University students might need better English to graduate

University students may soon be forced to pass English tests before they are allowed to graduate, a Ministry of Education official said.

Several universities are studying the feasibility of requiring their graduates to pass the high-intermediate level of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT), sponsored by the Language Training and Testing Center (LTTC), before being allowed to graduate, the official said.

A report by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) released last month said that Taiwanese students taking the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) performed poorly compared with Chinese students.

As a result, the education ministry has suggested that universities make English proficiency a requirement for graduation.

Lee Si-chen (李嗣涔), dean of academic affairs at National Taiwan University (NTU), said yesterday that, starting in September, all incoming students at NTU should be prepared to take the high-intermediate GEPT in their second or third semesters.

Lee said that students who fail the test in their freshmen or sophomore years should take extra English lessons until they can pass the test.

Starting in September next year, NTU graduate schools will also make English proficiency an entrance requirement, Lee added.

In addition to NTU, the National Sun Yat-sen University, the National Cheng Kung University, the National Central University and Tatung University are also planning to make English proficiency a requirement for graduation, the ministry official said.

The GEPT is an English test system developed by the LTTC in 1999 at the request of the education ministry. The test is divided into five levels -- elementary, intermediate, high-intermediate, advanced and superior -- and each level is administered in two stages.

Examinees must pass the first stage of listening and reading tests before proceeding to the second stage of writing and speaking tests.

The intermediate level is roughly equivalent to the English proficiency of high-school graduates in Taiwan.

In the past two years, the center has tested elementary, intermediate and high-intermediate levels of the GEPT. This year, the LTTC will offer the advanced and superior levels.

The GEPT is intended for individuals from all walks of life, with both primary-school pupils and septuagenarians having taken the tests.

Some government agencies and private organizations have used the system to test their job applicants. The National Police Administration, for example, has used the system to test candidates for the foreign affairs police.

The Ministry of Education is also applying the testing system to screen applicants for government scholarships for advanced studies overseas.