THE national English testing system CET (College English Test) 4 and CET 6 have been under fire more than ever since the beginning of 2005. The latest crisis to hit the system and arouse considerable criticism was widespread leaking via the Internet of the contents of the writing sections of both tests before they were administered.

Since the first CET 4 test was held in 1987 and the CET 6 debuted in 1989, the number of students who have taken the tests has increased considerably. According to data provided by the Wenhui Daily in its February 12, 2004 issue, 100,000 students took the first CET 4 test. The number of students who took either CET 4 or CET 6 tests in 2003 reached 9 million.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, 6 million students took the tests held January 8.

The huge number of students involved in the tests is only one reason why repeated cheating has drawn so much attention. The role CET 4 and CET 6 certificates play in many people's job-hunting and careers is another reason. The tests were originally designed by the Higher Education Bureau of Ministry of Education to "examine whether students meet the requirements set by the College English Syllabus."

At first, the tests had nothing to do with qualifying for college degrees - rather, they were considered to be simply proof of mastery of English.

Recently, however, the relationship between CET 4 or CET 6 certificates and college degrees has tightened. Most colleges and universities now withhold a bachelor's degree if the student fails to obtain the CET 4 or CET 6 certificate.

This unwritten rule in most universities has gradually come to be accepted by students.

"I'm a computer science major, but in my university, if I fail to pass CET 6, I will not get a bachelor's degree, and this is the same for those who have already graduated from my department," said Wang Hua, a sophomore.

Some students oppose this practice. In July 2004, Chen Zhaobin, who attended South China Agricultural University, sued his school for not granting him his bachelor degree. Although he failed to pass the CET 4 test during his four years at the university, he passed every other subject. He demanded the right to receive a degree according to the standards set by the Ministry of Education, which do not include the requirement of passing the CET 4 test.

Job guarantee

For most students, certificates of CET 4 and CET 6 do not mean simply receiving degrees. They are essential for finding jobs as well. CET 4 or CET 6 certificates are usually emphasized in help-wanted advertisements.

"I have tried many companies, all of them require CET certificates," said Zhang Lei, a junior studying international trade. "The CET 6 certificate is more popular, so I think it's fortunate that I passed it when I was a sophomore."

He said that some of his classmates struggled in their last attempt to pass CET 6 a few days before. "If they fail to pass the test, they'll be sad because their days of job-hunting will be dimmed somewhat."

After the leaks drew conside-

rable attention, controversy over the role of CET 4 and CET 6 was ignited. Most of the discussions centred around the requirement for CET 4 and CET 6 certificates. According to a survey by the National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education last October, of the 4,000 college students questioned, 19 per cent spent all of their spare time learning English; 56 per cent spent most of their spare time and 16 per cent spent part of their spare time on it. Only 9 per cent said they spend little spare time learning English.

According to some teachers, the English requirement has become a heavy burden for non-English majors. Many education professionals have proposed that the testing system be reformed. Some of the more radical opponents of the system suggest cancelling the tests. But most voices are more moderate.

"I think the key point for students learning English is not whether he can or can't pass the test," said Xu Xiyang, a teacher from Shanghai Jiaotong University. "Whether he can communicate with others in English is most important. I think the ultimate purpose of learning a foreign language should be the application of the language."

Because most colleges will not grant bachelor degrees unless students pass the CET tests, some who can't pass the tests resort to unscrupulous methods to obtain the certificates, such as counterfeiting or cheating at the tests.

"In my class, some students are anxious to take various kinds of tests and get as many certificates as possible since they believe that certificates can guarantee them good jobs," said Song Ke, a teacher from Shanghai International Studies University. "If we are set to reform the CET system, I think we should change people's perception of the significance of CET or CET certificates first. We should be aware that CET tests and certificates are only proof of English proficiency, not a guarantee of good jobs."

Positive side

Some scholars see value in the CETs and emphasize the positive side of the tests.

Chen Sihe, the chief of the Chinese Department of Fudan University expressed concern over people's perception of the negative influence of the tests. He especially worries about those who would see the tests cancelled.

"I think it would be disastrous if the tests were cancelled. The tests are based upon the teaching of English. If they are cancelled, we won't know the efficiency of English teaching," Chen commented. "Language is a tool for communication. If the tests are cancelled and the teaching of English shrinks, there will be only a small group of people who know English. In that case we would lose the ability to communicate with the outside again. We should not deny the CET system absolutely just because it has encountered a few problems."

The Ministry of Education announced that after an investigation, the people who stole the test questions had been located.