Gaokao opened to migrant students (2)

About 9.12 million students in the country are taking the exams to vie for access to the country's universities and colleges this year. The number is 30,000 less than last year, according to Xinhua News Agency.

As heavy rain hit most parts of the country on Friday, parents holding umbrellas or hiding under shelters waited anxiously outside the 310,000 exam rooms at 7,300 venues nationwide.

China has mobilized several State departments to guarantee order and ensure that all examinees have a smooth experience.

In Beijing, 7,000 traffic officers were dispatched to the roads to maintain order and ensure students got to their exams on time, as torrential rain, thunder and lightning hit most parts of the city, said a spokesman from the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Thanks to joint efforts by traffic police and educational authorities, the exams have not been affected by the rainstorms which are expected to continue over the weekend, according to a Ministry of Education statement on Friday.

In Dingzhou, Hebei province, a student fell into an uncovered drainage hole at around 2:14 pm when she was running to take an afternoon gaokao during a heavy rainstorm. She was found dead at another drainage hole three hours later, according to China National Radio.

Li Jinhua, 39, from Beijing, was waiting for her daughter to exit the examination room on a street. "We came very early because of the rain. My daughter was allowed to go into the examination room as soon as we arrived here," she said.

In Shanghai, the road near Gezhi Middle School was half-blocked by traffic police. Many parents were waiting quietly in nearby coffee shops and parks.

"It's raining heavily today so students are allowed to enter the examination rooms earlier," said Wang Shun, a first-year college student who was waiting for a younger relative. "That's why not many parents are accompanying their children to the school gates."