The ongoing teachers鈥� strike in British Columbia has resulted in a controversial change to some high school exams, allowing students to complete the tests without having to answer any essay questions.
The Ministry of Education revised Grade 10 English and Grade 11 social studies exams to remove essay questions after administrators expressed concern that there wouldn鈥檛 be enough qualified people to properly grade the tests.
Students answered more multiple-choice questions instead.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of surprising because we didn鈥檛 expect it, but we like it,鈥� one student told CTV Vancouver.
B.C. teachers have been on strike since June 17. Administrators are marking the provincial exams, worth 20 per cent of a students鈥� final grade.
With an estimated 70,000 exams written across the province on Tuesday, administrators said they were concerned whether they could all be marked on time. To expedite grading, the long-form and essay questions were removed.
Student Oryssia Ochitwa said she wasn鈥檛 happy about the change because the essay questions show whether 鈥測ou can write or not.鈥�
鈥淭he part they took out is the part I would have been the best at,鈥� she said.
Striking teachers have been given a list of Grade 10 and 11 students鈥� most recent marks, which they will review before submitting their final grades.
Grade 8 and 9 students in Vancouver will get partial report cards. Students from kindergarten to Grade 7 across the province won鈥檛 get any report cards at all.
Meanwhile, the B.C. government has spent approximately $20,000 on ads saying it cannot afford the teachers鈥� demands, which include raising salaries and benefits.
With a report from CTV Vancouver鈥� Mi-Jung Lee and files from The Canadian Press
