Published on : 07/06/2024
On June 7, 2003, the Mainland China's National College Entrance Examination (aka "Gaokao") officially started. This was the first year the exams were held a month earlier after the schedule adjustment.
As one of the most important national exams in modern China, the exam was temporarily suspended during the Cultural Revolution, and was resumed at the end of 1977, with that year being the only time it was held in winter.
After that, with the exception of 1983 when the exam was held in mid-July, the exams from 1979 to 2002 were always held from July 7 to 9.
On November 20, 2001, approved by the State Council of China, the Ministry of Education officially announced that the exam schedule would be changed from 2003 to be held between June 7 and 9.
The media reports of that year pointed out that the temperatures across most regions of China were generally high in July, coupled with frequent natural disasters, which would have impact on candidates' revision for the exam and the marking work; demands from society to advance the exams date were becoming stronger.
The Ministry of Education had held a debate on this matter for over a decade and had asked for the assistance of the meteorological authorities to provide information on the distribution and comparison of temperature, rainfall, flood, and typhoon across the country at specific times over a five-year period.
Based on a wide consultation, the education authorities finally approved the "Schedule Adjustment Plan for College Entrance Exam" (關於高考時間調整方案), and the exams were hence advanced by a month.
A representative from the Ministry explained that advancing the date of the exam could effectively alleviate the adverse effects of high temperature and natural disasters, which would be beneficial for the physical and mental health of the candidates and improve the overall quality of the exam.
However, considering the impact that it would have on the revision schedule of candidates if implemented in 2002, it was decided to start the new exam schedule from 2003.
