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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

South Korea Considers Essay Questions, Absolute Grading for College Entrance Exams

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • South Korea's National Education Committee is considering a major overhaul of the college entrance exam system.
  • The proposed changes include introducing essay-style questions and a shift to a purely absolute grading system for all subjects.
  • This reform aims to foster critical thinking and reduce intense competition, but faces concerns about social consensus and implementation challenges.

South Korea's National Education Committee is exploring a significant shift in its university entrance examination system, moving away from the current multiple-choice, relative-grading format. The proposed changes, which include introducing essay and subjective questions and transitioning to an absolute grading system for all subjects, aim to align education with the demands of the AI era and alleviate academic pressure.

The committee plans to release a draft proposal by late October, followed by a public consultation period, with a final plan expected by March next year. Officials believe this reform is crucial for nurturing talent capable of creative questioning, critical knowledge evaluation, and self-reconstruction, skills increasingly vital as AI surpasses human capabilities in simple knowledge recall. The move to absolute grading is also intended to foster a more collaborative learning environment, moving away from the detrimental effects of extreme competition and private tutoring associated with relative grading.

Rules change, and when they are reversed to find a new order, immense mud will be stirred up, causing social conflict.

— President Lee Jae-myungPresident Lee Jae-myung expressed concern about the potential for social conflict arising from changes to the college entrance system.

However, President Lee Jae-myung has expressed concerns about the potential for social conflict and disruption during the transition. He previously advised against tackling contentious issues like the entrance exam system without clear solutions. National Education Committee Chair Cha Jeong-in acknowledged the challenges, stating that "well-done work can be praised." The committee recognizes that the college entrance system is a highly sensitive issue, deeply intertwined with resource allocation, social mobility, and fairness in Korean society. As the draft proposal nears release, the committee must prepare for potential backlash and ensure a thorough deliberation and public discourse process to minimize societal conflict and educational disruption.

I think if it's done well, we can be praised.

— Cha Jeong-inNational Education Committee Chair Cha Jeong-in responded to President Lee's concerns about potential conflict.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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