“Grades do not measure intelligence”

A very good morning to our honourable judges,

teachers, timekeeper and all my fellow friends. Today, I
would like to deliver my speech entitled “Grades do not
measure intelligence”.

Many times, grades do not measure our intelligence.

There are times when students have bad days, sick days or
time suffering from test anxiety. All of these will affect
exam grades, thus the grades cannot measure how much we
have mastered or our intelligence. On the other hand, what
about the individuals who cannot afford an education and do
not know facts that seem basic to you? Do you also consider
them as unintelligent students? They could happen to know
more than anyone of us. For example a kid who has never
been to school but has been helping out in the vegetables
farm, he will know everything related to planting vegetables,
from identifying seeds to harvesting and the types of
vegetables. Everybody has different strengths and
weaknesses. Some are very good in Bahasa Malaysia, Science
and English but they fail Mathematics tests. However when
this happens, many will perceive them as being less
intelligent due to the one subject that has failed to score.
If you cannot score A in your English paper. It is okay as
you could be good at Mathematics. You can be an accountant
in the future then. If you cannot score A in your Science
paper, it’s fine. You could be good at drawing which you
could be an artist next time. If you cannot score A in your
Mathematic paper but you can sing well. You could be a
singer as your career then. Grades limits us. Grades are
important for our future especially when we are looking for
jobs. This is because most people think that if you have
good grades, you are smart. If you have low grades, you are
less intelligent. When people think this way. They are
devaluing the person. Even so, everyone is good in their own
way, just might not be academically. For example, you can
excel in sports if you are gifted with in sports, such as
Dato’ Lee Chong Wei, Datuk Nicol David and Pandelela
Rinong. This does not indicate that they are not good
academically but they can be our role model to look up to if
we are good in sports. Besides that, entertainment world
could be another choice, just like Dato Siti Nurhaliza, Tan
Seri Michelle Yeoh and Shila Amzah. Grades cannot measure
our intelligence. The numerical system also cannot define
how smart one person is. If you get low grades in exam, and
people start marking you as less intelligence, prove them
wrong! Strive hard in what you do best! In conclusion, I
agree that grades can be important but it is definitely not a
way to determine the intelligence of someone. It cannot
define who you are, and how you will do in the future. Low
grades achievers should never give up on ourselves or feel
useless. Being a straight A score does not determine good
job performance, tip-top socializing skill or high emotional
intelligence. As long as we do our best to strive and
contribute, we are equally valuable. Thank you very much.