Hong Kong's Lingnan University scraps English exit test for graduation
- Lingnan University kills mandatory English exit exam, trading external benchmarks like IELTS for internal courses.
- University brass insists 99% pass rate made the test pointless—conveniently ignoring what that says about the test's rigor.
- Critics smell a rat: mainland Chinese students allegedly struggling to hit a 'impossible' IELTS 6.5, so the goalposts get moved.
- Chinese-major students previously needed only 6.0; others had to hit 7.0. Now, everyone just needs to show up.
- Lau Chi-pang dismisses concerns, praising gaokao results—as if high school math scores translate to workplace English.
Brief Summary
In a move that would make a Drudge headline writer weep with joy, Hong Kong's Lingnan University has declared war on its own English standards. The university's senate has approved a sneaky little policy shift: no more mandatory external English proficiency tests like IELTS or Password for graduation. Instead, students must simply complete an internal 'English Language Enhancement Curriculum'—which is academic-speak for 'we'll give you a participation trophy.'
Why This Matters
The impact is largely confined to Lingnan's campus and the sinking feeling that Hong Kong's international reputation for rigorous, bilingual graduates takes another body blow. For the average reader, this is a tale of educational rot—proof that when the percentages get too embarrassing, you just redefine the test. The university is handing out diplomas to kids who couldn't clear a bar that's already embarrassingly low (a 6.5 IELTS is not exactly Shakespearean brilliance).