Li Yang, assistant researcher at the Research Institution of Educational Theory, National Institute of Education Sciences in Beijing:“The recent policy will not ease parents’ anxieties. Many worry about how students will prepare for the zhongkao and gaokao without enough exams to show their academic performance. This reflects a deeper predicament in education evaluation: Society detests the highly competitive exam-oriented system, yet remains uncertain and uneasy about abandoning quantitative testing altogether.” Source: Global Times
Xin Tao, director of the China Basic Education Quality Monitoring Collaborative Innovation Center at Beijing Normal University:“In the age of AI, the importance of diplomas is declining. A high gaokao score no longer guarantees a good job. To adapt to future trends, it is necessary to break from our reliance on traditional exam- oriented evaluations.” Source: CCTV News
China’s decision to sharply reduce routine exams for primary and secondary students has reignited a long-simmering debate over how learning should be measured in the era of AI.
Under the rules issued on December 16, 2025, written tests are banned entirely for first and second grade students. For other primary grades, schools may organize only one final exam per semester. Middle schools are allowed one final exam and an additional midterm exam per semester. Similar rules were announced in 2021.
In response, cities including Chengdu, Sichuan Province and Guangzhou, Guangdong Province have announced bans on regional or cross-school standardized final exams in core subjects for non-graduating grades, allowing individual schools to conduct their own evaluations.
These moves aim to reduce excessive academic burdens and shift education away from an exam- and ranking-centered mindset.
Public reaction, however, has been divided. Many netizens view the policy as a meaningful attempt to break with China’s long-standing exam-oriented evaluation system and to establish a more diverse system for academic assessment. Some pointed out that reform is particularly necessary in the age of AI, as traditional exams primarily focus on rote memorization and exam-taking skills, while future talent need creativity, critical thinking and collaboration skills.
However, some have argued that without reforming the two most crucial exams – the high school entrance examination (zhongkao) and the national college entrance examination (gaokao) – the exam-oriented system will remain fundamentally unchanged. Students’ academic burdens will not be meaningfully alleviated, nor will the intense competition be eased.
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