<p>Hey guys -
I'm from Australia and so have no real concept of how my essay would be graded by ACT markers. I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know where you think it lies (without writing my practice tests are at about a 35, so I'm hoping the writing is okay!).</p>
<p>Cheers!
(PS. I use Angolcised spelling, hence why you may feel there's a lack of "z's" and too many "u's"!)</p>
<p>PROMPT:
In some states, legislators have debated whether teenagers should be required to maintain a C grade average in school before receiving a drivers license. Some people think this would be a good policy because having passing grades shows that students are responsible enough o be good drivers. Other people think such a policy would not be appropriate because they see no relationship between grades in school and driving skills. In your opinion, should teenagers be required to maintain a C average in school before receiving a drivers license?</p>
<p>RESPONSE:
There should remain a firm separation of academic success and civil privileges. Enforcing a law that correlates school results with driving rights would be detrimental to a wide cross-section of society. Whilst the concept of rewarding students for good results is noble and well-intentioned, it could ultimately cause economic disadvantage to those already struggling to gain educational qualifications.</p>
<p>The importance of academic and vocational success is one of the cornerstones of Western society. A person's sense of identity is often founded upon their occupation - hence the reason many people in the West introduce themselves in a vocational context (it's common to meet someone who says "Hi, I'm Joe, and I'm an accountant"). This trait causes a lot of pressure upon the younger generation to achieve a particular level of educational success. Ultimately, we value academics and vocational accomplishment It is thus understandable to suggest creating a formal legislative bond between education and civil liberties; to essentially reward a person for achieving highly in their pre-vocational training.
Putting such legislation into action, however, would have serious consequences that may ultimately be detrimental to society as a whole. Whilst many adolescents "cruise" through school on a C-grade average out of choice, there are equally those who score C-averages because it's simply all they are capable of. For these students, academia is clearly a already a problem. Where college (and perhaps even simple technical training) is now out of reach, there remains only a short list of options available to pursue after school. Preventing these students access to a motor vehicle may further limit their ability to find work, and hence financially support themselves. Furthermore, reducing below-average students' ability to transport freely can limit their social networks, hence potentially causing problems in other aspects of their lives. The combined socio-economic impacts of denying poorly-performing students a driving license would only widen the gap between those with opportunities and those without. To add to this, some of these potentially unemployable people would cause a strain on social welfare mechanisms in the future, placing additional excess demand on administrative spending.</p>
<p>Secondly, formalising the relationship between academia and civil liberties (by way of driving rights) would raise the issue of relativity between students and schools. Such a law would be unable to accomodate the fact that, for some students and schools, a "C" might be an achievement. It is impossible to expect every student within one state, and indeed the nation, to be of the exact same ability, and have the same expectations. Those who feel as if they succeeded in scoring a "C" would feel marginalised from the mainstream.
Effectively, a form of academic elitism would be legalised within the schoolyard. Expecting every student to have equal expectations of themselves is ludicrous; they should instead be rewarded based on how they perform according to their own standards. Comparing a remarkably intelligent student against a below-average one will dishearten many underperformers. In many cases, they may be discouraged from trying further, and hence, instead of the law creating an incentive to work hard, it would merely push some students away.</p>
<p>Ultimately, high performing students should be rewarded - and they most often are; it's a natural function of our Western cultural structure. We should do this, however, inclusively - that is, inviting students to build upon their own expectation, rather than exclusively (removing underperformers from the pool). The proposed meshing of civil liberties with academic/vocational success undermines the egalitarian values of our society - one where, despite the cards a person is drawn in life, everyone has the chance to live inclusively and comfortably amongst their peers. While it is incredibly admirable and productive to encourage adolescents to extend their skillset, we need to do it in a manner that does not limit the opportunities of others.</p>