A total of 55.5% of citizen members of South Korea's National Education Commission said after a deliberative session that essay and written-response questions should be introduced to the college entrance exam. That figure was down 2.8 percentage points from before the deliberation, while opposition rose 3.9 percentage points, reflecting concerns about the fairness of grading.
The commission said at its 10th meeting at the Government Complex Seoul on the 17th that 55.5% of citizen participants responded that essay and written-response assessment is needed on the College Scholastic Ability Test. Of those, 23.3% said it was "very much needed" and 32.2% said it was "needed."
The commission had earlier held an overnight deliberation forum with 180 citizen members to discuss changes to the college admissions system, including the introduction of essay-type assessment. Among the participants, 41.7% said such assessment was unnecessary on the exam, while 2.8% said they were unsure.
Compared with the results before the deliberation, the share saying essay-type assessment is needed fell 2.8 percentage points, while the share calling it unnecessary rose 3.9 percentage points. Members who said the change was unnecessary or that they were unsure agreed with the direction but argued that conditions such as a pilot program and adequate preparation must be met first, according to the commission.
Support was stronger for expanding essay and written-response assessment in high school grades, with 72.8% of participants saying it should be increased. As with the exam question, however, support fell 3.3 percentage points after the deliberation while opposition rose 1.1 percentage points.
On the expected benefits of essay-type assessment, 71.7% of citizen members said it would help change the way classes are taught, in a multiple-response survey. Active learning drew 71.1% agreement and improved thinking and creativity 66.1%.
On the other hand, 48.3% cited concerns about grading fairness if essay-type questions are added to the exam. Other concerns included wider private tutoring (13.9%), difficulty preparing through school instruction (13.9%) and difficulty grading a large-scale exam within a short period (11.1%).
The commission plans to draw up a draft plan for revising the college admissions system based on the opinions and release it late next month.
The commission also reported a revised version of its basic principles for civic education in schools that day. Article 13 of the original draft stated that schools may actively take up timely public issues arising in all areas, including politics, the economy, society and culture, as topics for educational activities. The revision added the phrase "in line with the national curriculum and educational goals and taking into account students' developmental level." The revision also standardized the term for those who teach as "teaching staff," replacing the separate references to "educators" and "teachers."
