Dec 12 2025, 12:30 PM, updated 5d ago
Chief of S Korea's high-stakes exam quits over 'insane' English test
The English section of South Korea's gruelling college entrance exam, or Suneung, is notoriously difficult, with some students comparing it to deciphering an ancient script, and others calling it "insane".
So intense was the criticism around this year's test that the top official in charge of administering it resigned to take responsibility for the "chaos" it caused.
Among the most daunting questions are one on Immanuel Kant's philosophy of law and another involving gaming jargon.
QUOTE
eg:
pick where a sentence should fit in a given paragraph. Here's the sentence in bold, followed by the paragraph:
The difference is that the action in the game world can only be explored through the virtual bodily space of the avatar.
(1) The avatar's bodily space, the potential actions of the avatar in the game world, is the only way in which the reality of the external reality of the game world can be perceived.
(2) As in the real world, perception requires action.
(3) Players extend their perceptual field into the game, encompassing the available actions of the avatar.
(4) The feedback loop of perception and action that enables you to navigate the world around you is now one step removed: instead of perceiving primarily through interaction of your own body with the external world, you're perceiving the game world through interaction of the avatar.
(5) The entire perceptual system has been extended into the game world.
pick where a sentence should fit in a given paragraph. Here's the sentence in bold, followed by the paragraph:
The difference is that the action in the game world can only be explored through the virtual bodily space of the avatar.
(1) The avatar's bodily space, the potential actions of the avatar in the game world, is the only way in which the reality of the external reality of the game world can be perceived.
(2) As in the real world, perception requires action.
(3) Players extend their perceptual field into the game, encompassing the available actions of the avatar.
(4) The feedback loop of perception and action that enables you to navigate the world around you is now one step removed: instead of perceiving primarily through interaction of your own body with the external world, you're perceiving the game world through interaction of the avatar.
(5) The entire perceptual system has been extended into the game world.
the answer is number 3
Students are given 70 minutes to attempt 45 questions. Just over 3% of this year's test-takers scored the highest grade for the English section, compared to 6% last year.
"The texts aren't necessarily impossible, but... maddeningly confusing. It's a pain because it makes the material useless for actual education, " says Prof Jung, who previously worked at the institution that administers the Suneung, and now teaches at Incheon National University.
"Teachers end up drilling test-taking hacks rather than teaching English... You don't even really need to read the full text to get the points if you know the tricks," he said.
South Korea's Suneung, held every November, is an infamous eight-hour marathon of back-to-back exams that not only dictates whether people will be able to go to university, but can also affect their job prospects, income and future relationships.
Students attempt about 200 questions across various subjects, which include Korean, maths, English, social and natural sciences, among others.
Many teenagers spend all their lives preparing for these exams - some of them sent to private tuition centres known as "cram schools" from as young as four.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w792x0ggyo
This post has been edited by diffyhelman2: Dec 12 2025, 12:35 PM
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