English test to split from gaokao

Educators have reacted cautiously to a declaration that English will no longer be a compulsory element of the gaokao, or national college entrance examinations, from 2017.

Gu Mingyuan, the chairman of the Chinese Society of Education, told a conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province on Saturday that there will no longer be one centralized test of English language ability for high school graduates.

Instead, there will be examinations held throughout the year by other institutions.

Reform of the gaokao will start one year earlier than the original date announced by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, Gu also said. The proportion of Chinese and mathematics will increase.

"The Ministry of Education (MOE) held a meeting Thursday, regarding the matter, and expects to announce [their decision] soon," Gu said Saturday.

"Students will no longer have to sit a one-off, centralized examination which usually takes place in June, but can re-take the test many times before they leave high school," Gu said.

Gu's remark sparked worries that English will be marginalized from the official examination. Gu clarified on Sunday that English is not being removed from the gaokao, but instead taking another path as a "socialized" examination allowing multiple takes. He did not explain the meaning of "socialized" examinations.

Xu Mei, spokesperson for the MOE, told the Xinhua News Agency on Sunday that the reform is still at the research and planning stage, and will start in selected cities ahead of a national rollout.

"We are now putting too much emphasis on English, so it's good to make some adjustments," Sun Jisheng, former head of English at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

Zhao Jing, president of the Compubridge Research Institute of College Planning, told the Global Times he is worried about the quality and credibility of the English exam if it is to be put in other institutions' hands.

"I don't see any social institution big and credible enough to coordinate and ensure standardized questions and a marking scheme," he said.

Zhao is concerned about the overall level of English ability of the students under the new system.

"There may be more incidents of cheating as the hosting institutions may not have regulations as tight as the gaokao," he noted.

Zhao also predicts students from poorer regions may suffer the most under the new system, as public schools may no longer devote that many resources to teaching English.

However, China still needs talented people with good English proficiency, especially in the academic and science fields, as China still has to connect with the world, Sun said.

"The government has to avoid going to the other extreme of neglecting the English language, or letting commercial institutes corrupt English teaching and assessment," she noted.

According to an online poll on Sina Weibo, as of press time on Sunday, about 56 percent of the 81,000 respondents said they support the new policy.