the way of testing students’ knowledge; through exams students learn to review their knowledge they have acquired, and become more inspired to gain the knowledge by themselves and not to waste time and money on pleasures. Their adult life becomes wonderful through the efforts made in their youth. They dream their dreams towards a more civilized society.

（作者：冯萍，外国语言文学系英语104班学生。2014年通过了复旦大学研究生的考试，还收到了波兰华沙大学、波兰波兹南密茨凯维奇大学、波兰弗罗茨瓦夫大学的录取通知书。）

(作者：佚名 编辑：waiguoyu)