“Do Essays Really Build Creativity?” Concerns Pour Into South Korea’s Education Council

The idea that essay-style testing automatically produces more creative students faced sharp resistance at South Korea’s National Education Commission. During an emergency meeting in Seoul, members challenged the assumptions behind a proposal to expand short-answer and essay assessments in both the national college entrance exam and school evaluations.

“

In the era of artificial-intelligence transformation and population decline, the ability to ask questions and think has become more important than choosing correct answers quickly

Kim Dong-jin, a member of the commission’s university admissions special committee, argued that students need the ability to ask questions and think critically rather than simply choose correct answers in an era of artificial-intelligence transformation and population decline. Lee Min-seok of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee said AI could handle first-round grading, with teachers making the final decisions and reducing the workload that has traditionally hindered written assessments.

Several commissioners disputed the claim that multiple-choice-focused education has weakened Korean students’ thinking skills. Kim Yong cited South Korea’s strong performance in problem-solving and creative-thinking categories of the Programme for International Student Assessment, saying there appeared to be little basis for that conclusion. Lee Hyun asked how proponents could explain the lower international rankings of countries that already rely more heavily on essay-based assessment. Kim Dong-jin responded that studies found students performed better in originality and flexibility on open-ended questions, and that they changed their study strategies according to the type of test.

“

It is difficult to find grounds for concluding that students’ thinking skills are low because education centers on multiple-choice questions

AI grading prompted another round of concerns. Commissioners asked how schools would respond when teachers and AI systems produced substantially different results, and whether parents might challenge grades or bring lawsuits after checking answers with a different AI system at home. Lee Min-seok acknowledged that applying AI to high-stakes exams could be difficult until the technology became stable, though he said its use could gradually expand. He pointed to existing written components in school performance assessments, which are recorded in student evaluations, as an indication that the system might be workable.

“

How can you explain that the international assessment rankings of countries using those methods are lower?

The meeting itself became a dispute over transparency. Commission Chair Cha Jung-in proposed holding it behind closed doors because admissions discussions could strongly affect schools. Other members argued that public deliberation required an open process. After nearly an hour of debate, the commission agreed to disclose only part of the meeting. It plans workshops on Sept. 9 and 17, with the goal of including admissions policy in a long-term development-plan draft scheduled for release in October.

“

When will AI grades be stable enough? Applying them to high-stakes exams may be somewhat problematic, but their use could gradually expand