Gaokao Essay

Essay on the Gaokao

Choice B

Naomi Giancola 802

            Every year in China, more then nine million students line up to take the Goakao. The Gaokao is a standardized test in China that determines what collage you get to go to, like the SAT. The difference is that it’s the only thing collages look at when they accept you. The test is very difficult test that causes students, teachers, and parents a lot of stress. For some people, the stress starts as early as kindergarten or first grade. For most kids, when they get to ninth grade its all study time. I don’t think that the test is fair for people in China.

            The stress that is put on these kids as they study for the test is way too much for anyone to handle. The school that puts some of the most stress on the students is called, Maotanchang. Part of the stress comes from the extremely long days, “First class at 6:30 in the morning and returning to his room only after the end of his last class at 10:50 at night.” Sixteen and a half hours of school every day. That amount of work is really horrible. Some of the kids who have those long workdays are only 13. It’s not only stressful in the classroom but outside as well. On the small breaks that they do have there is study even more. “The local government has shut down all forms of entertainment.” Along with no entertainment, dating is banned and there are no electrical outlets at all. Basically for three or four years of your life, you are living in hell.

            The stress is difficult but the fact that the test is the only thing that determines what collage you get into is worse. “The Gaokao is like the SAT or the ACT, but its more then twice as long and the stakes are much higher.” It is not fair to the students, and the student’s family, to have this one test be the only thing that matters. Some students may be really smart and just bad test takers. Some may be not as smart but just be good test takers. Having this be the only thing that matters can really push people to their limit, “Teenage suicide rates tend to rise as the Gaokao nears.” This test pushes people way to far academically and emotionally. For some people it’s just too much and they decide to end it all. It is really awful that this test can make people feel so worthless that they kill themselves. It is truly not a fair test.

            Although I think this test is really horrible, some people think that it is the only way to give people a fair chance. A lot of the people who believe this are actually parents, “Efforts have met resistance from many parents, who fear that easing the pressure could hurt their children’s exam results.” The government were actually the people who were trying to lift the workload and the parents were refusing. It is strange that the places weren’t the opposite, which would make more sense. I agree with the government on thins because the amount of work that is required to do in order to get a good score on the Gaokao is immense and difficult. One way it is too much is, “A classroom full of students all hooked up to intravenous drips to give them strength to keep studying.” This was a picture posted online in 2013. The teachers will push the students past the point of exhaustion and force them to keep working. Doing that to anyone should be illegal. That’s just one of the many reasons why the test is not fair.

            The Gaokao test is a long and difficult that puts a lot of pressure and stress on young people. Students study for three years non stop to take the test that will determine whether or not they will get in to a collage or have to join the 260 million other migrant workers in china. The test has unfair stakes and, in my opinion, should not be the only thing that determines what collage you get to go to, and in extension, your future.