Data show English was difficult on 2009 CSATs
Published: 07 Dec. 2009, 23:04
Analysis of the results of the annual College Scholastic Aptitude Test that was administered nationwide on Nov. 12 shows that the English test section was more difficult this year than last while Korean and mathematics were easier, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation reported yesterday.
“Overall, the level of difficulty among different test sections was reasonably balanced,” said Kim Sung-hoon, a Dongguk University professor who heads the group of education experts who were in charge of grading the CSAT.
Under its standard scoring system, a student is evaluated relative to the performances of others who took the exam. College applicants are assessed according to these standard scores rather than raw, unadjusted scores. The actual scores are disclosed neither to the individuals nor to schools. It is similar to grading on a curve.
Kim said highest standard scores for mathematics and Korean fell this year, while the highest standard scores for English rose. When the average score for a specific test sector drops because the exam is difficult, standard scores go up, and vice versa. Colleges refer to applicants’ standard scores.
The national exam consists of five sections - Korean language and literature, mathematics, English, social science, and natural science. There is also an optional section for a second foreign language.
The standard score for Arabic, one of several choices in the second foreign language section, was higher by 31 points than Japanese, French and German. No high school in Korea teaches Arabic as a second language.
For this reason, there are fewer exam takers who get good scores in Arabic, meaning the top standard score for the language is higher than those of other languages. Aware that Arabic has given test takers a competitive edge over other examinees in the past, 42.3 percent of this year’s CSAT takers opted for the language. Some 21.2 percent chose Japanese, 13.9 percent chose hanja, Chinese characters used in the Korean language, and 10.5 percent chose Chinese.
Asked if the agency has any plans to reduce the large score gap between Arabic and other languages, Kim Seong-yul, head of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, said any solution would be very difficult.
A total of 638,216 university entrance hopefuls took the exam with 503,095 of them being high school seniors. Examinees will receive their scores today.
By Seo Ji-eun [[email protected]]
“Overall, the level of difficulty among different test sections was reasonably balanced,” said Kim Sung-hoon, a Dongguk University professor who heads the group of education experts who were in charge of grading the CSAT.
Under its standard scoring system, a student is evaluated relative to the performances of others who took the exam. College applicants are assessed according to these standard scores rather than raw, unadjusted scores. The actual scores are disclosed neither to the individuals nor to schools. It is similar to grading on a curve.
Kim said highest standard scores for mathematics and Korean fell this year, while the highest standard scores for English rose. When the average score for a specific test sector drops because the exam is difficult, standard scores go up, and vice versa. Colleges refer to applicants’ standard scores.
The national exam consists of five sections - Korean language and literature, mathematics, English, social science, and natural science. There is also an optional section for a second foreign language.
The standard score for Arabic, one of several choices in the second foreign language section, was higher by 31 points than Japanese, French and German. No high school in Korea teaches Arabic as a second language.
For this reason, there are fewer exam takers who get good scores in Arabic, meaning the top standard score for the language is higher than those of other languages. Aware that Arabic has given test takers a competitive edge over other examinees in the past, 42.3 percent of this year’s CSAT takers opted for the language. Some 21.2 percent chose Japanese, 13.9 percent chose hanja, Chinese characters used in the Korean language, and 10.5 percent chose Chinese.
Asked if the agency has any plans to reduce the large score gap between Arabic and other languages, Kim Seong-yul, head of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, said any solution would be very difficult.
A total of 638,216 university entrance hopefuls took the exam with 503,095 of them being high school seniors. Examinees will receive their scores today.
By Seo Ji-eun [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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