The challenge of academic writing for Chinese students within ...

progress to each level of education from nine-year compulsory to higher secondary to higher
education requires passing entrance examinations. Students must take end-of-term
examinations at each level of nine-year compulsory education. After taking their junior
secondary school-leaving examination students who wish to progress to higher secondary
schools must take the entrance examination and pass it with satisfactory grades.
Figure 1.4: Current Chinese education system (source: UK NARIC, 2008)
In 2006 75.7% of junior secondary graduates went on to senior high school compared with
only 40.6% in 1990 (MoE, 2007d). However entrance to a key higher secondary school is
highly competitive. Key senior high schools are better equipped than regular ones with higher
quality teaching and public esteem (Wang, 2003). Admission to key senior high school and to
key class of the school will maximize a student‘s chance to achieve high marks in the
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