9.4 million Chinese students will take the national college entrance examination (better known as the gaokao) today and Wednesday. This year, 26 provinces and regions will use unified exam papers. In addition, the penalties set by authorities for cheating are the “most serious in recent history,” according to the media.

Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Zhejiang will have unique tests, but 26 other provinces and regions will use a unified exam. This is a big change in how the test is administered. A unified exam means that colleges will enroll students based on exam scores alone rather based on where they are from.

A new amendment to Chinese criminal law implemented in November created a maximum penalty of seven years in prison for those who participate in organized cheating on national exams.

In addition, the government implemented a new version of the “Education Act” this month. The new legislation states that it is illegal for students to access exam questions or answers before the test, bring equipment used to cheat into the examination room, copy others, let others take the exam for them. Students found cheating will not be able to take the exam again for three years. Test center have expanded security at test entrances to prevent “hired guns” from taking the tests in other students’ places.  

Source: ifeng.com

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Keywords: China gaokao national college entrance exam Gaokao