The shadow of the absolute grading system

Lee Yong-won
The author is a professor at the Department of English Language and Literature at Seoul National University.

Many fields across Korean society are racing to incorporate and apply generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools or AI-enabled chatbots like the popular ChatGPT. As the new concept of “prompt engineering” suggests, the quality of structuring, writing, refining and optimizing inputs for generative AI systems is imperative to produce high-quality output. English proficiency is necessary in order to pull excellent answers out of AI, to pose the correct question or request, and to communicate with the chatbot. Students’ command over English could determine the future education standards and global competitiveness of Korea.

Sadly, standards for Korea’s English education have been backtracking over the years. Public schools’ English classes have been rapidly deteriorating since the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) adopted the absolute grading system for its mandatory English section in 2018. No guidelines have been set regarding a minimum English standard for eligibility to graduate high school or enter university. Standardized tests have merely become easier now that they are scored on a nine-tier scale. Absolute evaluation is in name only, and score distribution is more precise to explain the change.

English lost priority for rigorous study: Half of all test-takers score above a third-grade level, but their English ability cannot be deemed any better than that of past students. Korea ranked 49th on this year’s English Proficiency Index after maintaining a moderate 36th among non-English-speaking countries. The downgrade resulted from the gradual neglect of English education following the adoption of the absolute evaluation system.

A recent study showed that the number of high school students taking English classes has fallen sharply since the change to the CSAT’s grading system compared the scores in Korean and Mathematics.

Eighty-eight percent of teachers hired by public middle schools were designated to teach the Korean language, compared to 85 percent for math and 59 percent for English.

University students do not rely on their CSAT results for their English skills or to help their career or future. But universities are also of little help, as they are cutting English classes or remove them from mandatory courses. The disregard for English education can hurt the children of families who cannot afford private education, resulting in English divides that worsen social disparity.

These policies are only fueling the vicious cycle in which families rely on expensive private education for even their very young children. Can we afford to give up on English teaching?

Authorities are tilted towards maintaining the current English evaluation system through 2028 and beyond. The future of the younger generation and the country will be grim if English is left so neglected. To normalize public education and balance basic academic performance for the foundation of national competitiveness, English must be evaluated on the same relative scale as other basic subjects such as Korean and math, as the English-related academic community has long argued. Education authorities must take quick action before our low national English standard becomes irreparable.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.