BEIJING: Hundreds of young Chinese students clutching pens and their IDs shuffled into a testing center in blue-skied Beijing on Sunday, swarmed by parents, joining millions sitting for the national high-stakes university entrance exam.
Around 12.9 million students nationwide registered for this year’s “gaokao,” according to the Ministry of Education, which for most is the sole determining factor in admission to a Chinese university.
The multi-day exam, which began Sunday, drills test-takers on subjects including Chinese, mathematics, English, science and the humanities — with the tallied scores to be released later this month.
“It’s my first time, so I’m a bit anxious,” said student Zhang Xinnan moments before entering the exam hall.
The spectacled Beijinger admitted he was nervous for the essay portion of the Chinese test, as he said he thought the prompts had become harder to respond to.
