A controversial topic that has caught the attention of students and their families is whether or not grade 12 English should be required for entry into all university programs. I believe that grade 12 university English offers only practice for what you have learned from grade 11, practice that is not completely necessary. As you can see from this pdf on page 13, it explains that students will write literary essays in grade 11 which is an essential skill in university. What I’m trying to say is that students learn how to write essays in grade 11, leaving no purpose to grade 12 English as nothing new is being taught.
Another reason why I believe that grade 12 university should not be required for university is because it takes up a crucial course spot that could otherwise be used for something that is more focused on your future. Say you are interested in taking biology courses in university, from my point of view it makes sense to take a course that has to do with biology such as anatomy and philosophy online rather then English as it prepares you more so for what’s to come in a challenging university biology class. Now if one was to pursue a career in journalism than by all means grade 12 English should be a top priority and taken in order to prepare that student for university programs that have to do with literacy.
Since grade 12 English is currently mandatory for entry in all university programs, it could deter students who are gifted in mathematics as they hardly have to work with words, with the focus being on numbers. For example if a student is receiving a 92 average in grade 11 functions but only a 62 in grade 11 university English it might sway this student from taking grade 12 university English, thus inhibiting their post secondary options. It is my belief that students should not be penalized because they excel in one thing but struggle in another. They should be able to pursue a field that they do well in, regardless if one class is not their forte. Just look at Srinivasa Ramanujan who failed to get into college let alone university “because he neglected all other studies in pursuit of mathematics” (Britannica) and yet he became one of the best mathematicians in the 20th century.
One thing that grade 12 English teaches you is proper formatting which is a great thing to know, especially for various university programs. My problem is that marks are distributed towards format and content equally as this pdf points out on page 3. From my point of view, the majority of the marks should be given out for content and not so much towards format. So if your taking grade 12 English, write a wonderful essay full of information and proof but, your MLA formatting is off it could drop your mark from an 86 to a 72, at least from my school. This does not make sense to me as in math, sure you receive marks for communication (format) but the main focus is getting the right answer and understanding the process (Application, Knowledge/ Understanding, and Thinking/Inquiry) as it should be.
All in all, grade 12 English should not be mandatory for university programs because all it offers is practice, practice that can be done in your free time to improve your writing. This class takes up a course spot that could’ve been put towards a course that would more so benefit you in your desired field. Not only does grade 12 English take up a course spot, the workload prevents students from dedicating the majority of their time on a subject they have a passion for. Students across Ontario will only benefit if grade 12 university English is optional, and not required for entry into all university programs.
References
Click to access MarkingEssays.pdf
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Srinivasa-Ramanujan
https://www.scides.org/scides-courses/secondary/grade-12
edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english1112curr.pdf
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