Students of the Guiyang No. 16 Middle School practice jumping rope in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 4, 2020. (Photo/Xinhua)
Chongqing - Several Chinese cities are testing integrated schooling programs that allow students to advance from primary or junior high directly to senior high school without taking traditional entrance exams. The approach offers a smoother, more predictable path and helps reduce exam-related pressure on students.
Recently, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, announced pilot programs for both a 12-year model covering primary through high school and a 6-year model connecting junior and senior high schools. Students enrolled in these programs are exempt from the entrance exams at each stage.
According to Chengdu's education bureau, the pilot programs don't alter the existing school system but explore new models that link primary, junior, and senior high schools over 6 or 12 years. Based on the national curriculum, they aim to create smoother transitions between stages and improve consistency in teaching, resources, and talent development.
Participation in the pilot programs is voluntary, and students are not selected based on exam performance. If applications exceed available spots, enrollment is determined through a computer-based lottery. Students who wish to withdraw midway may also apply to leave the program.
Shanghai has also joined the reform. On October 20, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission released its plan for the high-quality development of senior high schools, supporting extended schooling models that allow top high schools to expand downward and junior high schools to extend upward.
Earlier explorations have also taken place in other cities. In Beijing's Dongcheng and Xicheng districts, some senior high schools have piloted a registration-based admission system, allowing students with a comprehensive evaluation grade of B or above to apply, offering more opportunities for ordinary students. In Xi'an, the "zhongkao-free" classes target high-achieving students.
Still, in all cases, the high school entrance exam, or zhongkao, remains central to local admissions. Education authorities in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and Shanghai clarified that reports of its cancellation are inaccurate. The pilot programs only provide limited alternative pathways through integrated middle–high school models.
Pressure behind China's zhongkao sparks change
China provides nine years of compulsory education from primary to junior high school. After that, the zhongkao, along with the pressures behind it—such as whether to attend an academic or vocational senior high school, and whether to go to an ordinary or key senior high—has long forced students and parents into intensive, exam-focused routines, making junior high a stage largely dominated by test preparation.
As just about 60% of students can move on to academic senior high schools nationwide, many parents worry that if their child performs poorly on the zhongkao and is diverted to a vocational school, opportunities for high-quality higher education and ideal career paths may become more limited. Vocational education in China still faces certain gaps compared with academic education in terms of social recognition, educational quality, and employment prospects.
A parent in Chengdu said that her child's school is among the schools piloting the 6-year integrated program, though currently the pilot applies to only two classes, each with a limited number of students.
"The biggest highlight of this integrated program for me and other parents is that it exempts students from the zhongkao," the parent said. "We don't have to worry about our children being diverted to vocational high schools, so many students signed up. The number of applicants far exceeded the available spots, and the final selection was made by lottery."
She added that it was unfortunate her own child was not selected but expressed hope that more classes using the integrated model will be offered in the future to benefit more students.
Chengdu Liewu High School in Sichuan Province, one of the pilot schools, has adopted the new model. Principal Peng Hao said in an earlier interview that the integrated classes no longer focus only on preparing students for the zhongkao, but take a more well-rounded approach. "In these classes, teachers can gradually introduce some senior high school-level content during junior high," he explained.
Yang Liping, an expert with the Higher Education Supervision and Evaluation Department at the Beijing Institute of Educational Supervision and Evaluation, wrote that the integrated cultivation model should not be seen simply as “exam-free.” Instead, it marks a broader reform aimed at shifting education from rote knowledge transmission to holistic student development.
Yang noted that once education moves beyond the narrow goal of passing stage-based exams, students no longer need to endlessly practice for the zhongkao. Teachers can then design classes more flexibly, focusing on developing core competencies and lifelong problem-solving skills rather than short-term test performance.
Despite its promising outlook, promoting integrated education still faces multiple practical challenges. The most prominent issue lies in the unequal distribution of educational resources. At present, most of the schools piloting the integrated programs are of mid-level quality, while access to top high schools still depends on zhongkao performance.
Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, admitted that as long as the key high school system remains, the competition for admission to such schools will continue, even though the integrated program ensures students a place in an ordinary high school.