Recently a growing number of foreign universities, such as the University of Cambridge, are accepting China's gaokao results as one of their admission standards. Is the Chinese college entrance exam being recognized globally? Forum readers share their opinions:
Cecilia Zhang (China)
The gaokao is a really tough exam. If possible, it can be used as one of the indicators(指标) for foreign universities, in addition to other indicators, such as how well they speak the target language. The students, who perform well in the gaokao, also have the ability to successfully adapt to Western styles of education. I believe accepting the gaokao as an indicator is a win-win for Chinese students and overseas universities.
Wchao 37 (US)
In fact gaokao is perhaps much more difficult than the SAT or ACT exams. You can get a perfect score of 1600 on the SAT but not in the gaokao, partly because the SAT is a machine-scored multiple-choice exam. Do you know anyone that has ever achieved a perfect score in the gaokao?
Harry 01 (UK)
Hundreds of students from China have entered universities in the UK using their gaokao scores, which require that their knowledge of English be above a certain level This measure has benefited specific groups of students from various backgrounds in China.
Mbursian (Canada)
In order to attend a university in an English-speaking country, a student needs to have an acceptable band score on the IELTS. Most importantly, students need an acceptable knowledge of the language spoken in any country they plan to study in. Now the Chinese gaokao is closer to meeting the requirements of different countries.
