After the graduation exam conducted in March for the complete secondary education level, complaints are heard in the media and social platforms from applicants and parents about the difficulty of the questions. There are also complaints about the negative impact of the large time difference between the phased organization of the graduation exams and the exams conducted by zones on the results.
Medianews.az reports that these days the words of the Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev, "Some specialists in Azerbaijan, when preparing questions in both language and history fields, try more to confuse the other party rather than to measure their knowledge and skills," have somewhat justified the opinions of parents and applicants.
"The question should be thought-provoking, not confusing"
Gunay Akberova, a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education (MSE), who said, "How the questions are prepared, what they measure, and how fair they are for everyone is a very sensitive issue," believes that the minister's expressed opinion actually revealed a concern that has long been silently discussed: "Sometimes there are questions where the student gets involved in a game of attention not to 'fall into a trap.' This creates a feeling that the purpose is not to check what the student knows but where they will get confused. But on the other hand, it is also important that a certain portion of exam questions be thought-provoking and differentiating. Because simple memory-type questions alone are not enough to distinguish those who achieve high results from those who achieve average results. In world experience as well (for example, in the OECD's PISA assessment) questions measure more analysis, application, and thinking skills. But there is a fine line here: the question should be thought-provoking, not confusing."
"I think here we are also doing an injustice to the student"
G. Akberova states that the difficulty felt by students and parents in exams is entirely real. This concern increases especially when the compatibility between the program and the questions is weak: "The admission program for applicants does not differ much from MİQ and certification; I think here also, we are doing an injustice to the student." The Public Council member also draws attention to the most discussed and troubling issue recently—the graduation exams held in different zones at different times: "This is indeed one of the most debated points. Comparisons about 'who took the exam under better conditions' among students are inevitable. The time difference can affect both psychological preparation and information circulation. This problem has not been completely resolved in the world either. In this regard, the main issue for us should be the standardization and maximum assurance of equality of the questions. Overall, I think the most correct approach here is not confrontation but balance. The main point is a common agreement between the two sides: clear program, transparent explanation, questions that measure real skills but are not aimed at confusing."
"If 25 or more of the 30 questions are difficult..."
According to expert in textbook evaluation and history teacher Sakhavat Zeynalov, the exam questions have been difficult for many years: "Questions are constructed like word games, and sometimes the student answers incorrectly because they did not understand the question. Of course, logical thinking must be checked, but it should not be aimed at confusing the student. Before the exam, not only the correctness of the questions but also whether they are confusing must be checked. If 25 or more of the 30 questions are difficult, this will cause a problem." The expert believes that the programs prepared for applicants are very heavy: "For a student taking admission exams in five subjects and three exams on the same day, the program is heavy. Until recent years, maybe the student could cope with these programs. But in the current technological era, teachers have difficulty teaching students. As a result, many students turn to the easier programs of foreign countries." According to S. Zeynalov, especially this year, questions in Azerbaijani language and mathematics were difficult and time-consuming: "The difficulty does not match with the admission program and the student's age level at all."
"How can I prepare a difficult question?"
The expert believes that concrete discussions should be held to solve the existing problems: "It seems like everyone in the country is competing in 'how can I prepare a difficult question?'. For example, the Azerbaijani history subject is studied from the 5th grade. In the exams, KSGs, and BSGs for the 5th grade in this subject, questions are included that cause students to lose interest in the subject."
"Questions should be simple, clear, application- and analysis-oriented"
Sabina Heybatova, a teacher at Alekseyevka village complete secondary school named after Rahman Mammadov in the Quba region, expresses her attitude as a parent whose child took the graduation exam: "For exams, questions that detect the most errors should not be prepared, but questions that measure the most correctly. Questions should not have a 'trap' character but should be simple, clear, application- and analysis-oriented. Each question should measure a specific skill. Before the exam, questions should be tested on pilot groups, and the balance of easy-medium-difficult should be maintained in the tests. Difficult questions should be few and have a selective role. Questions should directly be based on the curriculum. Non-standard and complex content beyond the textbook should be minimized."
S. Heybatova believes that active teachers should be involved in the preparation and expertise of exam questions: "Real classroom experience improves the quality of questions. Assessment criteria should be clearly explained beforehand, and sample questions and explanatory answers should be shared."
"First of all, children should be brought back to school"
Education expert Ilham Ahmadov notes that dissatisfaction with graduation exams is repeated every year: "We don't have to look at the questions every time. Fundamental issues must be resolved, and general rules must exist. For this, DİM and MSE should cooperate and determine an overall activity strategy." According to the expert, questions should be prepared at medium difficulty and should not stress students:
"This is not an Olympiad; the exam should check standard knowledge and skills by standard methods. Written exams are gradually being introduced; use of artificial intelligence is planned. Probably, as a result, more objective assessments will be possible. First of all, children should be brought back to school. Tutoring has exhausted children mentally, physically, physiologically, and parents financially. This benefits no one. This is not education."
("Kaspi" newspaper)