Education Ministry announces plan to reduce choice on college entrance exam from 2028

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho announces changes to the college admission process at the government complex in Seoul on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Every middle school student in their second year this year will be required to take the same Korean language, math, social studies and science exams on their college aptitude test from 2028.

The Education Ministry on Tuesday announced the 2028 college admission plans, emphasizing the primary goal of the changes is to improve the fairness of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

In recent years, college entrance exam students were provided with a broader range of subject choices.

However, some students expressed concerns about being disadvantaged due to significant variations in the difficulty levels of questions depending on the subjects they chose.

The government also noted the need to promote a more comprehensive and integrated education approach.

Currently, 75 percent of the questions in the Korean language test in the CSAT are the same for all students. These questions pertain to comprehension and literature.

However, students can choose the remaining 25 percent from options such as speech and writing or language and media.

The situation is similar in math, where students can choose between calculus, geometry, probability and statistics.

The government is also changing the grading system for high school students' academic reports.

Beginning in 2025, the grading system will be simplified from nine grades to five for all students.

In 2021, the Moon Jae-in government announced a plan in which, starting in 2025, a relative nine-rank grading system would be applied to first-year students.

Second and third-year students were to be evaluated absolutely in a five-rank system.

According to the education ministry, the relative evaluation of first-year students would likely spark intense competition to secure admission to top schools by aiming for the highest ranks.

This would likely further fuel the already high demand for private tutoring.

As a solution, the ministry said it will expand the ratio of students included in the top rank from the current 4 percent to 10 percent in 2025.

The education ministry will also encourage schools to incorporate more written tests instead of relying heavily on multiple-choice exams.

This approach aims to enhance students' problem-solving skills and reduce the emphasis on memorization in education.

“It is important to strike a balance between reality and the ideal of education,” said Lee Ju-ho. “We plan to listen to the opinion of everyone, including students, parents, high schools and colleges, to improve fairness and stability of the CSAT and academic reports.”

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]