But this is exactly the problematic viewpoint. You thought that the point of letting you write essays in your native language was to enable you to write essays. It isn't, it never was.
During the final exam, a national exam (all the students did it at the same time in the country) you were given blank pieces of paper, a pen, 10 different topics to choose from, and 6 hours.
You pick a topic, write a draft, then write the essay. ~700 words.
Bonus points if you use relevant literature or science quotes in it. Quotes you had to memorize, without knowing the topics.
None of the topics resonated with you? Tough luck, buddy.
Don't have any 'novel' ideas? Figure something out!
Cited something the reader didn't know about? Should've known better!
Quoted someone the person grading doesn't know? Better hope they're in a good mood!
There's a reason they got rid of this style of exam a few years later. Doesn't change that this one thing dominated my native language and literature classes.
My biggest takeaway from it is how much I hate my native language class and literature class, but that might've happened even without the essay.
