This is the perfect microcosm of everything that is wrong with the school system as it is now. Writing a "creative" task that has to follow all the literary conventions, but still be unique and original at the same time. Strangle your own goddamn piece of work, twist and malform it to fit the rules, or throw everything out the window and write the most boring standard and cliche story every. Have the teachers you actually like and respect look you in the eye and say: "This is a great piece of work, beautifully written, but it's not what you were asked to do".

It's the epitemy of futility.

I feel the EXACT SAME WAY

I have learned more university level stuff in my own time at home than I am at my current course!

I appreciate your feelings, and certainly do not want to invalidate them. I just want to lend another perspective- there are things we create for ourselves, and things we create for others. If you create it for yourself, what others think isn’t important. When we create for others though- their opinion matters. Unfettered creativity exists only in your mind. There are limitations to the physical world, limitations to people’s understanding, the real world has limitations. Most people don’t want to bear witness to the Feeeform imaginings of others, and even then they are usually selective about who’s imaginings they follow. When creating content, ones limitatations are the sponsors wishes. When creating entertainment it’sthe audiences review, when creating art- it is whatever you want, but not all people will appreciate all art, and physical limitations still apply. Limitations are what frames all creation. Working within those rules is a skill, as is knowing how and where to bend them.

It's more about the deep underlying problems with the school and how they impact absolutely everything. This is just one of the recent examples, with the english course, not even the school itself, being ridiculously limited in terms of creativity it's meant to promote. Everything has to be fit to someone else's standard or your work is worth nothing.
That and the bureaucracy with which I had to deal for the past year are fucking suffocating. The insolence, the stupidity, rules not making sense and people in charge caring only about their own convenience. And what's worst of all? It doesn't get better and you can't change it. I'm seriously doubting even trying going to university next year because I'm sickened by this. I don't want to deal with this anymore. And I can only hope that it'll be less common after this year.

It gets better, and if ever there was any place in life where we might have power to effect change, art would certainly be the means or the place. The better the artist, the greater chance their critics will be idiots in comparison. That’s just the burden of the thing. Not being beaten by the system is the first step to having any hope of escaping, or better yet overcoming it. Reframing challenges not as what shouldn’t be but what is- and what needs to be bested to do what it is we want, are what separate people who get to do what they like in life from people who have to get by on something they hate. One way or another you’ll be putting up with bullshit, best to front load the deal.

This sounds exactly like my friend’s dilemma.
She tried to do her comparative task on two anime, but struggled to keep it within/meet the requirements. She explained to me that she just wanted to do an assignment on the anime and tell the teacher about it.
To be honest, that’s pretty selfish.
I chose my two texts (books) with the task in mind. I made sure from the beginning that I’d be able to do the task.
Yes, it sucks that you can’t write whatever you want, but have you asked why?
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Have you asked why?

TL:DR; Dude. Do you know why you get assignments? To show you’re able to do the techniques and skills they need you to do. Sure it sucks not being able to do what you want but that’s not the point. The point is you need to show you have the skills they teach. They’re just trying to make it fun.

I understand what you mean. When I get an assignment, I do what the teacher wants and likes. Of course it feels just terrible, because it’s basically pandering. But I suppose that it’s useful to know how to operate like that, because it’s more or less what you’ll be doing for a long time. I suggest you start posting your pieces online, where they might be better appreciated. There still might be pandering in some form, but it’s not as bad.
I remember writing for school and having the work crushed because it’s didn’t have a happy ending. No where in the rules did it say it had to have one, just that it needed to be inspirational. Let me tell you that there are many ways to inspire a person.
I had to do a picture about perspective and illusions. I made something that the whole class agreed really messed with one’s mind. Teacher didn’t like that it was black and white. Once again, the rules never asked for colours.
If you really like writing, you should do it on your own time.

It’s a shame that school is like that but in the end they’re just silly assignments for a grade.

A teacher is just basically an editor. The difference is that you have some choice in editors. But most any writing done for profit will have some type of editor, and your visions may not always align in all or any areas. Difficult people suck- but they are a reality. Learning to deal with them is a life skill. Most writers and creative professionals have spent a lot of time writing things they don’t care about, pandering, or making compromises to other people’s vision so that they can have those moments where they can afford the freedom to pursue their own visions with minimal infringement. Ryan Reynolds made that awful wolverine movie as part of his deal to make Deadpool. As terrible as it was for him and us- I don’t think anyone would trade that mess if it meant he wouldn’t have been able to make the Deadpool movies. I’m sure he’s happy with how things turned out, and he got to create something he and we love- but first he had to suffer stifling by some idiots idea of Deadpool.

I'm with @creativedragonbaby on this one.
If you were at culinary school and had just done a unit on sandwiches, you'd likely be tested by being asked to make a sandwich. If you make the world's most delicious creme brulee (a higher class and more complex dish) you would fail for not putting meat and veggies between bread.

Then riddle me this: what do they f'n expect when they require you to write a proper story of high quality in a limit of 1000 words, while following bullshit self-imposed restrictions that only drown any possibility of picking a more suitable format for a story. What is the point of demanding the student to be creative and write something original and fresh if the moment you try to actually do so you get turned down 90% of the time? And most importantly, since that is the case, why would anyone even care? Why waste time trying to be creative, pouring your soul into a piece of writing, when you can write the most trash tier, basic story ever, and get more credit for that? Why even care about anything? This is why students, myself included, are so frequently cynical bastards on the outside. Because nobody gives a shit.

You want me to give an example using your sandwich analogy? Well, imagine you had to make a sandwich using 3 same ingredients that everyone else uses and the only thing you could alter is the order you place them in. And any time you tried to use a different ingredient, you would lose half of the marks for making a fucking sandwich, which has no rules or restrictions on how to make one.

I spend most of my creativity in my own studies and activities unrelated to school, and as a consequence I have greater knowledge about advanced programming skills than anyone I have met in person. I'm just doing uni for the sake of formality and "proving myself capable".

Do you remember the plot of Karate Kid?
Mr Miyagi taught Daniel San to paint the fence and wax the car. Daniel San was bored and wanted to defeat his rival, but Mr Miyagi insisted on fences and car wax.
Next thing you know, Daniel San can use the pointless skills he learned to perfectly defend himself.

A haiku only has 3 lines- 5/7/5- yet with practice and skill can tell a story, or rival the most flowery prose in beauty. The limits can help make us push ourselves. But yes- sometimes you can create amazing things and have them go unappreciated. Some people would rather have a microwaved hotdog than a masterful soufflé. Depending on context, it’s up to us to decide when to pander and when to be true to our vision. To the “sandwich” and food analogy- a friend went to an acclaimed culinary school as a pastry and desert chef. She spent the next 3 years arranging frozen pre made deserts on plates at over priced restaraunts and she hated it. It paid the bills though, and that’s what they wanted. Not her gift, just put t on the plate and thaw it. Instead of being defeated by it she was motivated. She knew she didn’t want to be in that position so she did well until she could get out and work somewhere that used her talents, and eventually opened a bakery and could do as she liked.

Thx @unklethan

Relevant:
https://iwastesomuchtime.com/ProductiveDivisionProve