Humanising Language Teaching
Year 5; Issue 6; November 03

Dear Editor,

In the September issue of HLT you published a major article by Judy Churchill with the above title. In the article she lists these as the causes of exam stress:

Fear of the unknown
unfamiliar surroundings
fatigue
feeling unwell
hunger
Physical tension
nerves
noise
lack of preparation
uncomfortable seating
Unfamiliar/unpleasant smells
time pressure
wrong temperature
cramped conditions
bad lighting
poor quality audio equipment

A pretty hefty list! Since reading her article I have discovered that Judy Churchill actually works for an examination board. If she is so acutely aware of the extreme downsides of exams, why would she want to work organising such events?

Why do we put people through events as monstruous as exams, events that in and of themselves, make it hard for people to enjoy the language they are using. If they are not enjoying being in English is it likely that they will produce a good performance?

In perplexity,

Uschi Schroeder-Maxwell , Warsaw, Poland.