The test evaluates students' English proficiency according to the teaching objectives prescribed by the Ministry of Education in the College English Syllabus. The CET-4 is for students who have completed their English language studies at the basic level, and the CET-6 is for students who have completed higher-level English studies.
The university's decision to "decouple" the evaluation from graduation has sparked heated online debate. Proponents of decoupling argue that English courses should be tailored to different majors instead of requiring all students to take the same exam. Opponents argue that decoupling downplays the importance of the English language, an essential tool for understanding the outside world.
Jiang Li (Beijing Youth Daily): As early as 2005, the Ministry of Education explicitly clarified that it had never linked students' graduation and degrees to their CET scores. In practice, however, even if the link is cut by universities, students will still be required to take English classes, but they will have more freedom to choose whether to take CET exams.
As for colleges, decoupling will change the principles and methods of college English teaching. They may well reduce the emphasis on CET exams and turn to more useful and practical English skills and spoken English. Many college graduates who have passed the CET-6 are still unable to speak fluent English, let alone communicate in English in work situations.
Of course, if employers require CET scores, college students will certainly continue to take CET exams even if they are not required by their schools.
Editorial (Gmw.cn): The mandatory link between the awarding of bachelor's degrees and CET scores is unfounded. In 2005, several prestigious universities such as Fudan University in Shanghai announced that CET scores would be decoupled from undergraduate graduation and degrees. However, their practice has not become mainstream. Otherwise, the recent decision by Xi'an Jiaotong University would not have caused such a stir.
As a national examination, CET scores have long been not only a measure of a student's academic abilities but also a gauge of colleges' English teaching levels. In addition, the scores are used as an important reference when human resources departments in companies and organizations plan to recruit new employees. As a result, neither students nor colleges would dare dismiss these exams.
Yang Chaoqing (Eastday.com): The decoupling of the CET and graduation is not a decision that Xi'an Jiaotong University made on a whim. It is the result of in-depth research.
Students from all over the country have vastly different levels of English proficiency. While some find it a piece of cake to pass CET exams, others find them very difficult. The teaching of English with a focus on CET exams will gradually rob students of their interest in English and their ability to use English as a living language. In this sense, decoupling is an attempt to make English education more responsive to social demand. As many universities have already done so, employers should also move with the times by decoupling English language proficiency from recruitment.
In an era of frequent international exchange, the English language is important. Decoupling must not mean that universities are downplaying English, but that they are trying to correct the course of English teaching and learning.
