essay examination system

Essay Exams

What this handout is about.

At some time in your undergraduate career, you’re going to have to write an essay exam. This thought can inspire a fair amount of fear: we struggle enough with essays when they aren’t timed events based on unknown questions. The goal of this handout is to give you some easy and effective strategies that will help you take control of the situation and do your best.

Why do instructors give essay exams?

Essay exams are a useful tool for finding out if you can sort through a large body of information, figure out what is important, and explain why it is important. Essay exams challenge you to come up with key course ideas and put them in your own words and to use the interpretive or analytical skills you’ve practiced in the course. Instructors want to see whether:

• You understand concepts that provide the basis for the course
• You can use those concepts to interpret specific materials
• You can make connections, see relationships, draw comparisons and contrasts
• You can synthesize diverse information in support of an original assertion
• You can justify your own evaluations based on appropriate criteria
• You can argue your own opinions with convincing evidence
• You can think critically and analytically about a subject

What essay questions require

Exam questions can reach pretty far into the course materials, so you cannot hope to do well on them if you do not keep up with the readings and assignments from the beginning of the course. The most successful essay exam takers are prepared for anything reasonable, and they probably have some intelligent guesses about the content of the exam before they take it. How can you be a prepared exam taker? Try some of the following suggestions during the semester:

• Do the reading as the syllabus dictates; keeping up with the reading while the related concepts are being discussed in class saves you double the effort later.
• Go to lectures (and put away your phone, the newspaper, and that crossword puzzle!).
• Take careful notes that you’ll understand months later. If this is not your strong suit or the conventions for a particular discipline are different from what you are used to, ask your TA or the Learning Center for advice.
• Participate in your discussion sections; this will help you absorb the material better so you don’t have to study as hard.
• Organize small study groups with classmates to explore and review course materials throughout the semester. Others will catch things you might miss even when paying attention. This is not cheating. As long as what you write on the essay is your own work, formulating ideas and sharing notes is okay. In fact, it is a big part of the learning process.
• As an exam approaches, find out what you can about the form it will take. This will help you forecast the questions that will be on the exam, and prepare for them.

These suggestions will save you lots of time and misery later. Remember that you can’t cram weeks of information into a single day or night of study. So why put yourself in that position?

Now let’s focus on studying for the exam. You’ll notice the following suggestions are all based on organizing your study materials into manageable chunks of related material. If you have a plan of attack, you’ll feel more confident and your answers will be more clear. Here are some tips: 

• Don’t just memorize aimlessly; clarify the important issues of the course and use these issues to focus your understanding of specific facts and particular readings.
• Try to organize and prioritize the information into a thematic pattern. Look at what you’ve studied and find a way to put things into related groups. Find the fundamental ideas that have been emphasized throughout the course and organize your notes into broad categories. Think about how different categories relate to each other.
• Find out what you don’t know, but need to know, by making up test questions and trying to answer them. Studying in groups helps as well.

Taking the exam

Read the exam carefully.

• If you are given the entire exam at once and can determine your approach on your own, read the entire exam before you get started.
• Look at how many points each part earns you, and find hints for how long your answers should be.
• Figure out how much time you have and how best to use it. Write down the actual clock time that you expect to take in each section, and stick to it. This will help you avoid spending all your time on only one section. One strategy is to divide the available time according to percentage worth of the question. You don’t want to spend half of your time on something that is only worth one tenth of the total points.
• As you read, make tentative choices of the questions you will answer (if you have a choice). Don’t just answer the first essay question you encounter. Instead, read through all of the options. Jot down really brief ideas for each question before deciding.
• Remember that the easiest-looking question is not always as easy as it looks. Focus your attention on questions for which you can explain your answer most thoroughly, rather than settle on questions where you know the answer but can’t say why.

Analyze the questions

• Decide what you are being asked to do. If you skim the question to find the main “topic” and then rush to grasp any related ideas you can recall, you may become flustered, lose concentration, and even go blank. Try looking closely at what the question is directing you to do, and try to understand the sort of writing that will be required.
• Focus on what you do know about the question, not on what you don’t.
• Look at the active verbs in the assignment—they tell you what you should be doing. We’ve included some of these below, with some suggestions on what they might mean. (For help with this sort of detective work, see the Writing Center handout titled Reading Assignments.)

Information words, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject. Information words may include:

• define—give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning.
• explain why/how—give reasons why or examples of how something happened.
• illustrate—give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject.
• summarize—briefly cover the important ideas you learned about the subject.
• trace—outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form.
• research—gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you’ve found.

Relation words ask you to demonstrate how things are connected. Relation words may include:

• compare—show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different).
• contrast—show how two or more things are dissimilar.
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation.
• cause—show how one event or series of events made something else happen.
• relate—show or describe the connections between things.

Interpretation words ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Don’t see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation. Interpretation words may include:

• prove, justify—give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth.
• evaluate, respond, assess—state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons (you may want to compare your subject to something else).
• support—give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe).
• synthesize—put two or more things together that haven’t been put together before; don’t just summarize one and then the other, and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together (as opposed to compare and contrast—see above).
• analyze—look closely at the components of something to figure out how it works, what it might mean, or why it is important.
• argue—take a side and defend it (with proof) against the other side.

