Exams vs Coursework

admin

Retired Administrator
Which would YOU prefer to do, Exams or Coursework, given the choice I think I would probably go for an exam, they are much less stressful than coursework and they require a lot less work! :D
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
What in the world kind of class are you taking!? Exams are LESS STRESSFUL than COURSEWORK!? ONE EXAM IS 20% OF MY GRADE! I much, much, much prefer coursework (we call it homework in the US) to exams. There's no studying; once it's done, it's done. And there's generally not that much of it. Plus, it doesn't count for nearly as much of one's final grade.
 

APK

New member
yardgames said:
I much, much, much prefer coursework (we call it homework in the US)
Hi yardgames :D

Homework in the US is called homework in the UK too. Coursework is sort of like a project you do that accounts for a part of your grade in the exam. You're usually given quite a long time to do it (this year, I had about two months to do my English Literature coursework, which, in its final draft, was a four-page essay, word-processed.) The grade you get on your coursework can affect the grade you get on your exam. Last year, when I was taking Food Technology, we had a HUGE amount of coursework to do that accounted for 60% of our final grade.

I think exams and coursework are equally stressful, but having just completed a two-hour AS Drama exam this afternoon (my last exam, thank goodness) I'll have to choose coursework. If I was presently doing coursework, I'd probably choose exam.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Hi Doc Brown--

Drama exam...that must have been tough. (that was meant to be sarcastic, but I don't know how well it's conveyed in text)

All the stupid words in teh stupid language that mean the same thing. It's like a quote that comes to mind from MITM; in a season 3 episode, whose title I forget, when Erik and his friends steal the totem pole, and the guy comes back to get it and says he's got just one word for snow: snow. Why do we need so many different words that mean the same thing? We say arach means spiders. Why don't we just say spiders? We say bi means two; why don't we just say TWO!? WOULDN'T THAT MAKE LIFE SO MUCH EASIER!?
 

Emrysgirl

New member
I originally wrote "coursework, definitly coursework!" and then changed my mind about two secs after I clicked post. It really depends on the subject.

Math: exams. We rarely have coursework and when we do, they're bound to have dumb, irrelevant and frustrating requirements, like drawing or building models. Between hwk and exams, I choose hwk, but exams over projects any day.

German: exams. Everything in German is trivial, and exams mean less work, and I get to show off. But we don't have them anymore.

Chem/Bio: coursework. The projects are always interesting (not always fun, but interesting). Exams tend to be multiple choice and too much can be lost by stupid mistakes (human error:D).

Physics: exams (I might change my mind next year). I hate giant lab reports. The last Physics report I did was 13 pages long (unlucky 13).

Eng: EXAMS!!! I don't have unique and strong thoughts on every single novel ever written!!!!!!:Angry:

History: coursework. I love research :eek: (pretend the giant eyes are glasses: a makeshift nerd smilie).

In general, coursework and exams are both stressful the way I do them b/c I procrastinate. For me it's always learning 60 pages cold or doing a 20 page pwrpt in one night.
 

APK

New member
yardgames said:
Hi Doc Brown--

Drama exam...that must have been tough. (that was meant to be sarcastic, but I don't know how well it's conveyed in text)
Well, it was a written Drama exam, so it wasn't the easiest thing in the world :) - but it wasn't too bad either. The performing part of our exam we did in February; we put on our play three nights running at school, in front of an audience, with an examiner marking us on the final night.

I agree that it would be simpler if we all just used one word for everything.
 

APK

New member
Hi Emrysgirl,

I'm not sure exactly. We don't get our results until August, but I think I did okay. I hope so, anyway! :) The questions weren't too difficult, and I wrote what I thought I needed to. So, hopefully...
 

Jimmy Junior

New member
Doc Brown said:
I agree that it would be simpler if we all just used one word for everything.
"Marklar" (It's a South Park thing).

But seriously, when I was at school I found exams were fairer than coursework - in an exam everyone gets to use the same equipment in the same conditions (unless the person behind you sniffs all the way through the exam), whereas some kids might not have access to a computer or specialist equipment at home.
Of course there's the whole argument of 'you only do as well as you're feeling on the day of the exam', but on the whole I think exams are fairer.
 
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