Many 6th Graders Fail Exams... Humiliation for UK Parliament Members

Students Experience Pressure
Only 50% Reach English Expectations
"Exams Terrible... Harmful to Children's Mental Health"

Members of the UK Parliament took on the academic assessment test administered to the final year of primary school in the UK and received report cards below the average score. The photo is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bora Lee] Members of the UK Parliament who took the academic assessment exam administered in the final year of primary school received report cards below the average score.

On the 6th (local time), the British daily The Guardian reported that Robin Walker, chair of the UK House of Commons Education Select Committee, along with about 10 fellow MPs, collectively experienced the 'Year 6 SAT' at a primary school in London on the same day.

According to the report, the event, organized by the group 'More than A Score,' which campaigns for the abolition of the Year 6 academic achievement test, was arranged so that MPs could experience firsthand the pressure students feel when taking the exam.

Under the supervision of Year 6 students aged 10 to 11, the MPs solved English and math test questions. After grading their answer sheets, only 44% of the participants met expectations in math. In English, which assessed spelling, grammar, and punctuation, only 50% reached the expected level.

The UK Department for Education announced the results of this year's exam this summer, highlighting that the achievement levels of students from impoverished backgrounds were significantly lower compared to those from affluent families.

Ian Byrne, a Labour Party MP and member of the cross-party group named 'Westminster Class 2022,' who participated in the exam, said, "The test was truly dreadful. The pressure it places on the mental health of children at such a young age must be immense," and argued, "Assessment tests for this age group should be abolished."

Walker acknowledged the need for reform of the Year 6 academic achievement test but did not support its complete abolition.

Conservative MP Flick Drummond, after taking the exam, said, "It was a very difficult test," and pointed out, "Assessment is necessary, but children should not bear such a heavy burden and waste over six months."

Drummond added, "We now need to recognize what is truly useful for the future," emphasizing, "We should not just educate young students to pass exams. We must give them the joy of learning."

'More than A Score,' which organized the event, stated, "We hope that MPs who experienced being 10 to 11 years old through this opportunity will realize how absurd some of the problems children face are, and how such irrationalities affect the entire education system," and argued, "This test does not help children’s learning at that age but is only used to rank schools."

Meanwhile, in the UK, students in Year 6, corresponding to primary school education for ages 7 to 11 in Korea, and Year 9, the final year of secondary school education for ages 11 to 14, each take academic achievement assessments using an absolute grading system.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.