Mainland gaokao kicks off with fewer candidates

Students on the mainland faced the country’s national university entrance exams, that kicked off on Sunday, with a mix of nerves and confidence. The number of people sitting this year’s exam, or gaokao, has dropped by roughly 450,000, to 12.9 million from a year earlier. Waiting outside an exam venue in Beijing’s Chaoyang district in the morning, some students said they believed in themselves. “I’m interested in majors related to information technology... I’m confident,” a student said. Some of them also said the decline in the number of pupils taking the national exam did not affect their preferences for university applications. “I’m quite nervous. Nervousness is inevitable for gaokao. I’ve been working hard,” said another student. “I’ve already decided which major I want to apply for, but with my current grades, I’m not sure of my chances,” she added. A fellow pupil said he would take a chance on his preferred university and major since there are fewer competitors. “I’m a little nervous but it’s fine. I studied along with my school’s revision plan,” he said. “I don’t know much about this year’s registration situation since I’ve been busy studying. But if there are fewer candidates, I will take a shot at the major I want.” Some parents accompanied their children to the exam venue, and wished them good luck. Edited by Aaron Tam