This is my first try at the ACT essay.
I would really appreciate if you guys could grade my essay(1-6) and give me some tips on how I could improve. On my essay I first wrote it then typed it.
Prompt: Several high school courses have been taken by students on a pass-or-fail basis, and those students have not received the traditional A, B, C, D, or F letter grades. Many students have said this pass-or-fail system of grading is highly beneficial because they know exactly if they understand the content enough to pass or not, and they are encouraging the school to go to an all pass-or-fail system. Letter grades add unnecessary stress and work for both students and teachers. Many teachers, however, argue that letter grades are important for showing what extent students understand the material. In your opinion, should schools abandon traditional letter grades and adopt a pass-or-fail grading system?
The way we grade students in our school system affects them greatly. The letter grading system(i.e, the traditional grading system) is used in the majority of school systems and is highly respected by teachers. Despite its benefits and familiarity, many people are now wondering if they should change their grading system to the “pass or fail” grading system because of the pressure the letter grading system puts on students. Although many people believe their schools should change their grading system to “pass or fail”, the traditional system is better, and schools should stick with it because it shows how well students understand the material. With this in mind, why wouldn’t we want to change to the “pass or fail system”?
Many people believe it is important for students to know exactly if they understand the content enough to pass or not and puts stress on students to make their desired letter grade. Given this reason, many people believe the “pass or fail” system is better however these people do not know that the letter grading system is a glorified version of the “pass or fail” system. In most school systems, they tell what letter grade is passing and whether the student passed or failed. Even though the “pass or fail” system may put stress on the student, the stress that the system puts on students pushes students to get their desired grade. Also, the “pass or fail” system would put stress on students too because they would stress over if they passed or not. Unlike the “pass or fail” stress the letter stress can push students not only to pass but to get a perfect score to show their mastery over the subject, they are learning about. Given this, why is the letter system better than the “pass or fail” system?
The central reason the traditional grading system is better than the “pass or fail” system is that it shows the extent of the grasp that a student has over the topic. For example, the letter grading system shows how well a student performed on their assessment over the topic they are learning about. Because students are shown how well they understand their topic through the letter grading system, teachers know how well their student understands the information they are learning. Given that teachers know how well the students understand the topic, they can go back and teach their students information until they achieve the highest grade possible. This process helps teachers a lot because they can show the extent of the understanding their students have over a topic. The reason the “pass or fail” system can’t do this is because it does not show the extent of the students understanding. The traditional system is better because it shows how well students understand the information they are learning. Given this, schools shouldn’t change to the “pass or fail” system.
Schools shouldn’t change the grading system to the “pass or fail” system because in the letter grade system students develop a better understanding of their concepts. Because of the way the “pass or fail” system works, students don’t grasp or understand the topic as they would in the letter grading system. In the “pass or fail” grading system, if students simply pass they develop a weak understanding of a topic because the system only makes students develop an understanding of a topic so they can pass not succeed with flying colors. Unlike the “pass or fail” system, the letter system pushes students to get a higher understanding of a topic so they can achieve their desired letter grade. Furthermore, the letter system is better for students because it gives them a higher and better goal to achieve than a basic pass. Because of this, students in a letter system are more motivated to achieve a higher score.
Despite the belief that the letter grading system needs to be replaced, the system is better than the “pass or fail” system and is better for students. The system is better for various reasons and pushes students to gain a higher understanding of the topic they are learning about. The “pass or fail” system is weaker than the traditional letter grading system, and schools should stick with the letter grading system. A school that doesn’t use this system is not pushing students to the peak of their abilities and restricts the academic achievement of their students.