Figures recently released by Cambridge International Examinations shows that there were 28,000 A-level examination entries in Mainland China in 2015, up 10 per cent compared to 2014. Chinese students’ subject choice is also becoming more diverse, as less popular subjects such as history and English literature are growing at a significantly faster rate than overall entries. The number of individual candidates is significantly lower than this as each student takes multiple A-levels, but the maths and physics papers each had over registered 8,000 candidates, up nine per cent over last year. Among younger students there were a total of 32,000 entries to CIE’s International GCSE (IGCSE) exam in Mainland China, probably representing around 3,000 individual candidates.

Other international curriculums are also becoming more popular in Mainland China, with 2,967 students taking the IB diploma in 2014, representing 28 per cent growth in 2013 and an average 17 per cent growth rate over the last five years. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the US AP curriculum is also seeing a strong increase in Chinese student numbers. The bulk of this growth is coming from Chinese students who want to study an overseas curriculum in order to attend universities overseas, rather than from foreign nationals in international schools.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst and Liu Xiaoxiao, Education Services Manager

These figures illustrate continuing growth in Chinese students following an overseas curriculum at the upper secondary level, at both private international schools and in “international classes” at public high schools. This mode of study is increasingly attractive to Chinese students as it allows them to enter overseas universities directly as well as avoiding the country’s high-pressure gaokao university entrance examination. A significant proportion of Chinese entrants to overseas undergraduate courses have studied an international curriculum in China. Although China’s major cities have tightened restrictions on new international classes in public high schools, as described in previous SIEM news, these classes are continuing to grow in popularity in smaller cities and private schools are not directly affected by these restrictions.

Although the A-level is a UK qualification and almost all Chinese students that take an international high school course plan to study overseas, it should be noted that not all of these students go to the UK. A-levels are also accepted by universities in other major destination countries such as the US, Australia and Canada, and the British Council’s experience suggests that only a minority of Chinese A-level candidates will go on to attend a UK university.

Sources:

1. http://xmwb.xinmin.cn/html/2015-10/19/content_13_3.htm

2. http://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/facts-and-figures/statistical-bulletins/diploma-programme-statistical-bulletin/

3. https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/no-new-%E2%80%9Cinternational-classes%E2%80%9D-public-senior-high-schools-china%E2%80%99s-major-cities