Plan your answers

Think about your time again. How much planning time you should take depends on how much time you have for each question and how many points each question is worth. Here are some general guidelines: 

• For short-answer definitions and identifications, just take a few seconds. Skip over any you don’t recognize fairly quickly, and come back to them when another question jogs your memory.
• For answers that require a paragraph or two, jot down several important ideas or specific examples that help to focus your thoughts.
• For longer answers, you will need to develop a much more definite strategy of organization. You only have time for one draft, so allow a reasonable amount of time—as much as a quarter of the time you’ve allotted for the question—for making notes, determining a thesis, and developing an outline.
• For questions with several parts (different requests or directions, a sequence of questions), make a list of the parts so that you do not miss or minimize one part. One way to be sure you answer them all is to number them in the question and in your outline.
• You may have to try two or three outlines or clusters before you hit on a workable plan. But be realistic—you want a plan you can develop within the limited time allotted for your answer. Your outline will have to be selective—not everything you know, but what you know that you can state clearly and keep to the point in the time available.

Again, focus on what you do know about the question, not on what you don’t.

Writing your answers

As with planning, your strategy for writing depends on the length of your answer:

• For short identifications and definitions, it is usually best to start with a general identifying statement and then move on to describe specific applications or explanations. Two sentences will almost always suffice, but make sure they are complete sentences. Find out whether the instructor wants definition alone, or definition and significance. Why is the identification term or object important?
• For longer answers, begin by stating your forecasting statement or thesis clearly and explicitly. Strive for focus, simplicity, and clarity. In stating your point and developing your answers, you may want to use important course vocabulary words from the question. For example, if the question is, “How does wisteria function as a representation of memory in Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom?” you may want to use the words wisteria, representation, memory, and Faulkner) in your thesis statement and answer. Use these important words or concepts throughout the answer.
• If you have devised a promising outline for your answer, then you will be able to forecast your overall plan and its subpoints in your opening sentence. Forecasting impresses readers and has the very practical advantage of making your answer easier to read. Also, if you don’t finish writing, it tells your reader what you would have said if you had finished (and may get you partial points).
• You might want to use briefer paragraphs than you ordinarily do and signal clear relations between paragraphs with transition phrases or sentences.
• As you move ahead with the writing, you may think of new subpoints or ideas to include in the essay. Stop briefly to make a note of these on your original outline. If they are most appropriately inserted in a section you’ve already written, write them neatly in the margin, at the top of the page, or on the last page, with arrows or marks to alert the reader to where they fit in your answer. Be as neat and clear as possible.
• Don’t pad your answer with irrelevancies and repetitions just to fill up space. Within the time available, write a comprehensive, specific answer.
• Watch the clock carefully to ensure that you do not spend too much time on one answer. You must be realistic about the time constraints of an essay exam. If you write one dazzling answer on an exam with three equally-weighted required questions, you earn only 33 points—not enough to pass at most colleges. This may seem unfair, but keep in mind that instructors plan exams to be reasonably comprehensive. They want you to write about the course materials in two or three or more ways, not just one way. Hint: if you finish a half-hour essay in 10 minutes, you may need to develop some of your ideas more fully.
• If you run out of time when you are writing an answer, jot down the remaining main ideas from your outline, just to show that you know the material and with more time could have continued your exposition.
• Double-space to leave room for additions, and strike through errors or changes with one straight line (avoid erasing or scribbling over). Keep things as clean as possible. You never know what will earn you partial credit.
• Write legibly and proofread. Remember that your instructor will likely be reading a large pile of exams. The more difficult they are to read, the more exasperated the instructor might become. Your instructor also cannot give you credit for what they cannot understand. A few minutes of careful proofreading can improve your grade.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind in writing essay exams is that you have a limited amount of time and space in which to get across the knowledge you have acquired and your ability to use it. Essay exams are not the place to be subtle or vague. It’s okay to have an obvious structure, even the five-paragraph essay format you may have been taught in high school. Introduce your main idea, have several paragraphs of support—each with a single point defended by specific examples, and conclude with a restatement of your main point and its significance.

Some physiological tips

Just think—we expect athletes to practice constantly and use everything in their abilities and situations in order to achieve success. Yet, somehow many students are convinced that one day’s worth of studying, no sleep, and some well-placed compliments (“Gee, Dr. So-and-so, I really enjoyed your last lecture”) are good preparation for a test. Essay exams are like any other testing situation in life: you’ll do best if you are prepared for what is expected of you, have practiced doing it before, and have arrived in the best shape to do it. You may not want to believe this, but it’s true: a good night’s sleep and a relaxed mind and body can do as much or more for you as any last-minute cram session. Colleges abound with tales of woe about students who slept through exams because they stayed up all night, wrote an essay on the wrong topic, forgot everything they studied, or freaked out in the exam and hyperventilated. If you are rested, breathing normally, and have brought along some healthy, energy-boosting snacks that you can eat or drink quietly, you are in a much better position to do a good job on the test. You aren’t going to write a good essay on something you figured out at 4 a.m. that morning. If you prepare yourself well throughout the semester, you don’t risk your whole grade on an overloaded, undernourished brain.

If for some reason you get yourself into this situation, take a minute every once in a while during the test to breathe deeply, stretch, and clear your brain. You need to be especially aware of the likelihood of errors, so check your essays thoroughly before you hand them in to make sure they answer the right questions and don’t have big oversights or mistakes (like saying “Hitler” when you really mean “Churchill”).

