College exams test aptitude, nerves
By Lu Feiran |
June 30, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR 3,482 students in Minhang, June is a make-or-break month when they sit then receive the results of the college entrance exam.
The waiting came to an end this week when candidates finally learned their scores online. Across the district, students and their parents had huddled around computers, waiting for their own "Judgment Day."
The tension was understandable as a good college education is considered the key to success in China. A high score opens doors; a low score can relegate young people to something less than the career of their dreams.
"I couldn't stop shaking when the score checking page was loading," said a student surnamed Jiang. "And the results were just as I expected, not too good, but not too bad either."
Jiang, however, wouldn't reveal his exact scores.
The exams were held on June 7 and 8. "Although teachers always assure us that the exam doesn't decide our future, we still treat it like a key battle," said Jiang. "But I feel my parents are more stressed than me, which I don't think is necessary."
Minhang held the exam in five locations. Big crowds of anxious parents milled about outside, waiting for their children to emerge. Jiang's mother had been fretting that while her son was good at science, he might not do as well in Chinese composition.
Examinees were required to write a composition of 800 Chinese characters. "I think I did well," said Jiang at the time.
Outside the exam sites, traffic police were kept busy both days to ensure that test-takers were able to arrive on time without traffic delays and that a quiet environment was maintained in the vicinity of the tests. That was seen as especially important during the listening comprehension part of the English test. Drivers were banned from tooting their horns, and other noisy activities, such as lighting firecrackers, were also forbidden.
Police also had to deal with careless students.
On June 4, a netizen whose screen name is "aizaixiyuanqian0413" posted on Weibo.com, China's major social website, that she had found a lost exam card at the Xinzhuang Metro station.
Candidates require the card to enter an examination hall and take the test.
Although she had handed over the card to the police, she was still worried that the examinee might not get it.
So she also posted a photograph of the card, which showed that the examinee was surnamed Qiang and that he was to report to the exam in Qibao High School. The post was quickly reposted more than 10,000 times.
That evening, police reported on the website that they took the card to the student's home in the Zhuanqiao area.
"We found Qiang's address through our residential data system," said Sheng Qin, a traffic policeman. "Two officers went to his home to return the card. Qiang was not home, but his mother took it. She was grateful."
Another student lost his exam card on June 6. Metro staff posted a notice on Weibo.com that a passenger had found the card on a train. The card carried the student's surname of Xue.
Although the police found Xue's contact number soon after they received the report, the boy's cell phone was apparently off the air. Police finally managed to contact Xue's father, who told them his son had gone to a quiet location away from home to study.
Many critics argue that China's exam system is too stressful for students and places too much importance on two days' performance.
"Despite educational reforms, the broad picture hasn't changed," said Xiong Bingqi, vice dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute. "It's still a life-changing test for students, especially those from poor rural areas."
He said universities should be given more freedom to choose students.The Ministry of Education should hold exams several times a year and allow universities to use the scores as a reference instead of a must, Xiong said.
The waiting came to an end this week when candidates finally learned their scores online. Across the district, students and their parents had huddled around computers, waiting for their own "Judgment Day."
The tension was understandable as a good college education is considered the key to success in China. A high score opens doors; a low score can relegate young people to something less than the career of their dreams.
"I couldn't stop shaking when the score checking page was loading," said a student surnamed Jiang. "And the results were just as I expected, not too good, but not too bad either."
Jiang, however, wouldn't reveal his exact scores.
The exams were held on June 7 and 8. "Although teachers always assure us that the exam doesn't decide our future, we still treat it like a key battle," said Jiang. "But I feel my parents are more stressed than me, which I don't think is necessary."
Minhang held the exam in five locations. Big crowds of anxious parents milled about outside, waiting for their children to emerge. Jiang's mother had been fretting that while her son was good at science, he might not do as well in Chinese composition.
Examinees were required to write a composition of 800 Chinese characters. "I think I did well," said Jiang at the time.
Outside the exam sites, traffic police were kept busy both days to ensure that test-takers were able to arrive on time without traffic delays and that a quiet environment was maintained in the vicinity of the tests. That was seen as especially important during the listening comprehension part of the English test. Drivers were banned from tooting their horns, and other noisy activities, such as lighting firecrackers, were also forbidden.
Police also had to deal with careless students.
On June 4, a netizen whose screen name is "aizaixiyuanqian0413" posted on Weibo.com, China's major social website, that she had found a lost exam card at the Xinzhuang Metro station.
Candidates require the card to enter an examination hall and take the test.
Although she had handed over the card to the police, she was still worried that the examinee might not get it.
So she also posted a photograph of the card, which showed that the examinee was surnamed Qiang and that he was to report to the exam in Qibao High School. The post was quickly reposted more than 10,000 times.
That evening, police reported on the website that they took the card to the student's home in the Zhuanqiao area.
"We found Qiang's address through our residential data system," said Sheng Qin, a traffic policeman. "Two officers went to his home to return the card. Qiang was not home, but his mother took it. She was grateful."
Another student lost his exam card on June 6. Metro staff posted a notice on Weibo.com that a passenger had found the card on a train. The card carried the student's surname of Xue.
Although the police found Xue's contact number soon after they received the report, the boy's cell phone was apparently off the air. Police finally managed to contact Xue's father, who told them his son had gone to a quiet location away from home to study.
Many critics argue that China's exam system is too stressful for students and places too much importance on two days' performance.
"Despite educational reforms, the broad picture hasn't changed," said Xiong Bingqi, vice dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute. "It's still a life-changing test for students, especially those from poor rural areas."
He said universities should be given more freedom to choose students.The Ministry of Education should hold exams several times a year and allow universities to use the scores as a reference instead of a must, Xiong said.
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