Australian high school students at sea over cryptic exam question

When you see the words in this image, what do they evoke?

Gone are the days when exams had right or wrong answers: Australian students taking their English test for the Year 12 Higher School Certificate (HSC) in New South Wales were presented with an open-ended question that confused them.

The image of a man rowing a boat with a pencil in a sea full of words was created by American artist Julie Paschkis, who wants children to “taste language and play with words.”

Students were asked to explain how the image used a variety of forms and features of language to better communicate creative ideas.

But some students didn’t even know some of the words or what they were supposed to do with them.

“The words were so strange, some of them I had no idea what they meant, some simpler words like sun and honey were very, very random, but some of them I had never seen before,” said Bradfield Senior College Year 12 he told the Daily Telegraph.

“In class we learned how to dissect images … It was confusing to be given an image. Did we talk about characteristics like color or did we just talk about words because that’s what was in the question?”

Paschkis said American schools were teaching students that there was a correct answer to questions.

“I like the idea of ​​things being more open,” he told the Telegraph.

“I love language and I feel like when you are really familiar with a word you go straight to the meaning, but when you don’t know a word, sometimes you hear its sound or how it looks, it can take you to other places.

“When I put a word in a painting, I am thinking about the meaning of it, but I am also thinking about its sound or its appearance, it is a more playful approach to language, it is not just a meaning.

“It’s not that I don’t think there are facts for you to learn, but my hope in education is that there is room for open exploration.”

On Tuesday, Australian actress Cate Blanchett sent a message of hope to Year 12 students battling the coronavirus, saying she is in awe of their “monumental” achievement.

The Oscar winner said members of the class of 2020 have become “national heroes” by completing their studies during a pandemic.

“This country supports you, and these exams are not the end of things. They are not the last word, and they do not, they do not define you.”

The HSC was scheduled to start on October 15, but was delayed until this week, while oral language tests were delayed a week in August.