If you tend to go blank during exams, try studying in the same classroom in which the test will be given. Some research suggests that people attach ideas to their surroundings, so it might jog your memory to see the same things you were looking at while you studied.

Try good luck charms. Bring in something you associate with success or the support of your loved ones, and use it as a psychological boost.

Take all of the time you’ve been allotted. Reread, rework, and rethink your answers if you have extra time at the end, rather than giving up and handing the exam in the minute you’ve written your last sentence. Use every advantage you are given.

Remember that instructors do not want to see you trip up—they want to see you do well. With this in mind, try to relax and just do the best you can. The more you panic, the more mistakes you are liable to make. Put the test in perspective: will you die from a poor performance? Will you lose all of your friends? Will your entire future be destroyed? Remember: it’s just a test.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Axelrod, Rise B., and Charles R. Cooper. 2016. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing , 11th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Fowler, Ramsay H., and Jane E. Aaron. 2016. The Little, Brown Handbook , 13th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Gefvert, Constance J. 1988. The Confident Writer: A Norton Handbook , 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Kirszner, Laurie G. 1988. Writing: A College Rhetoric , 2nd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Woodman, Leonara, and Thomas P. Adler. 1988. The Writer’s Choices , 2nd ed. Northbrook, Illinois: Scott Foresman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Essay on Examination with Outline Quotations and tips

Best essay on examination system in pakistan for matric/inter in 1000-1500 words.

In this post, you will find an essay discussing the examination system in Pakistan, accompanied by quotations. It is intended for students studying in Matric, FFSC, and the 2nd year. Class 12 students can utilize this essay as a practice tool for their annual exams. Similarly, FSC students can write a similar essay titled “Essay on Examination with Outline Quotations and tips” or “Best Essay on Examination System in Pakistan.” If you require additional essays for the 2nd year, please visit our collection of Essays for FSC.

Essay on Examination Outline:

1. Introduction. Examinations are an integral part of our system of education but they are extremely faulty. 2. They fail to give an accurate assessment of a student. They do not test a student’s intelligence or ability. They test only his cramming power. Judging by the examination results, many of the great scientists were quite dull. 3. The element of chance in the examinations. The making of scripts is never uniform. Some examiners may be strict, others very lenient. 4. Examinations make the work round the year uneven. Students just study near the examinations and idle away their time during the rest of the year. This makes their work round the year very uneven. 5. This system adversely affects class teaching. A good teacher feels hampered by the limits imposed by the examination system. 6. Examinations are a necessary evil. If there were no examinations, students would not study at all. And it must be said to their credit that, in spite of all the drawbacks in them, a good student has not usually failed nor a third-rater topped. 7. The need for reforms. Instead of completely doing away with the system, we should try to introduce certain reforms: (a) Semester systems can make the work round the year more even. (b) Marking scripts should be made more accurate and uniform. (c) Examinations may be accompanied with viva voce, particularly in the case of marginal students. (d) Unfair means should be checked.

Examinations Essay for Matric/Inter in 1000-1500 Words

Introduction:.

Examinations have come to stay as a part of our education system. They are considered to be a big nuisance and both the teachers and the students detest them. It is really possible to discover a large number of defects in them; still in the absence of any other satisfactory system of evaluation, it is impracticable to abolish them. They are perhaps evil, yet they are indispensable.

Examinations are often condemned on account of the very prominent role of chance involved in them. The marking of the scripts can never be uniform. Even if we grant that all examiners are sincere and earnest – in fact, many of them are whimsical and willful – we can still not affirm that examinations are scientifically impartial to all examinees. The possibility of the personal prejudices of an examiner beclouding his better judgment cannot be excluded. If an average script follows three brilliant scripts, it will be awarded poor marks; if it follows two exceptionally poor ones, it will earn a better reward than it deserves. Mr. Shahid might be too strict. He will bewail the poor standards and make fascinating crisscross patterns on the scripts. Mrs. Nadia might be a bit too lenient. She would like to give every student a pass on humanitarian grounds. How far can the awards are given by these two examiners be accepted as a fair index of the relative ability of their examinees?

Under the prevailing system of examinations, the students enjoy a ten-month holiday and have a two-month working session. They merrily skip around and flirt their time away for the first ten months. Then, as the examinations approach, one can sniff a chill of seriousness in the air. The atmosphere starts getting heavy, the infection is gradually rife and the students start pouring over their books. They skim through their syllabi, just to get the hang of what they are about, manage to stuff their brains with some ill-digested facts temporarily, then forget all about them once the examinations are over. But these two months play havoc with their physique. The whole period is spent in extreme nervous tension. Shave and hair-cut, cosmetics, and coiffures are all forgotten. Chemists are pestered to procure pills causing sleeplessness. The erstwhile lotus-eater suddenly becomes a Ulysses. But to his utter dismay, he often discovers that he is no match for the giant that examination is and collapses with acute nervous exhaustion.

This system exercises an adverse effect on the class teaching in two ways. First, a good teacher always finds himself hampered by the limitations imposed by the examination system. He does not teach, he prepares the students for the examination. Secondly, a number of students, by virtue of having a good memory, get into a class where they do not deserve to be. Their lessons being beyond their comprehension, they feel bored in the class and create mischief. It is these students who pollute the atmosphere in the class and are responsible for the widespread indiscipline found in colleges. But even the devil must be given its due. It must be acknowledged that the examinations do compel students to study a little. Or they would not study even this much. Secondly, despite all the tricks played by chance, it is never noticed that a good student has failed or a third-rater has topped. Thus examinations may not be scientifically accurate or impartial, still, they do substantial justice.

