National College Entrance Examination
The Gao Kao, also Gaokao (Chinese 高考, pinyin
- "examination to higher educational institution (college)", also 统一高考, Tǒngyī gāokǎo - "unified gaokao" or 普通高考, Pǔtōng gāokǎo - "general gaokao") refers to one of the most important national examinations in the education system of the People's Republic of China, which provides entry into higher education. The official name of the exam is Pǔtōng gāoděng xuéxiào zhāoshēng quánguó tǒngyī kǎoshì - 普通高等學校招生全國統一考試 / 普通高等学校招生全国统一考试, English National Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges. Although it is not the official final examination of the general twelve-year school education in China, it is somewhat comparable to the Abitur in Germany or the Matura in Austria and Switzerland. The Gao Kao takes place annually on 7 and 8 June, but in some regions (e.g. Jiangsu Province) it is extended by one day due to various planning.
The Gao Kao is primarily organized and arranged by the Ministry of Education of the PRC. The Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau are excluded from the Gaokao system as they historically have their own education system. Currently, there are three examination papers each year with different examination questions formulated by the Ministry of Education. Most provinces take one out of these three examination papers. In the provinces or cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the examination questions are to be formulated by the respective provincial examination office.
The Gao Kao is like a written exam in form. The examinees can choose the examination subjects themselves, but Chinese philology, mathematics and foreign languages are compulsory. Examinees also opt for an optional module, which includes either three social science subjects (history, politics and geography) or three natural science subjects (physics, chemistry and biology). The scheduling of the optional module examination varies from province to province.
During exam periods, the cities where the exam centers are located are put into a kind of state of emergency to ensure that examinees have absolute peace and quiet for their final exams. For example, construction work is stopped at night to ensure that examinees can sleep peacefully. During the day, many police officers are present in the cities to take students who are stuck in traffic jams to their examination centers.
Gao Kao - 高考
Gaokao banner at Nankai Secondary School, Chongqing 2013
Congratulatory banner for 18 Gaokao graduates with top grades in Campus HUST, Wuhan 2009.
