An Overview of the Development of Chinese Language Proficiency Test in Thai University Entrance Examination
Keywords:
Thai university entrance examination, Chinese language proficiency test, development overviewAbstract
Based on conducting relevant information and data released by the official website of higher education institutions in Thailand, the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS) and the Thai University Central Admission System (TCAS), this article presents a comprehensive review of the development of the Chinese Language Proficiency Test (CLPE) in Thailand. Influenced by the reforms in the national examination system, the CLPE has gone through the phase of Entrance Examination from 1998 to 2005, the phase of A-Net from 2006 to 2008, and the phase of PAT 7.4 from 2009 to 2022 chronologically. According to the numbers of the students who has taken the CLPE over the past years, it has always had a large candidate base. In the light of different universities’ admission statistics in recent years, the CLPE has obvious advantages compared with other second foreign languages tests. It has been valued and affirmed by quite some universities and majors that related to humanities and sciences in Thailand. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that the test content differs from high school Chinese language teaching, with overall difficulty levels surpassing the actual language proficiency of many candidates, resulting in consistently low scores. Due to ongoing reforms in the Thai national examination system, starting from March 2023, the CLPE will enter its fourth phase of an applied-level examination, referred to as A-Level 87 Chi. The new version of the test paper will place greater emphasis on assessing candidates' practical Chinese language skills. This reform has the potential to drive the CLPE in Thailand towards an entirely new stage of development.
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