Mock CSAT Results Show Big Gap Among Students

This newspaper analyzed the mock CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test) results of two foreign-language high schools in Seoul, three in Gyeonggi-do, three independent private high schools, and four average high schools in Seoul. The analysis revealed that there is a big gap among them.

40% of the students who got grade one in all three sections of Korean Language, Mathematics, and English were from foreign-language high schools in Seoul, 22.4% from foreign-language high schools in Gyeonggi-do, 9.2% from independent private high schools, and 2% from average schools.

When the proportion of the first grade students is converted to a nine school grade system, Seoul’s foreign-language high schools belong to school grade 4, Gyeonggi-do’s foreign-language high schools grade 2.9, independent private high schools grade 1.7, and average high schools grade 0.5.

That is, 40% of foreign-language high school students who are within school grade four can get grade one when they attend average high schools, whereas those who got grade one in average schools are unlikely to get grade three in foreign-language high schools.

This gap in academic performance was behind the fuss involving some universities, which attempted to give full marks to students who got grades one to four.

In A foreign-language high school, for example, 54.8% (149) of the students with grade five obtained grade one in all three sections. 66.9% of those with grade six in Korean language, 79.8% of those with grade seven in Mathematics, and 94.9% of those with grade in English got grade one.

In contrast, D high school in northern Seoul, only 0.6% (3) of the students got grade one. The proportion of the students with grade one is 1.6% in Korean Language, 1.9% in Mathematics, and 3.3% in English.

Though the government is urging universities to reflect school grades as much as 30% in admitting students, chances are that students from special purpose and independent private high schools will be disadvantaged when universities place more weight on school grade, experts say.

Against this backdrop, people concern that an increasing number of students will leave school voluntarily in hopes to get higher grade in proportion to the result of CSAT when the government’s request continues.

Meanwhile, universities argue, “Universities should be allowed to make their own reasonable decisions on reflecting school grade.”

Lim Seong-ho, planning director with Hanul Education, said, “There is a huge performance gap between students in special purpose high schools and those in average high schools, which should be taken into consideration in admitting students in one way or another.”

ceric@donga.com