Following USE Requirements

For the most part Unified State Exams (USE) in this country are extremely formalised discouraging good pupils, smart ones from language learning. Also of note, ESL language proficiency in Smolensk is significantly affected by schlocky bachelor and master courses.

These are some points that may be discussed later in greater detail.

1. Here in Russia, to know how to fulfil all the requirements of the assessment policy with the bureaux of the parent bodies is of major importance. It seems to be more important than teaching itself. Following this approach, the teacher should not correct identical grammar errors. But, everything must be done to ensure that the address in a letter, for example, should be written on the right side because this requirement was once spelled out in the guidance document.

2. USE experts recruited lack a common understanding of the ways of measuring the pupils oral answers. It is not allowed, for example, for a pupil to describe a given photo by saying something like “I took this picture... / This photo was taken by me...” because such a claim might lead to a factual mistake. Instead a decent pupil should have come up with something neutral like “ The photo in this picture shows ...etc”.

3. Security during the school USE is heightened with metal detector searches, police presence, and ID checks humiliating both teachers and students as though they were thieves or petty criminals.

On a brighter note, the Department of Education is examining ways to further reduce the time taken to mark the examinations and to provide administrative support for the examination process. Okay, ha ha, very funny! But, this is just a rough sketch.