Intermediate Problems: Why We Need Changes In English Paper Pattern

Of the many problems with the syllabus, teaching methods and paper patterns of Intermediate in Pakistan, one of the most important is the problem with English which, being a language, should focus on creativity and vocabulary. Instead, it relies heavily on cramming.

This is written according to Lahore board.

Consider, for example the English of first year that comprises of two books. The first one features short stories while the second one has one-act plays and poems. 51 out of 100 marks in the paper are completely dependent on how well you can remember things. They comprise of MCQs, short questions and an English passage that needs to be translated into Urdu which comes directly from the book. A simple step, like making that English passage random would do so much good. And about the short questions, kindly tell me why do I need to remember what haircut Miss McCutcheon wanted? Or why do you I need to remember how was the throne room decorated? This is absurd to the point of being hilarious! If the objective is to test the comprehensional ability of the students then this is definitely not the right way. A random passage with question answer would be a much better alternative.

The situation gets a little better in the second year as the memorizing portion gets reduced to 34 with the inclusion of an essay and random Urdu Passage to be translated into English. But still those short questions need to be removed. I mean, I don't care what Mr.Chips served to his guests.
And although the choice of material in the syllabus is quite good but some changes are still needed. For example, sufi poems in the first year syllabus like "He alighted form High Heaven to pour a cascade of love" are, I think a little too much to digest for intermediate students who are still little immature.