A Comparative Study Of Chinese Test Questions In College Entrance Examination Based On Solo Classification Theory

The reform of the Higher Education Examination is one of the most important aspects of the reform of the education system and is a matter of social stability and unity.As one of the important subjects in the HKALE,the content and structure of the language subject is of great significance to the transmission of culture and the selection of talents.As the unification of the language subjects in the HKALE is being gradually promoted,there is a need to study the structural features of the language questions in the old and new HKALE and to find out where the differences between the questions lie,so as to accurately grasp the differences between the new HKALE Paper I and the other papers,and to help promote the process of the new HKALE reform.Based on the SOLO classification theory,this study designed the criteria for classifying the SOLO thinking levels of the language questions in the HKALE according to the four thinking levels of the theory: the single-point structure level(U),the multipoint structure level(M),the association structure level(R)and the abstract expansion structure level(E).The 2020-2022 National Unified Examination for Higher Education Admissions in Language New Gao Kao I,National Paper A and Zhejiang Paper were compared and studied,comparing the question types,scores,knowledge modules and the level of thinking tested in the three papers on a macro level,and comparing the questions on a micro level in a cross-sectional and vertical manner.The level of thinking was determined in accordance with the criteria for classifying each question as a level,and a score of 1,2,3 and 4 was assigned to the level of thinking,and the statistics were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively with the help of SPSS software.The following conclusions were drawn:Firstly,the level analysis shows that the values of the percentage of SOLO thinking level in each set of GCE language papers are very similar in 2020-2022.Due to the specificity of the structure of the language papers,the essay is fixed at 60 marks,so the fixed value of the E level share is 40%.The three different categories of papers tested mainly the R level and the E level.The R level and the E level were mainly focused on the three modules of Modern Reading,Ancient Poetry Reading and Writing.These two levels of thinking mainly test students’ knowledge transfer and innovative and creative abilities,focusing on the contextual nature of the questions,which can select the talents needed by society,in line with the concept of the new college entrance examination reform and the new curriculum standards.Secondly,a longitudinal analysis shows that: the fluctuation of SOLO level in the new college entrance examination Ⅰ paper and national A paper from 2020 to 2022 is small,and the R level and E level scores account for the largest proportion,which indicates that the innovation and novelty of the test questions are gradually increasing,and the difficulty is high,testing students’ high level of thinking.The percentage of marks for the U and E levels in the Zhejiang paper decreased,while the percentage of marks for the M and R levels increased,indicating that the difficulty of the questions in the Zhejiang paper was relatively stable,and the selection function of the HKALE was further highlighted,reflecting the characteristics of the questions that give equal importance to ability and knowledge.The nine sets of papers reflect the emphasis on the comprehensive ability of the examination,which should attract the attention of teachers and students.Once again,a horizontal analysis shows that the three different categories of papers in the past three years have been tested at the SOLO level of New College Entrance Examination Ⅰ paper > Zhejiang paper > National A paper,a situation consistent with the characteristics of different regional educational needs.The difference between the different levels of thinking is relatively small,with the E level marks accounting for about 40%-48%,the R level marks accounting for about 19%-30%,the M level questions accounting for about 19% and the U level questions accounting for about 10% each year.On the whole,the marks allocated to the SOLO thinking level in each set of papers are reasonable,reflecting the purpose of selecting talents for the college entrance examination.The difficulty of both the Zhejiang and National A papers in testing the thinking level is approaching that of the new Gao Kao I paper,which indicates the prospect of a unified national set of questions,thus promoting a balanced distribution of educational resources,achieving educational equity and facilitating students’ development.Finally,based on the horizontal and cross-sectional analysis of nine sets of papers from different categories over the past three years,some suggestions are made for the design of the HKALE,teachers’ teaching and students’ preparation for the examination based on the conclusions drawn.