Foreign entrance Exams gain popularity

The growing desire to study overseas is a result of ample family incomes and an appreciation of the Chinese yuan, as well as an inefficient Chinese higher education system, educators and parents have said.

About 1.4 million people globally took part in the IELTS examination last year, among whom 300,000 were Chinese - 40,000 more than in 2008 - according to statistics from the British Council in China.

Meanwhile, the number of applications to sit TOEFL exams in China also jumped 30 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to the China Business News.