英语网： What do you think of the English standard of students in China?
Bonin先生： I have been to many other countries in Asia such as Japan and Korea, and I must say that China's standard of English is much higher as compared those other countries. Chinese students' spoken English is much more understandable than in other countries.
Bonin先生： It probably has to do with the methodology of the exams that they take. Most English exams held in Korea and Japan are based a lot on multiple choice questions, whereas in China the exams imitate real life situations.
英语网： How is the methodology of an exam related to the practical English skills of a student?
英语网： 您认为考试的方式与学生的英语实践技能之有什么样的联系？
Bonin先生： It is related to students' preparations for the exams. Students should learn the English language as they prepare for an exam. For example, if an exam is largely based on multiple-choice questions, then in preparation of the exam, students might spend more time learning how to tackle multiple-choice questions instead of learning the language. Therefore if a student does well in such an exam, there is a high possibility that the student is only good at doing multiple-choice questions instead of actually being good at the language.
On the contrary, if an exam is based on a more practical usage of English such as writing an essay or speaking to an examiner, students will actually learn the language and hone their skills in using the language as they prepare for an exam. So if a student performs well in such an exam, there is a high possibility that the student has a good command of English in real life situations instead of just knowing to tick A,B,C or D.
英语网： How close do the methodologies of Cambridge exams test a student's practical skills in English?
英语网： 剑桥考试的一套方法检测出的水平与学生的英语实际运用水平有多接近？
Bonin先生： Very close. We have been conducting ESOL (English as a Second Language) exams since 1996, and our exams taken by students now have gone through 12 years of thorough research in English-testing methodologies. Our exams have also gone through 12 years of constant revision and improvements.
Another point is that as a non-profit organization, we don't create exams for the purpose of quick and easy assessment so that we can grade more examinees faster and generate more revenue. We create exams that truly test a student's command of English in real life situations and in turn, encouraging them to learn the language as opposed to merely learning examination techniques.
Bonin先生： All exams are to test a student's skill and understanding of a subject. However, the creators of an exam also have to take into account how examiners are going to mark the paper and whether grading it will take too long. If each paper takes an hour to grade, imagine how much time it takes to grade 3000 papers!
Therefore, exams should achieve a balance in testing a student's true understanding of the subject and giving as little difficulty as possible to examiners when they grade a paper. A profit driven organization might emphasize more on the convenience of marking the papers more than assessing students' knowledge so that they can take in more examinees in a single session. Take multiple-choice questions for example. All they have to do is put it into a machine and the computer will automatically grade the paper, which is obviously much harder and much cheaper to grade than an essay.
