"Not decided yet," China's Minister of Education Yuan Guiren replied on March 6 when asked whether the College English Test (CET) would be cancelled. The move was suggested in Shanghai's recently published education reform plan regarding college-level English education, which said that the CET could fade out from the language evaluation system and new methods could be implemented based on coursework and language proficiency. 

Varying by degrees

The CET is a national standardized English test that has been overseen by the Ministry of Education (MOE) since its appearance in 1987. It consists of two levels, abbreviated as the CET4 and CET6, and takes place twice a year,  in June and December.

The CET4 was once required for college graduation. In 2005, the MOE removed the national passing score for the test and stated that it would no longer be a graduation requirement. However, many universities still say that 425 out of the 710 points is a passing score and make it a prerequisite for a diploma.

Gao Zhenyuan, a student at the People's Public Security University of China, told the Global Times Tuesday that the CET is an important exam. "Although my major is not exactly English-related, I still found it useful," he said. "At least I learned the language during the test preparation."

Other students criticized the system rather than the test itself. Yan Qinghua, a graduate student at Renmin University of China (RUC), told the Global Times that it was almost impossible for her to sign up to take the CET. "I eventually registered as a student in Hebei Province, which cost me an extra 313 yuan ($50), because I couldn't get a spot." She further explained that because of the limited classroom space at RUC, every year, winning a spot in RUC's CET is like winning the lottery.

Yan, who is currently registered to take an exam with the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), said the registration cost for the CET is reasonable. "The IELTS is like getting robbed. It costs 1,680 yuan. The CET suddenly became a blessing."

Job recruiters have also stated that the CET is their main measure for evaluating the English level of job candidates. Han Hui, a Suzhou-based employee of Canon Inc, was eliminated last year by her dream company only because she didn't pass the CET6.

"I suggest students pass the exam, because you don't know when you are going to use it," she told the Global Times.

Mute speakers?

Huang Binghui, who teaches at the  College of English at Xiamen University, said he would like to see the system overhauled.

"I hate when my class has to follow the lead of one single test," he told the Global Times Tuesday. "I like to educate a student according to his natural ability. Standardized tests kill students' interests and talents."

Huang's opinion is echoed by lots of netizens, many of whom complain that the CET left them with only "mute English." According to the current scoring system, listening and reading each take 35 percent while comprehension and writing take 15 percent each.

While the MOE set a special CET Spoken English Test, few students have ever heard of it.

Yuan said he hopes that the MOE will continue to make positive changes, adding that the body wants to emphasize students' knowledge of their mother tongue, which has declined recently.