Examiners are appointed en masse and they often do a bad job of the work entrusted to them. But then there is no better substitute for this system. We cannot abolish these examinations. All we can do is to improve upon them so that they cease to be a lottery indiscreetly doling out a few lacs with innumerable blanks. Related topics. The uses and abuses of examinations. Examinations are a necessary evil.

Essay on Examination Quotations

• “The difference between a good and a poor student is result”. (ETC Wanyanwu)
• “Prepare well! Take two inks; you may never know when one pen will stop writing!” (Ernest Agyemang Yeboah)
• “Examinations were a great trial to me.”
• “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”. (Aristotle)

Tips for Writing an Examination Essay:

• Comprehend the topic: Begin by thoroughly understanding the essay prompt. Ensure a clear understanding of what the topic requires you to discuss.
• Create an essay plan: Develop an outline or structure for your essay. This will help organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas.
• Engaging introduction: Start with an attention-grabbing introduction that provides background information on examinations and presents your thesis statement.
• Develop strong arguments: Use body paragraphs to elaborate on your ideas and arguments. Each paragraph should focus on a specific point, supported by evidence and examples.
• Utilize relevant examples: Incorporate real-life examples or personal experiences to illustrate your points and make your essay more relatable and persuasive.
• Maintain focus: Stay on-topic and avoid straying from the main theme of examinations. Ensure each paragraph directly relates to the central subject.
• Be concise and clear: Use clear and concise language to express your ideas. Avoid excessive jargon or complex vocabulary that may confuse the reader.
• Summarize in the conclusion: Provide a summary of your main points and restate your thesis in the conclusion. Leave the reader with a sense of closure.
• Proofread and revise: Take time to review your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Make necessary revisions to improve clarity and coherence.
• Manage time effectively: During an examination, allocate sufficient time for planning, writing, and proofreading to ensure a well-structured and polished essay.

Conclusion for Essay on Examination

examinations play a significant role in assessing students’ knowledge and progress. While they can be challenging, it is important to approach them as opportunities for growth. However, it is crucial to remember that exams should not be the sole determinant of a student’s abilities or potential. A balanced assessment approach, incorporating various evaluation methods throughout the year, provides a more comprehensive understanding of students’ skills. Additionally, it is essential to prioritize a holistic education that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving. By fostering a love for learning and focusing on overall development, examinations can serve as a means to equip students with essential skills for their future endeavors. Ultimately, the aim should be to create an educational environment that encourages continuous improvement and prepares students to become well-rounded individuals capable of making meaningful contributions to society.

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Examinations system essay for 2nd year with outline

Examinations essay, the examination system of pakistan essay.

The difference between try and triumph is a little umph. - Marvin Phillips

Exams are not just tests, they tell you what you possess in your mind - Saif Ullah Zahid

Your final exams grades must not be damaging to your employment and prospect - Anonymous 

much good work is lost for the lack of a little more - Edward H. Herriman

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section The Examination System

Introduction, introductory works.

• General Overviews
• Han through Tang (206  bce –905)
• Five Dynasties through Yuan (907–1368)
• Ming through Qing (1368–1911)
• Taiping (1850–1864)
• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Terminological Issues
• Data for Specific Examinations
• Collections of Source Materials
• Modern Historiography
• Examination Tiers
• Examination Administration
• Examination Curriculum
• The Eight-Legged Essay
• Examination Aids
• Impact on Literature
• Examination Life
• Impact on Society
• Foreign Perspectives

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• Intellectual Trends in Late Imperial China
• Local Elites in Ming-Qing China
• Local Elites in Song-Yuan China
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• Neo-Confucianism
• Printing and Book Culture
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• Traditional Prose

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The Examination System by Rui Magone LAST REVIEWED: 12 April 2019 LAST MODIFIED: 28 April 2014 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199920082-0078

The examination system, also known as “civil service examinations” or “imperial examinations”—and, in Chinese, as keju 科舉, keju zhidu 科舉制度, gongju 貢舉, xuanju 選舉 or zhiju 制舉—was the imperial Chinese bureaucracy’s central institution for recruiting its officials. Following both real and idealized models from previous times, the system was established at the beginning of the 7th century CE evolving over several dynasties into a complex institution that prevailed for 1,300 years before its abolition in 1905. One of the system’s most salient features, especially in the late imperial period (1400–1900), was its meritocratic structure (at least in principle, if not necessarily in practice): almost anyone from among the empire’s male population could sit for the examinations. Moreover, candidates were selected based on their performance rather than their pedigree. In order to be accessible to candidates anywhere in the empire, the system’s infrastructure spanned the entire territory. In a long sequence of triennial qualifying examinations at the local, provincial, metropolitan, and palace levels candidates were mainly required to write rhetorically complicated essays elucidating passages from the Confucian canon. Most candidates failed at each level, and only a couple of hundred out of a million or often more examinees attained final examination success at the metropolitan and palace levels. Due to its accessibility and ubiquity, the examination system had a decisive impact on the intellectual and social landscapes of imperial China. This impact was reinforced by the rule that candidates were allowed to retake examinations as often as they needed to in order to reach the next level. It was therefore not uncommon for individuals in imperial China to spend the great part of their lives, occasionally even until their last breath, sitting for the competitions. Indeed the extant sources reveal, by their sheer quantity alone, that large parts of the population, not only aspiring candidates, were in fact obsessed with the civil service examinations in the same way that modern societies are fascinated by sports leagues. To a great extent, it was this obsession, along with the system’s centripetal force constantly pulling the population in the different regions toward the political center in the capital, which may have held the large territory of imperial China together, providing it with both coherence and cohesion. Modern Historiography has tended to have a negative view of the examination system, singling it out, and specifically its predominantly literary curriculum, as the major cause for traditional Chinese society’s failure to develop into a modern nation with a strong scientific and technological tradition of its own. In the late 20th and early 21st century, this paradigm has become gradually more nuanced as historians have begun to develop new ways of approaching the extant sources, in particular the large number of examination essays and aids.

