The 2020 high school diploma in biology is already behind them. The exam was held on Tuesday, June 16, and the candidates had 180 minutes to solve 22 problems. What was the level of this year’s biology baccalaureate and were there any errors? We are talking with Kamil Frankiewicz, a biologist and a current PhD student at the University of Warsaw.
Anna Zimny-Zając, Medonet: Was this year’s exam in biology more difficult or easier than last year’s? How do you assess its level?
Kamil Frankiewicz: This year’s exam does not differ from the matura exam from previous years or it is a bit simpler. Basically — in line with the trend since the new formula was introduced — most of the answers are given — directly or indirectly — in the introductions to individual tasks. Thus, the role of the test taker is only to isolate them and combine them into a whole. Such a formula does not promote people with the most knowledge, but those who use it best.
At the same time, one has to be aware that the matura exam is a form of delicate self-plagiarism – almost identical questions, in a slightly refreshed form or with different drawings, are used every few years. Students who have realized this in advance and have studied previous exams should not be surprised.
- Matura 2020: biology advanced level [SHEETS AND ANSWERS]
Which questions, according to you, were the most difficult for students?
This is a very individual matter – the second task was problematic for me. I remember from my studies that the number of adipose tissue cells did not change much; the introduction to the task claims otherwise. So is my knowledge outdated (defective?) Or the one presented in the introduction? I think a lot of people have wondered about it.
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Question 22.2. (about the risk of crossing a wildcat and a cat) is one of those that simply require pouring water – it is known that a cross between a wildcat and a cat (catfish) is neither a cat nor a wildcat, so the wildcat is gradually decreasing. Therefore, this obviousness should be dressed in a nice piece of paper and sold well to the examiner. Not everyone has this ability. This question gives the impression of a typical filler that was needed to obtain a certain amount of points to be scored.
And which of the questions should students solve without too much trouble?
Students should solve all the tasks without any problems, that’s why they graduated from high school. And seriously – it is also a very individual matter, everyone has their own favorite topic. In this year’s high school graduation I liked the balance – no biology department clearly dominated the others, so everyone got what they liked (and disliked) equally.
Are there any inaccuracies or errors in the questions on the high school exam in biology this year? We know that high school graduation sheets are not free from them, unfortunately.
Of course, for example, in Task 5.4, it was recognized that anaerobic respiration is synonymous with fermentation, which is clearly not true. This error is commonly reproduced – both in schools and in textbooks. There are probably more such semantic lapses. It is surprising that the CKE, on the one hand, attaches great importance to the way the answers are formulated (often the official keys contain a list of forbidden phrases), and on the other hand it allows for such a lack of precision on its part.
- Also check: Matriculation exams schedule
At the high school graduation exam, not a single question appeared, though touching on the topic of the coronavirus. It could be an interesting combination of checking the student’s knowledge in relation to the current health situation in the world. What do you think?
The matura exam and preparations for it run with their own rhythm. Certainly, the exam was ready long before the news of the virus became known. At the same time, not every current event must or should be reflected in it – we probably would not want high school graduates to comment on current political matters at the VOS exam …
In the case of the coronavirus, there are also emotions, unverified information, and a lot of conflicting opinions. The Matura exam should be a neutral exam – the current situation is the antithesis of this. And besides – sometimes it’s worth forgetting what exactly is in all the headlines.
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