The English ability of Chinese university students is weaker than that of younger students and working professionals, a report has found.
English proficiency generally drops in higher age groups, but the fifth English Proficiency Index found that in China the proficiency of people aged 21 to 25 is lower than those aged 18 to 20 or those aged 26 to 30.
The report was released in Beijing on Tuesday by international education company EF Education First. Christopher McCormick, senior vice-president for academic affairs of the company, said young working professionals have stronger English than university students because the 21 to 25 group is "really feeling the pressure".
"You can look at contemporary Chinese society and you can understand that… There are more opportunities and more pressure to use English in the workplace today," McCormick said.
He told China Daily that more foreign companies are opening in China and growing numbers of Chinese companies are trading globally.
"More young working professionals in China are using English than ever before and this experience is giving them a higher level," he said.
By comparison, university students have less exposure or practice, which led to a relatively lower proficiency either than younger students or working professionals, McCormick added.
He said for students aged between 18 and 20, their most recent experience of English is intensive English training for exams including gaokao, or the national college entrance exams. But once they are in university, they will be focusing on their majors and English is less of a priority.
Cai Jigang, an English language professor at Shanghai's Fudan University, is concerned about university students' decline in English language skills.
"The current requirement for university students' English language skills is so loose that students lack the goal and motivation to study or use the language," said Cai, who is also director of Shanghai Advisory Committee on College English Teaching.
According to Cai, many Chinese universities only give four general English lessons to their non-English majors and only ask these students to pass the College English Test Band 4 (CET-4), a national English test for college students that requires a vocabulary of only 4,500 English words.
"Many students have already reached this level long before entering university. Under such circumstances, they have no drive to fight for a higher level," Cai said.
To change the situation, Cai recommends universities boost the use of English in students' daily study.
"Once university students are able to read professional literature, make literature reviews, write assays and do presentations of their majors using English, we can expect a rise in their English ability," he said.
