[etni] Comments on the Bagrut exam

For years I have been asking the writers of the Bagrut exams to clarify the 
instructions on the formal letter, to make one simple modification which 
states:  120-140 words in the BODY of the letter NOT including salutations, 
addresses and dates.    Why this has not been done is beyond me, because it 
could at least partially solve the problem of pupils writing letters which are 
shorter than they should be.  

Until that is done, and it seems it never will be, teachers should be making it 
clear to their pupils that the 120 words refers to the body of the letter only. 
 

Regards, Maxine Tsvaigrach 



Ayelet wrote:

I've also been reading the comments about the Bagrut and its effect on teaching 
and I agree. Hopefully, when (oh!when!?) I finish marking, I'll add my bit. I 
just wanted to comment about what Barry said regarding reading instructions. 
Don't you think it odd that they don't read instructions, but they DID very 
well read the F instructions for the composition and most wrote EXACTLY 100 
words? .

I'm also marking F this summer, and what I found was that despite the mistake 
in the instructions which allowed them to write only 100 words there were MANY 
pupils who wrote quite a lot less than 100 words. It's something that all of us 
can "take back to school" – to emphasise over and over again to our students 
that they will lose points for writing less than the required length of 
composition. Just like organizing a formal letter, this is also a technical 
point which all students can learn and use in the exam.

Have a good summer!

Yehudit

 

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