With just a month remaining until the end of the school year, many students are apprehensive about the release of their Final Report Cards in June. Furthermore, many classes are conducting their final summative assessments.

Final grades are the overall evaluation of a student’s performance throughout the whole academic year. They determine whether the students successfully met the course or program requirements and mastered the subject matter. Also, final grades provide valuable feedback even at the end of the learning progress, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. The past summative all accumulate to the final grade the students receive. However, most of the time, the weight of the final summative is higher than other assessments completed during the academic year.

Overall, final grades are an essential aspect of the academic process. They help determine students’ academic achievements throughout the year and represent their academic ability. Unfortunately, final grades are a stressful topic for many students. 

Many students are worried about their final reports, which will be released in a couple of weeks. A ninth-grade student, Henry Lee, commented, “Now that the final reports are drawing near, I feel quite nervous. There is a constant pressure to get the highest grades for each subject for the final reports.” Junwoo Lee, another freshman, commented, “On the bright side, I’m proud of myself for finishing the first year of high school. Still, I’m worried about the final summative for the classes.” Elin, another freshman, voiced that she feels apprehensive about her final reports. She mentioned that there were some strands she didn’t feel as confident about. 

When asked about their specific worries, Henry commented that he is apprehensive about Science as he struggled the most in Science throughout the academic year and hasn’t done too well in the recent summative. One of the biggest challenges for Junwoo this year was Media Arts. He commented, “I’m not as confident about Media Arts. I feel like I don’t have as much innate talent as other students. Also, it is my first time taking a media arts related course, and I had to put in a lot of time and effort to improve my results.” 

Next year, Henry, Junwoo, and Elin will both become sophomores. When prompted about improvements to make next year, Henry answered, “Next year, I will not procrastinate. Procrastinating has been extremely detrimental to me. I would have to work extensively in stressful situations. I also need to find a balance between my personal hobbies, like basketball, and academics. It’s always difficult to find time for both of these.” Junwoo similarly commented, “I tried to be focused and diligent. However, I didn’t put as much effort into non-summative tasks. I think, next year, I will try harder for non-graded tasks and be more diligent in all aspects.” Elin also commented, “​​I was more relaxed in the first semester, often taking more time than necessary to complete tasks. However, as time passed, the misuse of time proved to be detrimental. Though I recovered from it in the second semester, I feel that this year would have been much easier if I had completed my work more methodically. In that sense, I hope to be more organized and goal-oriented next year.” 

As students approach the end of the academic year, it seems inevitable that there is anxiety and nervousness. In those stressful situations, it is important to remember that each new year brings a fresh start. Even though the final grades may seem like the end of the world, they are not the only determinant of our worth and do not limit the potential for success.