THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD NOT ADOPT

THE PASS-FAIL SYSTEM IN

A Position Paper Presented to the

By

1-I GROUP 2

BAYBADO, Micco Allen P.

CABACUNGAN, June Phillip S.

MACARAMBON, Sitty Hamidah B.

PAZ, Evan P.

RAMIREZ, Abigail DV


CHAPTER I - Introduction 3
Introduction 3
CHAPTER II - Arguments 5
CHAPTER III - Conclusion 8
REFERENCES 9
 CHAPTER I - Introduction

Introduction

Numerical Grading System. To better understand how the world works people use

research and analytics. This practice means that people rely on numbers and data to gain the

information they need. Furthermore, the data gathered provide benchmarks and variables for

people, businesses, and whatnots.

As to the academe, the results and data from numbers provide teachers and students a

measuring stick on their current situation. A student is given a bird’s eye view on where his

strengths lie and what areas he can improve upon. Furthermore, the numerical grading system

provides students to study harder because it provides a target that has to be reached.

This target or the passing grade serves as a reminder to students of success and fruits of

their work which gives a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. Furthermore, a standard is imposed

upon students which will be beneficial to help students improve their work ethic and encourage

them to put always give the maximum effort into their work. Additionally, it carries out as

motivation to students to do better in class since the numerical grading system can cause

competition.

Hence, students who eventually become the labor-force, leaders, and movers of society

are equipped with the right work values and ethics.

of the 2020 Bar examination, has propose the pass-fail system for the upcoming 2020 Bar

Examinations. So what is a Pass-Fail System? The proposal refers to a grading system in which

students receive wither a "pass" or "fail" grade without any numerical markings. This kind of

grading system is implemented and practiced in the United States Bar examination.

Justice Leonen said during his speech at the first Legal Education Summit held at the

Manila Hotel. "It's time that we rethink why we continue to maintain the status quo and whether

this is the role which we should take within our current society, full of injustice, full of

inequality, wanting social justice,”

However, Justice Leonen has not yet given his explanation as to why he wants a pass-fail

system. One can argue that the Pass-Fail grading system can remove the negative stigmas that

come with poor grades and a few more possible reasons as to why the Justice has thought of this

path. Nevertheless, we argue and believe that the Pass-Fail system is not the proper grading

system to implement in our future Bar Examinations.

It has been a norm for the past decades that the Supreme Court displays the results of

the bar exams for the purpose of informing the bar exam takers on how well they did in their

exam. The grades are the sole basis to determine the students who excelled most in the exam.

These grades establish the ranks of the students which shows who among them made it to the top

barristers. It has always been on a positive note that grades in the bar exam helps law students

inspire themselves to strive harder in order to compete with the current high bar exam ratings or

having a goal to top the bar examinations.

If the Supreme Court adopts the "Pass-Fail System" in the succeeding bar examinations,

the bar takers would be prejudiced for the sole reason that they would not be able to view their

grades resulting in the examiners not being able to gauge their performance. When a person fails,

he would not be able to view his grades and assess what subject he would need to focus on the

next time he takes the bar exam. On the contrary, those persons who excel would not be able to

reap or experience what the present bar exam topnotcher experience such as recognition,

workplace advantage, honor and pride. Furthermore, getting the grades at the end of the exam

would encourage the barristers to take the

Additionally, the proposed pass-fail system would diminish or eliminate the

competitiveness of the bar exam takers since getting a high grade would not matter. Barristers

would take the exam with the sole purpose of passing. This would result in the barristers not

making use of their full potential.

barristers have understood. After the results from the Bar examinations, the barrister will never

have the chance to know how well they have performed and what aspects they were good at or

not.

The grading system will not show if a student had the sufficient knowledge about the

subject at hand since there is no comprehensive and measurable feedback. The pass-fail grading

system is a vague and incomplete system to know as to whether one really mastered and become

who is sought to be.

Especially in law school where every student has worked very hard not just to be lawyers

but to be the best attorneys and lawmakers that they can be. If the Supreme Court implement the

pass-fail then they might do a disservice towards the examinees because the takers will never

know their full capabilities and strengths.

It is important and more beneficial for students to see their grades in numerical form as it

presents data that they can process, breakdown, and analyze to further improve themselves and to

set a better standard on their knowledge and skillset.

According to Rappler’s report, the passing rate for Bar Examinations 2018 is 22.07%,

equivalent to 1,800 of the 8,158 examinees who took the Bar passed. However, there are 6,358

examinees who have failed the Bar exam. In comparison to previous years, the 2017 Bar

Examinations had 25.55% passing rate and a enormous drop from 2016 Bar Examination which

was 59.06%.
 Throughout 2010 to 2018 the average passers of the Bar examination floats around

27.12% and there has been 55,847 Bar takers and only 15,146 have passed. This leaves at 40,701

examinees who have failed. If the pass-fail system has already been implemented during those

times the 40,701 students who didn’t make it will never fully understand where they exactly need

to improve.

According to the Supreme Court, these are percentages of passers per subject in the 2017

Bar Examination. In Civil Law – 59.70%, Legal Ethics – 52.07%, Remedial Law – 47.98%,

Taxation – 23.77%, Labor Law – 22.00% , Mercantile Law – 21.28%, Political Law – 21.22%,

Criminal Law – 17.67%.

Out of 6,748 takers there are 4,028 who passed the Civil Law, 3,918 who passed Legal

Ethics; 3,237 who passed Remedial Law; 1,603 who passed Taxation; 1,484 who passed Labor

Law; 1,435 who passed Mercantile Law; and 1,431 who passed Political Law and 1,192 and

Criminal Law.

These numbers and data don’t only help students but also help schools as well. The

information gathered here could help law schools to improve on exams where there are lower

passers. In addition to, these numbers could also reflect on how hard or easy each subjects were,

the data gathered can also help the Legal Education Board to realign on how they check answers,

how they give questions, and to overall assess the Bar exam.

Having a Pass-Fail system wouldn’t allow these things to happen. With a Pass-Fail

system students will never be able to gauge themselves and ensure that they have performed to

their very best and maximum potential. Thus, it would hinder one’s growth to become the best

attorney or lawyers that they can be.

We can conclude that numbers tell us various kinds of information and details that are

vital to improvement of one’s self. The number grading system allows students to set a mark and

goal that they want to achieve or even surpass. The numerical target if reached and surpassed

acts as a incentive and motivation for students to continue to strive and do better even after

taking the exam. In contrast to the pass-fail system the sense of fulfilment disappears as no

incentives are gained from the process.

The number graded system serve as guidelines and measurement to students so that they

understand their situation and grades. Furthermore, it also helps schools improve which would

affect the students to consequently improve as well.

Brion, A.D (2018, June 6). Bar Exam Statistics and Law School Entrance Examinations.

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law-school-entrance-examinations

Buan, L. (2019, May 3). Bar Exam results 2018: 22.07% passing rate. Retrieved February 4,

2020, from https://www.rappler.com/nation/229571-bar-exams-passing-rate-2018

Regoli, N. (2019, May 28). 19 Principal Pros And Cons of the Pass Fail Grading System.

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