Judging a person’s abilities by his paper qualifications

Topic: “Do you think we should judge a person’s abilities by his paper qualifications?” Discuss.

Outline:
1. Describe how people normally believe that a person’s abilities are judged by his paper qualifications.
2. Describe how paper qualifications prove to be a good judge of a person’s abilities.

- Getting distinctions in all subjects shows that person knows a lot about those subjects and is hardworking.
- Paper qualifications show a person’s capability in performing particular jobs.

3. Describe how paper qualifications do not really judge a person’s abilities.

- A person with impressive qualifications may not be able to put his knowledge into practice.
- Some abilities are never found on paper.

4. Briefly conclude that paper qualifications should not be the only basis of judging a person’s abilities.

We often assume that a person’s abilities are based on his paper qualifications alone. However, how reliable exactly is one’s paper qualifications as a gauge of one’s abilities?

Paper qualifications reflect a person’s ability to understand concepts. For example, if a student obtains distinctions in all subjects, it shows that he has mastery over those subjects. It also shows that he is hardworking and can withstand the pressures of examinations.

Paper qualifications show a person’s possible capability in performing particular jobs. For instance, a student who is competent in maths would probably do well in the field of engineering. Paper qualifications also reflect a person’s professional also reflect a person’s professional abilities. For instance, a law graduate would most probably become a practicing lawyer.

However, paper qualifications are not always entirely reliable. A person’s true abilities have to stand the test of real job experience. This is because most examinations only test a person’s knowledge and not how well he can put it into practice. Therefore, a person with great initiative may prove to be a better businessman than one with impressive paper qualifications.

Furthermore, there are some abilities that can never be reflected on paper. For instance, whether a person would make a good statesman or a successful pop singer cannot be decided by paper qualifications.

In my view, there are many people who could be more capable than what their paper qualifications show. They might not have had a chance to pursue and acquire paper qualifications. Therefore, paper qualifications should not be the only judge of a person’s abilities.