Many core curriculum subject associations do not support the abolition of the elective exam, however.

With the planned extension of compulsory education, graduating from basic school and entering a new educational institution would come under one unified system.

Consequently, basic school final exams would move to an earlier date compared to the current schedule. This change would allow high schools to consider a student's Estonian language and mathematics exam results during admissions.

However, schools would still have the option to test students' knowledge in more specific areas during entrance exams, where needed.

Ülle Matsin, head of the general education policy department at the Ministry of Education, referred to this as one of the factors behind a desire to abandon the elective exam.

"The motivation to choose this third exam is much more related to admissions; to what the learner wants to do next. I would venture to say that [the elective exam] has been the least valuable of the acts we perform at the end of basic school," she said.

The abolition of the elective exam is not however supported by representatives of several curriculum core subjects. For instance, the association of chemistry teachers says it believes that elective exams help maintain high quality of education across the board. Additionally, the results of elective exams provide useful feedback for the state, they say.

Martin Saar, a member of the association's board and a chemistry teacher himself, said: "The elective exam at junior high school is something a student can choose based, on their individual strengths and interests, and their desires in terms of what to further study. "

"We talk about individual learning paths, yet now we wish to get rid of this elective exam. I fail to see, and the association feels the same, that this is the right course of action," Saar added.

Matsin said on this that learners would still need to complete creative and research projects based on individual interests.

Moreover, abolishing the elective exam will give teachers more time to guide projects in a more meaningful way.

Matsin added that compulsory level tests provide better feedback than elective exams.

She said: "The function of level tests in monitoring is much more supportive towards the learner, because we want it to be the case that, if the monitoring data show problem areas, the school will react. But if it only becomes clear what the level is at the school final exam stage, this is a very point at which to realize that something is wrong, because by then learners can't do anything further to raise their level."

Saar said that, however, level tests do not allow for conclusions on knowledge in a single subject, whereas exams do,

Saar said: "We can't just set aside exams just because there are level tests too. We also evaluate exams according to the result, which is recorded on the final certificate. A level test is simply feedback and for the planning of further education. Both are important, but they have different goals."

The math teachers association says it also believes that the elective exam should remain in place

Association chair Hele Kiise said: "We can't continuously engage in lowering the bar, so to speak. An exam has a set threshold, 50 percent. All these level tests only provide feedback. Since there is no certain reward or effort required at the end, they are taken much more lightly."

Attendance through to the end of basic school (Põhikool) is mandatory in Estonia, high school (Gümnaasium) is not, as things stand.

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