Some 13 million high school graduates across China are nervously awaiting a test result that will determine the rest of their lives.
The gaokao – a combination of the word “college” and “exam”– is regarded as one of the most important events in the life of any Chinese student. The exam consists of three mandatory subjects: Mandarin, English, and maths, with optional subjects including physics, history, and politics. Depending on the subject, participants spend between one and two and a half hours completing essays, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank type questions.
