BEIJING, Beijing, December 23 (Lv Chunrong) Recently, Anhui made it clear that the national English proficiency test will be cancelled in 2017. As soon as the news came out, it aroused public concern about the abolition of English tests such as "English Band 4 and Band 6". College entrance examination English, CET-4 and CET-6, postgraduate entrance examination English, and professional title English … … How should the various English tests in China be reformed in the future?
Will it be a trend for Anhui to cancel the national English proficiency test?
A few days ago, Anhui Education Admissions Examination Institute issued a notice: According to the actual situation of the development of the national English proficiency test in Anhui Province, the national English proficiency test in Anhui Province will stop in 2017. As soon as the news came out, some netizens interpreted this as "Anhui will cancel the CET-4 and CET-6". After the official voice clarified, Anhui only canceled the national English proficiency test, not the CET-4 and CET-6.
It is understood that the English name of the National English Test is Public English Test System (PETS), which is designed and implemented by the Examination Center of the Ministry of Education. Candidates, regardless of age, education, household registration and other backgrounds, can choose their own level as long as they have a certain English foundation.
As the first province in China to cancel the national English proficiency test, why did Anhui stop the national English proficiency test? A few days ago, the relevant person in charge of the Anhui Education Admissions Examination Institute responded, "Because the number of people taking exams in our province has decreased in recent years. According to the actual examination work, after careful consideration, our province decided to stop this examination. "
Xiong Bingqi, vice president of 21st Century Education Research Institute, analyzed in an interview with Zhongxin. com that the National English Test is a socialized test, and candidates can choose to take it. However, in recent years, because employers don’t care much about the test, not only Anhui, but also the number of applicants from all over the country is small.
Cancel the title of English test expert in many places: it is beneficial to the practical use of foreign languages
Different from the "minority" national English test, the English test for professional titles has received more attention, but it is also facing the possibility of being cancelled.
In the view of Lin Ping, a special primary school teacher in Quanzhou, Fujian, the English title examination should be cancelled, which is of little use to practical work. She introduced that in order to evaluate the professional title, it took a lot of effort to pass the English professional title exam, which was not only time-consuming and laborious, but also cost a lot of money.
It has become the consensus of many people to cancel the English test for professional titles. In March this year, the "Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the System and Mechanism of Talent Development" issued by the Central Committee clearly stated that the leading role of the employer in the evaluation of professional titles should be highlighted, the evaluation authority of professional titles should be reasonably defined and decentralized, and the independent evaluation of universities, research institutes and state-owned enterprises should be promoted; There is no uniform requirement for the professional title foreign language and computer application ability test.
The reporter of Zhongxin. com noted that at present, at least Beijing, Guangdong, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu and other places in China have issued policies to cancel the rigid requirements of foreign language examination for professional titles, and make it clear that "foreign languages for professional titles are not required uniformly" or "foreign languages for professional titles are not a necessary condition for job evaluation".
Some people point out that the assessment of "English ability" was included in the professional title examination because different people were engaged in different jobs and it was difficult to establish standards. Therefore, it was both difficult and operational to adopt the unified English examination. In this regard, Xiong Bingqi analyzed that the English test for professional titles is led by the administration, and it is unreasonable to evaluate professional titles only after passing the test. Units should also assess employees’ actual working ability according to job requirements.
Wang Xiaochu, then deputy director of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, also said that the reform of foreign language titles has been carried out in an orderly manner, and the pilot direction has been divided according to different professional fields. In some cases, it is not possible to avoid the test and prevent one-size-fits-all and formalism. The reform will make the foreign language of professional titles more practical and effective for practical work.
Should CET-4 and CET-6 also be socialized?
Similarly, as one of the popular English tests, CET-4 and CET-6 have also been controversial in recent years. "Cheating problem", "CET-4 and CET-6 are linked to degrees" and "students care about certificates rather than abilities". Many problems derived from CET-4 and CET-6 also make many people call for their socialization. Like TOEFL, IELTS and GRE, students can choose according to their personal needs.
Some experts have pointed out that CET-4 and CET-6 have played an important role in promoting and improving the English level of college students and the quality of school teaching in China. However, with the development of society, science and technology and education, CET-4 and CET-6 can no longer meet the needs of the country for the quality of personnel training, and this examination has become an obstacle to deepening the reform of college English teaching.
Xiong Bingqi suggested that CET-4 and CET-6 should be socialized. He pointed out that there are always scandals such as cheating in exams, which shows that there are problems in the current exams. Under the administrative-led reasons, without the participation of social organizations, the quality and credibility of the exams are gradually weakened.
The national English proficiency test will be launched before 2020.
College entrance examination English, CET-4 and CET-6 English, and professional title English … … At different stages of life, many people will encounter English exams with different forms, backgrounds and purposes. Can many English tests be unified into one test?
In this regard, some people think that it is difficult to meet all the needs with a ruler in setting up a unified English-speaking national examination. A unified English proficiency test should avoid the tendency of homogenization of English education, and should also consider how to reform the existing examination system, teaching mode, teaching materials and examinations.
The Ministry of Education announced in November this year that the main body of the China English Proficiency Scale has been developed, and the National English Proficiency Test is planned to be gradually launched before 2020. This means that China will establish a unified English assessment system in the future.
Lin Huiqing, Vice Minister of Education, previously revealed that the main body of the China English Proficiency Scale has been developed, and it is expected to be officially released in 2017. This is the first competency standard covering English teaching, learning and assessment at all stages of education in China. It will help to solve the problems of different English test standards, separation of teaching and testing objectives and incoherent teaching objectives at all stages in China, and realize "one-stop" English teaching and mutual recognition of various learning achievements.
Liu Jianda, vice president of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, also revealed to the media that the newly formulated rating scale will be divided into nine grades. Among them, Grade 1 and Grade 2 roughly correspond to the primary school level, Grade 3 corresponds to junior high school, Grade 4 corresponds to senior high school, Grade 5 and Grade 6 corresponds to universities, Grade 7 corresponds to English majors, and Grade 8 and Grade 9 correspond to high-end foreign language talents.
"This level of examination standard can also be used for multiple purposes, reducing repeated examinations and meeting various needs such as teaching evaluation, further studies and employment." Liu Jianda said. (End)