This section addresses readers who have little or no knowledge of the examination system and need both readable and reliable introductions to the subject. These works tend to highlight and describe extensively the Qing civil examinations during the 19th century, thus often creating among readers the impression that the system worked more or less the same in previous periods. While this was clearly not so, it is undeniable that no period in the long history of the civil examinations happens to be as well documented as the 19th century. Readers who desire to obtain a historically more nuanced sense of the system are referred to the sections General Overviews and Overviews by Period . Another problem with introductory works concerns the ideal balance between information and narration. Miyazaki 1981 and especially Jackson and Hugus 1999 are focused on telling a good story rather than providing copious evidence in dense footnotes. By contrast, Wilkinson 2012 and Zi 1894 are overtly technical, requiring a slow reading pace. The best way to strike a balance is to combine both approaches by, ideally, pairing Jackson and Hugus 1999 and Wilkinson 2012 . A problem that concerns Wang 1988 , Qi 2006 , and Li 2010 , all introductory works written by Chinese scholars in Chinese, is that they often quote passages from original Primary Sources in classical Chinese without providing a modern Chinese translation. One way to access these passages linguistically is to work directly with the literature cited under Terminological Issues . Finally, even though often neglected, the examination system also included a military branch, of which Zi 1896 provides the most readable account. Compared to their civil counterparts, the military competitions were of minimal significance, but they often served as a platform to obliquely move up the civil examination ladder.

Jackson, Beverley, and David Hugus. Ladder to the Clouds: Intrigue and Tradition in Chinese Rank . Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed, 1999.

Follows the trajectory of a late Qing examination candidate from his birth to his official position. Even though often leaning toward the fictitious, it is definitely a good read and one of the best illustrated books about the late imperial examination system and officialdom.

Li Bing李兵. Qiannian keju (千年科举). Changsha, China: Yuelu shushe, 2010.

Written in a rather colloquial and therefore accessible style, this well-illustrated book by a renowned expert of the examination system gives answers to questions most frequently asked about this topic, such as whether women were allowed to sit for the examinations. Has a good and sizable list of further readings.

Miyazaki, Ichisada. China’s Examination Hell: The Civil Service Examinations of Imperial China . Translated by Conrad Shirokauer. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1981.

Originally published in 1963 in a longer and more academic version, this is a popular work by one of the most prominent Japanese scholars of the examination system. Packed with vivid anecdotes, this brief and captivating text describes all examination tiers. It is focused on the circumstances of the late Qing period, albeit not always explicitly.

Qi Rushan 齐如山. Zhongguo de kemin g (中国的科名). Shenyang, China: Liaoning Jiaoyu chubanshe, 2006.

Originally published in Taipei in 1956, this is a very accessible introduction arranged according to key terms used at the examinations.

Wang Daocheng 王道成. Keju shihua (科举史话). Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1988.

This is a short, easy to read, yet very informative introduction to the topic by a leading expert. While mainly focused on describing the Qing period, it also devotes a chapter to the system’s history. Has a very valuable appendix containing samples of all Qing examination genres. There are several books with an identical title, so make sure to use the one authored by Wang Daocheng.

Wilkinson, Endymion. Chinese History: A New Manual . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2012.

Chapter 22 “Education and Examinations” (pp. 292–304) of this monumental work contains a systematic introduction to the structure and curriculum of the late imperial examination system. Has also a section on primary and secondary sources. There are several editions of this manual; the 2012 version is the one you should use.

Zi, Étienne. Pratique des examens littéraires en Chine . Shanghai: Imprimerie de la Mission Catholique, 1894.

This is the most thorough and reliable description of the late Qing examination system. Has a copious amount of high-quality illustrations, which have been recycled in many other publications. Even though this book is now available online, try to use the original edition if you want to consult or reproduce the illustrative material, in particular the large-scale map of the Jiangnan examination compound. Also available in a 1971 reprint (Taipei: Chengwen, 1971).

Zi, Étienne. Pratique des examens militaires en Chine . Shanghai: Imprimerie de la Mission Catholique, 1896.

This is the best account of the late Qing military examination system available in any language. Describes all tiers and provides samples of examination topics. Richly illustrated, it also includes images of the weaponry used for testing the military candidates. Like the previous text, available in a 1971 reprint (Taipei: Chengwen, 1971).

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Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks

Published on February 9, 2015 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023 by Shona McCombes.

This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction , focused paragraphs , clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion .

Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence , and each point is directly related to the thesis statement .

