Wednesday 30 May 2012

My views on using the internet during the exam


The international English classes on Sandvika vgs are actually the first English classes in Norway who are allowed to use internet during the exam. Therefore we practiced during our spring exam, so that we would be better prepared for the main exam. Using the internet on an exam can be both positive and negative, that is why I am in this blog-post going to write briefly about both.

 I am going to start with writing about the negative. Firstly when you are writing an exam you only have a limit of time. I usually use long time to find out what I am going to write about, and how I am going to phrase myself. So when I am done writing, I usually only have time to correct my mistakes and then time is up. Therefore what I found negative with using the internet is that a lot of time is used on researching. Moreover, when you do researching on the internet you have to use at least three sources to make sure that what you have found is correct. As a conclusion on this, when using the internet you easily use at least 30-45 minutes. That is a lot of time! Secondly, in my opinion I think that you should be tested in what you have learned during the year, not how fast you can google. If I am going to exaggerate a bit, it is like having a math exam where you get tasks outside the curriculum, and need to use google to find the answer. You get the point, right?

On the other hand internet can also be very positive. To start with, internet gives you the opportunity to expand your vocabulary. If you are stuck in how to write a sentence you can find thousands of alternatives on the internet. Internet also gives you the opportunity to write a better and more exiting exam. When you can use internet you can find interesting facts about the topic, or maybe good quotes from famous people. When you use the sources wisely you can make an exam which is kind of unexciting to something interesting and funny.

To sum up, using the internet can be a good thing, but it can also ruin your exam. It is all about using the internet wisely, and finding good sources. Good luck to all my fellow students!

1 comment:

  1. I certainly hope the internet did not ruin your exam! You could chose to ignore it of course. I hope you used it in a sensible way. Like you say for vocabulary and most importantly for facts. Even if you argue that it is good to be tested in what you learned during the year there is no way you are going to be able to memorize all the facts. Then it would be luck if you had written about it before the exam and had the info on you computer!By allowing the use of internet everyone has the same chance!

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