How Will China's Gaokao Reforms Affect International Recruiters?
China’s all-important college entrance exam (the gaokao) is undergoing significant reforms affecting the graduating class of 2020 in some key cities and provinces in China. In this report, we build on our more comprehensive white paper on assessing the gaokao, this time summarizing China’s planned reforms to the gaokao to take effect during the 2019-2020 academic year:
2020 is the year when China’s “new gaokao” will be introduced in key areas like Beijing and Shandong, building on early pilots adopted years ago in Shanghai and Zhejiang.
The “new gaokao” will eliminate the traditional “sciences” and “humanities” tracks for high school study, allowing students to select 3 subjects from either track.
Students will be able to take some components of the exam like the foreign language test twice, with their best score counting towards their grade.
The reforms strictly limit the old independent admissions systems that allowed a small group of students to gain admission to top local universities through extracurricular activities, scientific research, or service work.
Universities will no longer be classed as “Tier 1” or “Tier 2”, and students will no longer be grouped as “First Batch” and “Second Batch”. Instead, students will be able to apply to a particular major at a particular university, granting students greater autonomy but making enrollment management much more complex for universities.
What does gaokao reform mean for international higher education? Find out more in our report!
