As of 2024, writing an essay in a foreign language is required for admission to master's programs.
As direct participants and observers of this process, a question arises: are there those who successfully complete the essay writing, and in general, can candidates cope with this task? Do those who write essays constitute the majority, or those who do not?
Science and education expert Səbuhi Abdullayev spoke to AzEdu.az regarding the topic.
Observations during mock exams show that some bachelor's students shy away from writing essays:
“Candidates perceive the essay as an additional burden. Even among the majority of those who write essays, the resulting scores are quite low.
The same situation is observed in admission exams. Candidates tend to avoid listening and writing tasks more, as most of them are not specialized in foreign languages. They might be writers, historians, or representatives of other fields, and their main focus is on their specialized subjects. Therefore, a lack of high-level listening and writing skills is considered somewhat normal.
Overall, the assessment of these skills can, to some extent, hinder their selection as good personnel. For example, a person might be a very good historian but possess only minimal knowledge of English.”
The undertaking of foreign language writing tasks is met with relatively low enthusiasm by bachelor's students, and very few candidates write essays:
“It is already known that minimal requirements have been set for writing, especially for those studying in the English section, and they must absolutely meet these conditions. This can be considered normal for the English section. However, I believe that imposing the requirement to write essays and answer listening questions at this level for those studying in the Azerbaijani section is not entirely acceptable.
It would be more appropriate for them to be examined primarily in their own specialties. As you know, in recent years, the specialty exam is no longer conducted, and selection is mainly based on other criteria. The undertaking of writing tasks in English is met with relatively low enthusiasm by applicants, and very few candidates write essays. Even among those who do write, we sometimes encounter certain difficulties during the checking process, as it is not possible to deliver it promptly due to the sheer volume.
I believe that in the future, organizing this process more effectively using technical means, and implementing both the checking and the exam in general through a certification mechanism, could further simplify the work.”
