Admissions into reputed colleges, qualification for scholarships/fellowships and many other academic activities are based on grades. Grades can be quite fearsome for some students while for others, it brings excitement and joy.

Efficacious grading and its relevance

Most of the students have a mindset about getting good grades. Of course, every student aspires for a huge A on their mark sheet in terms of Grades but one with an A is always considered superior to others having B or C or even lower grades. In this blog, we will be emphasising on the impact of grades, why grades should not be the only criterion to judge a student’s calibre. 

Impact of Grades

Grades are the best way out there for teachers to extraneously motivate students to do their assignments, homework, show consistency towards class and regular tests which is sometimes very frustrating for students. Sometimes grades bring a lot of pain and sorrow among students because students with E or F grades are made to realise that they are good for nothing and they have ruined their career. 

Students who have scored A grades throughout i.e., from playschool to high school are under peer pressure of keeping this record consistent. By any chance, if A grade scorers are not able to maintain this regularity of being the best among other students they either will delve into depression or will force themselves towards certain mishappenings.

It is a pure myth that poor/low grades motivate students: to do something better and score good marks next time. No research has proven this statement. Researchers have stated that low grades like F only demotivate students because they know that they don’t know anything. These students with low grades know that if this continues a couple of times, they won’t stand anywhere and their careers will be derailed.

Good Score with Grading system: Is it possible?

Through this blog we want students to understand that they should not compete with each other by just doing rote memorization. Of course, competition is important, but not without the learning process. Learning is not a race. Grades should reflect a level of understanding developed by a student, not the speed/time or the process.

Students should learn to manage their time effectively and work diligently by taking notes which will automatically result in the enhancement of grades. Teachers should lay stress on giving feedback to students (telling each student personally about his/her weakness related to the subject) so that the chances of getting a good score increase.

Regular counseling sessions should be conducted for students so that if they face any sort of problem, be it professional or personal, it can be solved. This will not only increase the concentration of students for a better understanding of concepts but also help them in getting good scores and ultimately good grades.

A research was conducted on a group of students from a school. In that research, students were asked to regularly do their homework and a teacher would grade them according to their performance. After a few days, the teacher stopped grading the homework and the results were shocking! Students not only performed well in the homework but also did more than before. Moreover, when the students handed the homework to the teacher, he knew it was their work rather than copying because so many students copy each other’s homework because otherwise, they lose grades.’ This particular research was based on the statement made by a teacher: “If I don’t grade it, the student won’t do it”.  

Results of the above research show that the students can perform well without peer pressure and the grading system should only be restricted to the exams and that too, should not judge a student.

Another important point that has to be covered is grading for extra-courses, extra-curricular activities etc. This is not good because such things render a bad grade. Grade system should be removed from these fields because if this system continues to persist, students will only try to run behind grades irrespective of the course and the learning. Learning deteriorates in such cases because students will choose any course, whether it is advantageous or not, just for getting good grades.

Last but not the least, a student should remember that if they study to remember, they will forget but if they study to understand, they will remember. Also, grades do not define intelligence, character does.

Key Takeaways 

The current pandemic has already caused a major decline in the education system. Adding excessive grade systems at this time will build more pressure on students, causing more harm to their studies. Students should be made to self-assess their work and decide grades. If that is unsatisfactory, proper time should be given for revision and demonstration of work.

Also published on Medium.