We the ARKIS grade 11 students respectfully require the school to reconsider the requirement to sit for the end of year assessment under the current circumstances.

Ongoing regional instability is causing stress, anxiety, and fear among students which makes it difficult to focus, study effectively, or perform well in exam and so exams under these conditions won’t reflect true ability

Classes have been interrupted, shortened, and inconsistent so we haven’t had sufficient or stable preparation time and with the conditions seeming to be ongoing it doesn’t seem like we will as this in itself is already short notice.

Moreover, end of year exams are high stakes and require full mental focus, and current conditions create an unfair disadvantage compared to normal years so students will be assessed under extra pressure that is unrelated to the assessments themselves. Not to forget that many students are dealing with personal problems due to these conditions and the exams disregard this extra stress and doesn’t account for these differences.

The school can use different previous assessments or alternative methods to give a more accurate reflection of students ability because the school should prioritise the students welfare and academic success should not come at the expense of mental health.