高考英语改革

Reforms to the National College Entrance Examination or "gaokao" are to be carried out in major cities in China, including Beijing. This includes a reworking of the weightage of some subjects including English and Chinese. CCTV reporter Su Yuting takes a closer look at the reform in Beijing and what the public thinks of the changes.

The English language assessment system is the major focus of the change.

According to the timetable of Beijing’s education system reform plan, from 2016, the scores for English in the Beijing college entrance examination will be reduced to 100 points from the previous 150 points. Of the 100, the scores for listening ability will increase to 30 points.

And for Chinese, the total scores will increase from 150 points to 180 points.

Some say the English testing system in China needs to change as it puts too much emphasis on high marks and ignores the development of student’s comprehensive language capabilities.

"We do not want students to devote too much time to the repetitive learning of English grammar. This kind of learning process makes students weaker in their spoken and listening ability. That means the English education method and the entire structure of assessment programs need systematic reforms." Li Yi, spokesman for Beijing Municipal Education Commission, said.

The Beijing reform plan notes that reducing the scores for English does not mean lowering the importance of the language. Instead, it intends to highlight its practical application. People though, have different opinions towards the reform.

"Starting from the first grade, my child has taken extra classes in English besides learning at school. His peers are studying even harder. They have spent tens of thousands of yuan on learning English," a parent said.

"It’s necessary to give people the chance to make their own decision. If someone thinks it’s important to learn English, they can spend time and energy on that. But others can choose not to learn English if they think it’s not that important," a parent said.

Reporter: "The reforms in the National College Entrance Examination or the Gaokao aim to balance English language ability with the essential knowledge of Chinese. The hope is that with the new weightage in marks for English, students will be able to strike that balance on the way to their further education."