In the June mock evaluation of the 2026 college scholastic ability test (CSAT), the 'English' section was analyzed to be easier than last year's CSAT. The correlation with EBS materials was high, and it was assessed that the correct answers stood out because confusing wrong answer choices were removed.

Kim Ye-ryeong, a representative instructor for English from the EBS field teacher group at DAEWON Foreign Language High School, noted at a briefing on 'analysis of trends in the English section' held at the Sejong Government Complex on the afternoon of the 4th that the English section of the June mock evaluation for the 2026 academic year appears to have been set easier compared to last year's CSAT, adding, "Passages that were excessively abstract and difficult to understand even when interpreted into Korean were excluded."

On March 6, 2023, in Mokdong Jongno Academy, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, the instructors are analyzing the English section questions of the September mock test conducted that day. The photo is not directly related to the article content. /News1

The instructor stated, "Without introducing new types, the trends of last year's CSAT were maintained, and the elements of so-called 'killer questions' were excluded," adding, "There were efforts to delicately adjust the attractiveness of the wrong answer choices, and I believe there weren't many confusing issues in the answer choices."

The correlation rate between EBS CSAT-linked textbooks and overall questions was 55.6% (25 out of 45 questions). Linked questions included ▲Listening and indirect speaking 1-15 ▲Reading and indirect writing 18, 20, 22-23, 26-28, 43-45. The instructor evaluated that including passages on frequently used topics from EBS CSAT linked textbooks and everyday familiar subjects likely reduced the exam burden for lower and middle-performing students.

Questions that examinees might have felt somewhat burdened by included ▲30 (vocabulary inference·applying the strategy of an entrepreneur who created an original brand to academic writing) ▲32 (fill-in-the-blank inference·related to the description of characters' appearances in the work) ▲34 (fill-in-the-blank inference·the meaning of the question 'where') ▲37 (order of the text·chaotic system).

Kim Ye-ryeong, a representative English instructor of the EBS field teacher group and a teacher at DAEWON High School (on the right), explains the trends in the English section of the June mock test for the 2026 academic year at the Ministry of Education briefing room in Sejong Government Complex on the 4th. On the left is Yoon Yoon-gu, a teacher at Hanyang University Erica High School. /Yonhap News

Regarding the difficulty compared to past CSATs and mock evaluations, the instructor said, "It seems easier than last year's CSAT, and compared to the September mock test last year, it might be at a similar or slightly more difficult level." For reference, the percentage of first-grade students in last year's CSAT in English was 6.22%, while the percentage in the September mock evaluation was 10.94%.

Private educational institutes evaluated similarly. Jongno Academy stated, "It has become easier than last year's CSAT, but it's not to the extent that it lacks discrimination," while MegaStudyEdu noted that it was set at a level similar to last year's CSAT, adding, "Overall, while maintaining the principles of question setting centered on the curriculum, it was carried out with a composition of questions that satisfies both English proficiency and cognitive ability."