Reduced student burden reshapes high school entrance exams

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chi Chang'an has finished taking the high school entrance examination, along with millions of others across China. What impressed him most about the exam was the absence of routine "tricks" of analysis and established formats in the questions.

"From the design and description of questions to the examination of knowledge, the test papers looked fresh and new to me," said Chi, a middle school graduate from east China's Shandong Province.

This feature of the exam reminded him of earlier warnings from his teachers against practicing too many fixed question formats or falling into the usual patterns of thinking during revision.

The changes came as part of China's recent moves to relieve primary and secondary school students from excessive homework and off-campus tutoring burdens, better known as the "double reduction" policy.

The improved content of high school entrance examinations has been so much appreciated by Chi and students like him.

SUBJECT LITERACY & ABILITY

A guiding document unveiled in July 2021 emphasized the well-rounded and sound development of students. It urged schools to improve their teaching quality and services, and stressed distinctive subject feature in high school entrance exams, while warning against trick questions, strange questions and questions that fall outside the curriculum.

Against this backdrop, high school entrance exams now focus on subject literacy and ability, while helping wean students off their reliance on intensive exercises and mechanical memorization, said Chen Wantai, head of the Chinese teaching research panel at a middle school in Jinan, capital city of Shandong.

The Chinese exam paper in the city, for example, examined students' overall grasp of ancient poems instead of their understanding of specific creative techniques. The design of the test paper also encourages students to observe real life and speak their mind, which requires students to broaden their horizons and keep up with developments in society.

In the southwestern city of Chongqing, the math exam paper focused on core content from the curriculum, such as algebra, geometry and statistical analysis, and examined students' grasp of the foundational ideas contained in these topics.

Bai Wei, a math teacher at Chongqing No. 1 Middle School, said that the content of the examination is consistent with the curriculum that students have studied. This reflects the enforcement of the "double reduction" policy and encourages both teachers and students to value quality over quantity in homework, said Bai.

More than 382,000 students took part in local high school entrance examinations at 485 exam sites in Chongqing this year.

SCENARIO-BASED TESTS

This year's high school entrance examination also makes good use of real-life scenarios as the basis for testing student's knowledge, often in areas related to the nation's development.

The chemistry exam paper in Shanghai had a question relating to hydrogen production and storage, an important interdisciplinary topic at the present time, involving both chemistry and energy studies.

It examined students' ability to describe chemical changes using the language of that discipline, along with abstracting and processing information, and using existing knowledge to explain scientific issues, among other skills.

In Chongqing, the test paper on the subject of morality and law listed two conflicting opinions about betrothal gifts. It asked students to choose one, conduct an analysis and provide suggestions on how to resolve the issue.

Zhou Gang, headmaster of the middle school affiliated to Putuo Education Institute of Shanghai, said the test papers reflect a growing trend in examinations under the "double reduction" policy of eliminating the role of mechanical memorization and routine question formats, while adding more comprehensive and open-ended questions that emphasize application and exploration.

TEACHING QUALITY

According to Zhou, this trend resulting from the "double reduction" policy emphasizes the quality of thinking and highlights the importance of nurturing talent, with the key to implementation being efficient teaching that encourages active learning.

Zhou's school organized a broad debate on the quality of teaching among teachers, and has asked them to galvanize their classrooms, encouraging students to think proactively and improve their ability to analyze and solve problems.

The school has also launched more after-class services for students in need, and strengthened communication with parents to alleviate their anxiety.

In response to changes under the "double reduction" policy,one middle school in Anshan, northeast China's Liaoning Province, has increased the proportion of its curriculum given over to experiment, investigation and research, while organizing more social activities for students.

One mother of a middle school graduate in Shanghai, who gave her surname as Ge, said that due to the changes in the exams, intensive homework is now of little practical use, and children no longer have to rush from one off-campus training institution to another.