Single college test a storm in a teacup

Lawmaker Li Guangyu recently touched a national nerve when he called for a single test and admission standard as a way to address inequalities in the competitive national college examination.

Li, from populous Henan province, said last month during a discussion at the National People's Congress that local students who sat for the exam, popularly known as the gaokao, made up less than one-third of the enrollment rate of those from major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, when they applied for first-tier colleges.

He suggested top universities enroll all students following their results from a single gaokao, instead of giving preference to students from where they are based.