(
China.org.cn) 11:01, October 27, 2013
Email|
Print|
Comments twitter facebook Sina Microblog reddit A report revealing the reduced role of the English test in Beijing's college entranceexamination has drawn much public attention.
Starting from 2016, The English test score will be reduced from 150 to 100, and thestudents will also be allowed to take two exams a year and pick the best result for theircollege admission, according to a report on the website of China's Communist Partynewspaper Guangming Daily on Oct 21.
There have also been numerous reports from other provinces in China. For example, thereis a rumor that the English test will be phased out of the entrance exam system in easternChina's Jiangsu province, while other provinces or municipalities, such as Shanghai andHubei, will not make any major changes.
Any possible change in the exam provokes much heed and debate. In an online surveycarried out by China's popular portal, Sina, 72.5% of people favor reducing the weighting ofEnglish in the entrance exam, 22.6% are against it, while 4.9% are undecided (as of Oct. 22).
Putting divided opinions aside, the attention the news has attracted demonstrates theChinese love - hate relationship with learning English and the Gaokao, or the NationalCollege Entrance Examination.
English and the game-changing college entrance exam
Changes made in the English test have been seen by the public as the beginning of reformsto the entrance examination, which has been under heated debate for years.
It comes as a response to many prevalent problems among Chinese students, parents andthe community. The Ministry of Education has been calling for years to ease the students'burden, but it has not worked in the past, as the entrance exam still remains the only wayfor most students to get into higher education in China. Many people have been consideringchanges or alternatives, for instance, distributing the right to enroll students inuniversities, however people are concerned that such policies might be overtaken bypeople with money or connections who want to buy their way into university. Everyproposal has generated serious debate.
The root reason why the exam is such a hot button issue is that though students now havemore options for their higher education (for instance, going abroad for college), theentrance exam is still the primary method for most students. For students who are fromfamilies without money or connections, their performance during the exam will determinetheir lot.
Furthermore, every adjustment made to the college entrance exam system may be seen asrepresentative of various social appeals, such as the Party's Guangming Daily opinionarticle of Oct 23. Reducing the weighting of English in the exam system may causedisparities among different provinces, as different regions enjoy different educationalresources. It may also change the way subjects are taught in school, as the examsdetermine how courses are run. It will also impact the related industry, especially thevarious training service providers.
The English test and entrance exam are not only game-changers for students, but also formany others.
The English craze and the revival of Chinese
The changes made to the English exam also come as a reaction to the English craze inChina.
The film “American Dreams in China” released this year depicts the Chinese craze forlearning English at the end of the 20th century. Though the fervor now is not as heated asit was then, the enthusiasm still lingers on.
According to a research project carried out by China's State Language Commission, morethan 65% of university students spend over a quarter of their time learning English. Manyof them prepare for international English tests such as TOEFL, IELTS and GRE as soon asthey arrive at college.
By contrast, Chinese people's enthusiasm for their mother tongue has been put to the test.China's state television recently aired a show in which the participants were asked to writeChinese characters as a dictation (similar to the U.S' spelling bee), and many viewerscommented that they had problems writing many of them, revealing a long-term neglect ofwriting Chinese language characters.
The changes made in the entrance exam, therefore, have been seen by some as a responseto the calls in recent years to increase emphasis on Chinese and to downplay the focus onEnglish, but to what extent it will bring back the Chinese people's love for their ownlanguage is yet to be seen.
（Editor：LiXiang、Gao Yinan）
Related reading
SPECIAL: Too much English? Chinese debate on test reformGiving less weight to English tests is a positive first step in reformWe RecommendLow wages Indian migrant laborersFive fighters in flight trainingLondon mayor hails free trade, subway system on China tourDifferent eye catching shows at housing fairs in ChinaSpecial family portraits call attention to left-behind childrenMigrant children’s pain and joy in cityLingerie show dazzles Wuhan Motor Show 2013Running in fun customs at Beijing Int'l MarathonWeekly Sports PhotosName:
