China's first official English proficiency scale will be put into use on June 1, according to the Ministry of Education. As the first comprehensive scaling system, it is expected to help integrate various English tests currently governed by different standards and strengthen the interconnection between exams in China and those overseas.

The scale is divided into nine levels based on proficiency, covering the period from elementary school to university. Levels 1 and 2 are for elementary students, level 3 for junior high school students, level 4 for high school students, levels 5 and 6 for university students studying non-English majors, level 7 for university students majoring in English, and levels 8 and 9 for those approaching fluency in the English language.

While defining levels of competency in listening, speaking, reading and writing, the scale also includes practical competence, such as translation and interpretation, which aims to foster students' real-world language capacity, cultural awareness and communication skills.

The scale is not an exam syllabus, but a unified standard to gauge English learners' proficiency in the language and a reference for English teaching, learning and testing in China.

Guide for learners

Hu Min (People's Daily): In an increasingly globalized world, foreign language ability has become a required skill in the 21st century.

Many countries have unified language assessment standards. In Europe, although the languages of different countries may vary, the assessment standards are the same. Japan and South Korea also have their own national English proficiency scaling systems.

As we all know, China's English education has long been hampered by an exam-oriented attitude. As teachers and students pursue results in exams, English classes tend to only focus on vocabulary, grammar and sentence patterns. However, even if they achieve good results in English exams, most students find it difficult to use English in daily life. The root cause is that China's English education neglects the essence of language learning—the ability to apply knowledge in practice.

The new English proficiency scale will change the obsession with examinations. By dividing English proficiency into different levels and describing each level in detail, the scale will serve as a clear indicator for English language learners. It provides various options for learners to apply their knowledge in practice, meaning that English learners can develop comprehensive English skills based on the requirements of the scale or conduct modular learning based on future career development needs. The ultimate goal is to move English education away from exam-oriented methods and toward the application of the language.

Meanwhile, in response to outstanding problems in current foreign language teaching and exams, such as the lack of unified standards, a fragmented examination system, inconsistent proficiency standards, irregular language education in primary and secondary schools, and insufficient international recognition of China's foreign language tests, China aims to use the new scale to establish a foreign language proficiency standard with Chinese characteristics.

In the future, competition among nations will primarily be based on talent. The release of the English proficiency scale is a top-down design for China's English education and reflects the target of developing competitive talent for the future. China's rising international status will require more Chinese to work and compete on the international stage.

No more tests

Xu Jianhua (China Quality Daily): It is no exaggeration to say that learning English accounts for a large part of the lives of Chinese students, and sometimes it is English proficiency that foils their ambitions for further studies or career. Some students are unable to get diplomas because they fail the College English Test (CET)-4 or similar exams.

Currently, there exist striking problems in China's English language teaching and examination system: There is no consistent standard for English education and examinations across society and China's foreign language examination certificates are not well recognized abroad. The new scale means to improve English examinations and make the results more valid in other countries.

Granted, this is the first scaling system of its kind in China, but whether or not it can truly reflect the demands of real life still needs to be tested by the market. It is also important not to make a new "industry" out of the scale or to connect it to the recruitment of students by middle schools and colleges, lest students be subject to a new set of burdens connected to learning

English. These concerns are not totally groundless as in China learning English is usually linked to some form of examination. If new examinations and certificates emerge from the new system, the current English examination market, which is already big and messy enough, will become even harder to standardize, as we already have the CET-4, the CET-6, etc. Hopefully, the scale will push China's English education and examinations in a healthier direction.

Cai Jigang (China Youth Daily): The scale is divided into nine levels. What does the highest level mean? According to the designers, Level 9 is equivalent to the language competency of a native English speaker.

Is it possible for China's college students to reach Level 9? Theoretically it is, as long as teachers have appropriate teaching methodologies and the students are hard-working. However, if you calculate the time and effort students will have to put in to reach Level 9, it begins to look unrealistic.

The scale is established not just for English majors, but also targets undergraduates and postgraduates not majoring in English. It takes more than 10 years for a non-English major to learn English from elementary school to the second year of

college, with most students narrowly passing the CET-4. Now they may be under pressure to pass Level 8 and Level 9. The only option is to reduce study time for their professional courses.

According to a survey conducted several years ago, 46 percent of respondents said that to pass the CET-4, they had to spend half of their study time after class studying English. Moreover, 21 percent said that time spent on English accounted for over half of their total study time in college, even though they were not English majors. English is stealing time from college students' professional courses.

Not just one aspect of English ability is evaluated in the CET-4 and the new nine-level system. A student may reach the minimum requirement in terms of reading, but he or she may still fail overall if they do badly in the listening and speaking parts. This exam system requires students to develop all of the skills associated with learning a language.

However, different people have different needs for listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Students of science and engineering learn English so that they can better search for and read research which presents cutting-edge developments in their respective fields. They may also need to learn to write academic reports in English. Therefore, reading and writing are the most important skills for them. If they are forced to practice listening and interpreting, it will do them little good and even impair their professional studies.

Time and resources are limited for everyone. If English is an inseparable part of one's major and future career, they will voluntarily learn the language. If not, it is a waste of time.

Students should learn the required English skills based on the professional needs of their career. This is the law of foreign language teaching. Certain prominent Chinese scholars doing research into the English language, although relatively poor at speaking and listening, have still taken the lead in their own fields.

The scale for English proficiency is useful as a reference. However, we had better not use it to establish a new proficiency test, which will exacerbate the burden on students.

Copyedited by Laurence Coulton

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