Gaokao changes with times

Meng said mathematics papers have kept up with the times, and that in the questions about real events, all the data is real. In the past, whole numbers were often used, making the answers easy to calculate.

A senior physics teacher at Hengshui High School in Hengshui, Hebei province, said the exam papers had become closer to people's real lives and livelihoods.

"In physics, the topics range from black holes and quantum theory to gravitational waves, said the teacher, who asked to be referred to by his family name, Chen. "We collect related materials and print them out for students."

The school is known for its strict teaching methods and its students' excellent performances in the gaokao. In 2018, 214 of its more than 7,000 candidates were admitted to Tsinghua and Peking universities, China's top higher education institutions. The number accounts for more than 60 percent of that for the whole province.

"The final aim of study is to apply it," Chen said. "The current gaokao papers focus more on testing students' ability than basic knowledge and skills. Knowledge and ability complement each other, and not a single one can be omitted."

In this year's Chinese language exam, one composition subject was to write a speech about manual labor.

"The composition subject is very educational and can be a practical guidance for students," Bai, the Longquan Middle School student, said. "Physical labor is also an important skill that students should master. We should respect every laborer."

In her last year of high school, Bai got up at 6 am, went to bed at 11 pm, and took part in morning exercises and running.

She said her high school life was "intense" and "excellent" and "full" because she did not waste any time.

"My classmates and I joined activities on campus to ease our pressure of study, such as sports meets and theater evenings," she said.