A NEW English aptitude test developed and certified by the South Korean government has gotten its first trial run in Seoul. If all goes well, the South Korean Education Ministry will officially begin administering the test in 2012, the JoongAng Daily has reported.
The ministry unveiled a plan to develop the test, tentatively titled “State-Certified English Aptitude Test”, last December. Lee Myung-bak's presidential transition team had said earlier last year that the English section of the university entrance exam was limited in its ability to evaluate students' English speaking and writing skills. About 4,000 high school students were chosen to sit the pilot test, which would be used to assess the number of test questions, test type, degree of difficulty and whether the test can be administered over the Internet. The ministry is also hoping to decide whether the new test can replace the English section of the annual university entrance exam. After the initial trial run, there will be a second round of testing in September and a third in December. A total of 30,000 students across South Korea will take the pilot test.
The format of the new test is modeled on the EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency, Japan's leading language assessment. It will test students' listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, and all parts are weighed equally. Students can choose from three different levels of test according to their purpose and English proficiency. Level one, the most difficult, is designed for university sophomores and juniors, who will use the scores to apply for jobs or university graduation. Level two and three will be taken by high school students hoping to gain admission to university. Students taking level one will be provided with their actual test scores, while those taking level two and three will get either a pass/fail or numerical grade.
The South Korean government expects that, once the new test is introduced in 2012, it will be taken by about 500,000 students each year. The government believes that educational institutions in South Korea, universities overseas and the corporate sector will eventually recognize the test as a means of evaluating applicants' English proficiency.
