Public English Test System

The Public English Test System (PETS; simplified Chinese: 全国公共英语等级考试; traditional Chinese: 全國公共英語等級考試; pinyin: Quánguó Gōnggòng Yīngyǔ Děngjí Kǎoshì) is a test developed by the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) of Mainland China. The PETS is the edition of the Quanguo Waiyu Shuiping Kaoshi (WSK) for the English language.^[1] It is available in five levels: PETS-1 through PETS-5.^[2] PETS testing is open to persons of all professions, ages, and academic backgrounds.^[3]

The tests were designed in 1996 as a way to test persons outside of the college and university system; the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) gave professional and technical support to the development.^[4] In 1999 pilot tests of the PETS occurred in several cities. The first mass-offering of the PETS was in 2003.^[3]

The testing levels are:

• PETS-5: Advanced level,^[5] sufficient for studying and/or working outside of China,^[6] sufficient for equivalent to an English major at a Chinese university after two years of studying English.^[5]
• PETS-4: Upper intermediate level, equivalent to that of a non-English major student at a Chinese university after three years of studying English.^[5]
• PETS-3: Intermediate level, equivalent to that of a non-English major student at a Chinese university after two years of studying English.^[5]
• PETS-2: Lower intermediate level, equivalent to that of a student entering university in China.^[5]
• PETS-1: Elementary level,^[5] equivalent to completion of three years of English instruction, or what someone would have at the junior high school level.^[7]

There is also a PETS-1B, which is below PETS-1.^[3]

See also

• College English Test (CET)
• English education in China
• General English Proficiency Test (the test in Taiwan)

References

• Liu, Jianda (刘建达;^[8] Guangdong University of Foreign Studies). "The Public English Test System" (Chapter 10). In: Cheng, Liying and Andy Curtis. English Language Assessment and the Chinese Learner. Routledge, March 17, 2010. ISBN 1135213879, 9781135213879. Start: p. 132.
• Wu, Mei (吴 梅;^[9] Leshan Normal University). "Comparing PETS and GEPT in China and Taiwan" (Archive). English Language Teaching (ISSN 1916-4742 (Print); ISSN 1916-4750 (Online)). Canadian Center of Science and Education, Vol. 5, No. 6; June 2012. Received February 24, 2012. Published June 1, 2012. DOI: 10.5539/elt.v5n6p48 - See profile page

Notes

1. "首页." Quanguo Waiyu Shuiping Kaoshi. Retrieved on March 13, 2015. "全国外语水平考试（ＷＳＫ）是为了鉴定非外语专业人员的外语水平而设置的考试，其成绩主要用于选拔国家公派出国留学人员。全国外语水平考试设英语（PETS-5）、法语(TNF)、德语(NTD)、日语(NNS)和俄语(ТПРЯ)五个语种。"
2. "English." Public English Test System. Retrieved on March 13, 2015.
3. Wu, Mei, p. 48.
4. Liu, Jianda, p. 133.
5. Liu, Jianda, p. 135.
6. Liu, Jianda, p. 134-135.
7. Liu, Jianda, p. 134.
8. "刘建达." National Key Research Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics (外国语言学及应用语言学研究中心), Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Retrieved on March 15, 2015.
9. (simplified Chinese) "Comparing Multicultural Types in English Textbooks Across the Taiwan Strait" (海峡两岸英语教科书多元文化类型的比较研究; Archive). Journal of Yueyang Vocational Technical College (岳阳职业技术学院学报). Volume 28, No. 1, January 2013. In Chinese with English abstract. Retrieved on March 14, 2015.

External links

• Public English Test System
• Public English Test System (simplified Chinese)
• China Public English Test System (PETS), Levels 1-5: Level Criteria, Test Specifications and Sample Materials. National Education Examinations Authority, 1999. See profile at Google Books.