<i>Gaokao</i> reform needs to look beyond the scores

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Gaokao reform needs to look beyond the scores

By Liu Zhun (Global Times) 08:25, October 24, 2013

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Reform of China's national college entrance examinations, also known as gaokao, never loses its place on the list of the most debated issues every year. According to a summary conducted by the Chinese Net portal Sohu, China has gone through about 10 major reforms since 1949. However, the most important talent-selection system of the country is still the target of much complaint and resentment.

Recently, Chinese local educational authorities are planning a reform to de-emphasize the role of the English test in the gaokao system. In Shandong, listening skills will be excluded from next year's English test paper. In Beijing, 150 marks for the English test will probably be reduced to 100, and the scores of the Chinese test will be upgraded from 150 to 180. The test will also be processed in a more flexible manner - students can take the test twice a year, and choose their best scores to apply for colleges.

China might have the largest population who are learning English as a foreign language. English has also been seen as a key to understanding the outside world since China began its reform and opening-up in 1978. After years of nationwide education, English proficiency has taken strong root as one of the most important criteria for individual competitiveness in the growing international society.

When reform plans emerge, concerns rise as well. There are many suspicious voices questioning their feasibility.

Some worry about what teachers should do if some students are able to get a high score at the new English test even before they go to high school. Some are concerned that the new system will reduce the competitiveness of the students who come from poor and illiterate families, because school is probably the only place where they can learn English systematically.

Gaokao reform, a giant project which impacts the country in all walks of life, is definitely a complicated undertaking. There will probably never be a nationwide consensus on how to reform gaokao because of the different appeals from various interested groups. But people need confidence to better it, and this confidence can only be acquired from resolving concrete problems.

Reform of the English test could be a good start, but it won't work as expected if the reform cannot prove its capability to solve the most compelling problems. The ultimate goal is to include more elements in judging a student's comprehensive ability, instead of merely the score.

（Editor：DuMingming、Chen Lidan）