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Other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an essay, an appeal to the senses: the development of the braille system in nineteenth-century france.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

In France, debates about how to deal with disability led to the adoption of different strategies over time. While people with temporary difficulties were able to access public welfare, the most common response to people with long-term disabilities, such as hearing or vision loss, was to group them together in institutions (Tombs, 1996). At first, a joint institute for the blind and deaf was created, and although the partnership was motivated more by financial considerations than by the well-being of the residents, the institute aimed to help people develop skills valuable to society (Weygand, 2009). Eventually blind institutions were separated from deaf institutions, and the focus shifted towards education of the blind, as was the case for the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, which Louis Braille attended (Jimenez et al, 2009). The growing acknowledgement of the uniqueness of different disabilities led to more targeted education strategies, fostering an environment in which the benefits of a specifically blind education could be more widely recognized.

Several different systems of tactile reading can be seen as forerunners to the method Louis Braille developed, but these systems were all developed based on the sighted system. The Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris taught the students to read embossed roman letters, a method created by the school’s founder, Valentin Hauy (Jimenez et al., 2009). Reading this way proved to be a rather arduous task, as the letters were difficult to distinguish by touch. The embossed letter method was based on the reading system of sighted people, with minimal adaptation for those with vision loss. As a result, this method did not gain significant success among blind students.

Louis Braille was bound to be influenced by his school’s founder, but the most influential pre-Braille tactile reading system was Charles Barbier’s night writing. A soldier in Napoleon’s army, Barbier developed a system in 1819 that used 12 dots with a five line musical staff (Kersten, 1997). His intention was to develop a system that would allow the military to communicate at night without the need for light (Herron, 2009). The code developed by Barbier was phonetic (Jimenez et al., 2009); in other words, the code was designed for sighted people and was based on the sounds of words, not on an actual alphabet. Barbier discovered that variants of raised dots within a square were the easiest method of reading by touch (Jimenez et al., 2009). This system proved effective for the transmission of short messages between military personnel, but the symbols were too large for the fingertip, greatly reducing the speed at which a message could be read (Herron, 2009). For this reason, it was unsuitable for daily use and was not widely adopted in the blind community.

Nevertheless, Barbier’s military dot system was more efficient than Hauy’s embossed letters, and it provided the framework within which Louis Braille developed his method. Barbier’s system, with its dashes and dots, could form over 4000 combinations (Jimenez et al., 2009). Compared to the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, this was an absurdly high number. Braille kept the raised dot form, but developed a more manageable system that would reflect the sighted alphabet. He replaced Barbier’s dashes and dots with just six dots in a rectangular configuration (Jimenez et al., 2009). The result was that the blind population in France had a tactile reading system using dots (like Barbier’s) that was based on the structure of the sighted alphabet (like Hauy’s); crucially, this system was the first developed specifically for the purposes of the blind.

While the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009), realizing that access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Although Blind people remained marginalized throughout the nineteenth century, the Braille system granted them growing opportunities for social participation. Most obviously, Braille allowed people with vision loss to read the same alphabet used by sighted people (Bullock & Galst, 2009), allowing them to participate in certain cultural experiences previously unavailable to them. Written works, such as books and poetry, had previously been inaccessible to the blind population without the aid of a reader, limiting their autonomy. As books began to be distributed in Braille, this barrier was reduced, enabling people with vision loss to access information autonomously. The closing of the gap between the abilities of blind and the sighted contributed to a gradual shift in blind people’s status, lessening the cultural perception of the blind as essentially different and facilitating greater social integration.

The Braille system also had important cultural effects beyond the sphere of written culture. Its invention later led to the development of a music notation system for the blind, although Louis Braille did not develop this system himself (Jimenez, et al., 2009). This development helped remove a cultural obstacle that had been introduced by the popularization of written musical notation in the early 1500s. While music had previously been an arena in which the blind could participate on equal footing, the transition from memory-based performance to notation-based performance meant that blind musicians were no longer able to compete with sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997). As a result, a tactile musical notation system became necessary for professional equality between blind and sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997).

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

Bullock, J. D., & Galst, J. M. (2009). The Story of Louis Braille. Archives of Ophthalmology , 127(11), 1532. https://​doi.org/10.1001/​archophthalmol.2009.286.

Herron, M. (2009, May 6). Blind visionary. Retrieved from https://​eandt.theiet.org/​content/​articles/2009/05/​blind-visionary/.

Jiménez, J., Olea, J., Torres, J., Alonso, I., Harder, D., & Fischer, K. (2009). Biography of Louis Braille and Invention of the Braille Alphabet. Survey of Ophthalmology , 54(1), 142–149. https://​doi.org/10.1016/​j.survophthal.2008.10.006.

Kersten, F.G. (1997). The history and development of Braille music methodology. The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education , 18(2). Retrieved from https://​www.jstor.org/​stable/40214926.

Mellor, C.M. (2006). Louis Braille: A touch of genius . Boston: National Braille Press.

Tombs, R. (1996). France: 1814-1914 . London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Weygand, Z. (2009). The blind in French society from the Middle Ages to the century of Louis Braille . Stanford: Stanford University Press.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
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Essay on Examination System in India: Striking a Balance Between Assessment and Learning

The examination system in India plays a pivotal role in the education landscape, serving as a crucial mechanism for assessing students’ knowledge, skills, and understanding of various subjects. It has been a longstanding tradition, shaping academic journeys and influencing the futures of countless individuals. However, the system is not without its challenges and criticisms. This essay delves into the examination system in India, examining its strengths, weaknesses, and the ongoing discourse around its effectiveness.

