Mine the only ones not learning Mandarin?

MotherOfTwo
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:40:47 +0000

Another reason that many Chinese are proficient at reading and writing English, but not speaking, is that, until recently, speaking proficiency was not part of the high school and college admissions test. In China, admission to high school and college is dependent on a single test, rather than grades and all of the other factors considered in the U.S, and the curriculum is pretty much geared to teach to the test. As I understand it, the English part of the test is being revised to include listening and speaking, as it is recognized that many Chinese are weak in this important skill, and there will be more emphasis on teaching speaking skills in the future.