Quick Overview:

• Assessment of Knowledge: The primary purpose of examinations is to assess students’ comprehension of academic content. They provide a standardized method to evaluate the knowledge acquired during a specific period, acting as a benchmark for academic progress.
• Pressure and Stress: One of the prominent critiques of the examination system is the stress and pressure it imposes on students. High-stakes exams, such as board exams and entrance tests, can lead to mental health issues, anxiety, and a skewed focus on rote memorization rather than holistic learning.
• Competitive Nature: The system fosters a competitive environment among students, often emphasizing grades and ranks over a genuine understanding of concepts. This competition can lead to a narrow focus on scoring well rather than nurturing a love for learning and critical thinking.
• Limited Assessment Methods: Examinations predominantly rely on written tests, which may not effectively capture a student’s overall abilities, creativity, or practical skills. Alternative assessment methods, such as project work, presentations, and practical examinations, are sometimes overshadowed.
• Role in Career Opportunities: The examination results often play a significant role in determining access to higher education institutions and career opportunities. The emphasis on a single exam determining future paths raises questions about the fairness and inclusivity of the system.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the examination system in India is a double-edged sword, serving as a vital tool for assessment while also bearing the weight of critiques and challenges. While it effectively gauges students’ understanding of academic content, the undue stress, competitive nature, limited assessment methods, and the disproportionate influence on career opportunities raise valid concerns.

Efforts to reform the examination system should focus on striking a balance between assessment and holistic learning. The inclusion of diversified assessment methods, reducing the emphasis on rote memorization, and fostering a culture that values creativity and critical thinking are essential steps. Additionally, addressing the mental health aspect by re-evaluating the pressure associated with examinations is crucial for nurturing well-rounded individuals.

The examination system, when thoughtfully restructured, can evolve into a tool that not only assesses academic knowledge but also encourages a love for learning, innovation, and a broader understanding of the world. As India’s education system continues to adapt to the changing needs of society, a reimagined examination system could play a significant role in shaping a generation of individuals equipped with both knowledge and the skills necessary for success in a rapidly evolving world.

Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.

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Examination System In Pakistan Essay

With the help of this article we are going to explain examination system In Pakistan essay. Every country has its special system for conducting the exams at any level of education. Similarly in Pakistan there is also an education system is followed that is called as the easy way of conducting the exams at school, college and university level. So the examination system is different at each level according to eh level of studies. This system is explained below that will make you familiar by reading this article. Ministry of Education Government of Pakistan is collaborating with the boards of director to upgrade the study system and that is being followed by schools and colleges under which a student find it easier to pass in a class, such as the minimum passing marks are 33% that is the lowest aggregate as compare to any examination system in world. So to get further details and examination system in Pakistan essay, keep on reading this article.

• Biotechnology Scope In Pakistan April 6, 2023

Educational system Pakistan is divided into five levels such as:

• Primary level
• Middle level
• Secondary level
• Intermediate level
• University level

All the schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan have been set in three categories namely:

• Government schools
• Private schools

Examination System in Pakistan:

If we give a look over the educational and examination system of Pakistan then majority of them are found to be in the poor condition just because of the lack of attention and shortage of funds. All the teachers are not offered with the best and adequate salary. All the private schools in Pakistan are found to be doing some better jobs as they are offered with the best pays all along with the necessary training for teaching. But one of the biggest drawbacks of these private schools is that as they are giving with the excellent services then at the same time their fee charges are not affordable by each single person.

Some of the educational system that are presently working in the Pakistan they are actually producing no synergy as they are creating conflicts and division among people. In Pakistan there are English medium schools, Urdu medium schools and madaras.

All the students who are coming out from the English educational institutions they are not much aware of Islamic teachings and a student who are coming out of Urdu medium school they don’t get excellent jobs. Its better solution is that the hierarchy of schooling systems should be abolished soon. There is one of the greatest needs to improve and update the curriculum and pedagogy.

Maximum attention should be given on the subjects of mathematics and Language so that the students would be better able to enhance their skills in the creative writing. Some educational trips should be arranged for the students that will going to help improving their knowledge about the history.

Well we hope that with the help of this article all the readers would have get some idea about the examination system in Pakistan essay.

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Essay on Examination

Examination is a test of a person’s capacity, knowledge, and ability. It proves what standard of learning a person has acquired during a specific period of time in a specific syllabus. It is the most hated and most shunned things for some students who never like to indulge in it with pleasure until they have a charm of acquiring a degree. Otherwise, they compare it with a nightmare.

Yet examinations are not totally devoid of good. There is a saying about it.

Trials are a veritable curse but they have their use. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Education System and Exam

The system of education of mostly examination ridden which aims at the test of achievement and success. The examination is the center of studies and hard work. It is a motivating force to work.

Its importance and efficacy have been called in question. The most important point is that examinations are not the real test of knowledge and understanding. They are the test of ignorance or cramming. Still, we can say that examinations are necessary evil which cannot be avoided.

Uses of Examination

Difference between genius and dunce.

Examinations have many uses. They help us find the most efficient individual among many. we can distinguish between the scholar and the dullard, the genius and the dunce. In this way, they help us discriminate between the genuine gold and the sparkling brass.

Compel to work hard

Secondly, the examinations compel us to work hard. the careless students become serious near the examinations. They buy books they had no intention to buy and gird up their loins.

It is a fact that many students read for the sake of examinations. Thus, examinations are a very effective way of goading students to read.

Fitness for promotion to a higher grade/class

Thirdly, examinations are proof and guarantee of man’s efficiency. They provide us a proof of the fitness of the student for promotion to a higher grade/class. An employer can safely entrust a job to the degree holder. Without a degree, no one will higher his services. The factories, industries or mills cannot allow the person to perform a technical task without a specific degree/course.

Way to attain degrees / diplomas

Similarly, we do not ask everyone to prescribe medicine for us. Only the person holding a degree enjoys the right to operate upon our body. Hence, if we abolish examinations, we shall have to abolish degrees or diplomas.

Abuses of examinations

Examinations have certain abuses as well. Many students consider it a curse. They consider them to be a game of chance. The students are never sure of their success. There are always doubts in their minds. Success does not depend upon preparation. Even a student with selected studies may pass and the student with thorough preparation may fail.

Uncertainty of success

Some students keep studying the whole session but fail. On the other hand, many others who buy help books and cheap notes near the examinations and cram a few questions, pass. Such examinations are a curse for the shining students.

Test of memory

The examinations are a test of nerves. All examinations have a limit of time and place. A student is tested at a bad place and in a bad manner. The question arises how a student’s hard work and worth for a semester or full one year is judged in a short time. They are never a foolproof test of one’s ability. They are the test of one’s memory and writing/typing speed.

Use of unfair means

Some students try to use unfair means to pass out the examinations. The innocent, hardworking and intelligent remain in the background.

Final words

But in spite of all this, we cannot say that there should be no examinations. There must be some proper way of judging the real worth of the students. So proper changes are required to avoid the abuses and increase the usefulness of the examinations. The assessment criteria of the examinations must be improved in such a way that all the students can show their abilities and can pass them without any fear.

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Automatic essay exam scoring system: a systematic literature review

Meilia nur indah susanti.

a Computer Science Department, BINUS Graduate Program – Doctor of Computer Science, Bina Nusantara University, Jakarta, 11480, Indonesia

Arief Ramadhan

Harco leslie hendric spit warnars.

Currently, Indonesia and the whole world are being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic which has an impact on various fields of life. It affects all sectors, including the education sector. The government through the Ministry of Education and Culture makes a policy in education in terms of the learning process. Teaching and learning activities that were initially carried out face to face become distance learning which was carried out at home. In this study, a systematic literature review is conducted on automatic assessment of essay answers. Various previous studies discuss the essay answer scoring system that has been developed using various methods. We synthesize the results to enrich our understanding of the automated essay exam scoring system. The expected result of this research is that it can contribute to further research related to the automated essay exam scoring system, especially in terms of considering methods and dataset forms.

• Artificial Intelligence /

Texas is replacing thousands of human exam graders with AI

Don’t call the ‘automated scoring engine’ ai, though. they don’t like that..

By Jess Weatherbed , a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.

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Students in Texas taking their state-mandated exams this week are being used as guinea pigs for a new artificial intelligence-powered scoring system set to replace a majority of human graders in the region.

The Texas Tribune reports an “automated scoring engine” that utilizes natural language processing — the technology that enables chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT to understand and communicate with users — is being rolled out by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to grade open-ended questions on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams. The agency is expecting the system to save $15–20 million per year by reducing the need for temporary human scorers, with plans to hire under 2,000 graders this year compared to the 6,000 required in 2023.

“We wanted to keep as many constructed open-ended responses as we can, but they take an incredible amount of time to score.”

The STAAR exams, which test students between the third and eighth grades on their understanding of the core curriculum, were redesigned last year to include fewer multiple-choice questions. It now contains up to seven times more open-ended questions, with TEA director of student assessment Jose Rios saying the agency “wanted to keep as many constructed open-ended responses as we can, but they take an incredible amount of time to score.”

According to a slideshow hosted on TEA’s website , the new scoring system was trained using 3,000 exam responses that had already received two rounds of human grading. Some safety nets have also been implemented — a quarter of all the computer-graded results will be rescored by humans, for example, as will answers that confuse the AI system (including the use of slang or non-English responses).

While TEA is optimistic that AI will enable it to save buckets of cash, some educators aren’t so keen to see it implemented. Lewisville Independent School District superintendent Lori Rapp said her district saw a “drastic increase” in constructed responses receiving a zero score when the automated grading system was used on a limited basis in December 2023. “At this time, we are unable to determine if there is something wrong with the test question or if it is the new automated scoring system,” Rapp said.

AI essay-scoring engines are nothing new. A 2019 report from Motherboard found that they were being used in at least 21 states to varying degrees of success, though TEA seems determined to avoid the same reputation. Small print on TEA’s slideshow also stresses that its new scoring engine is a closed system that’s inherently different from AI, in that “AI is a computer using progressive learning algorithms to adapt, allowing the data to do the programming and essentially teaching itself.”

The attempt to draw a line between them isn’t surprising — there’s no shortage of teachers despairing online about how generative AI services are being used to cheat on assignments and homework. The students being graded by this new scoring system may have a hard time accepting how they believe “rules for thee and not for me” are being applied here.

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