A sales post titled '7-year-old high school writing past exam questions, model answers, Daechi-dong Banpo-dong top English academy preparation' was uploaded to an internet portal site shopping mall. It claims to sell a past exam question book from a well-known English academy's so-called 'TES (level test, entrance exam).' The same post also appeared in a mom cafe, where women with young children primarily join. This post was selected as 'popular content,' garnering over 120 comments inquiring about the purchase method.
A ChosunBiz reporter pressed the 'purchase' button at the shopping mall on the 27th and paid 70,000 won by card, receiving a past exam question book in PDF format via email. The email stated, 'For the purchaser's personal use only, unauthorized reproduction and sharing is prohibited.'
◇Academy side: “Actual test questions... sold without consent.”
When asked about the content included in the past exam question book, the respective academies responded that they were 'actual test questions.' However, it turned out that the past exam question book was made without the academies' consent.
A representative from Academy A stated, 'We have never provided the exam papers to external sources,' and added, '(Candidates) cannot take the exam papers out, so we do not know how they were leaked.' A representative from Academy B also noted, 'There are rumors that someone leaked the questions to external sources,' and said, '(Therefore, after the entrance exam,) we count to ensure that the exam papers are properly collected according to the number of applicants.' Additionally, a representative from Academy C mentioned, 'It seems that the seller has composed the questions in a way similar to our academy's question format and is selling them under the academy's name.'
Creating or selling past exam question books without the academy's consent could lead to legal issues. Park Ae-ran, a lawyer from the Korea Copyright Commission (KCC), stated, 'Since exam questions are protected as works, selling them without permission could pose problems.' Additionally, YH&Co. lawyer noted, 'Whether it is the original text or a partially modified version, selling without permission could be illegal.'
◇Parents: “Worried about failing the 7-year-old exam, buying 'TES' past exam books.”
The 'TES (entrance exam)' of the famous English academy is criticized for being difficult, to the point that it's nearly impossible for Korean children who have not had experiences studying in English-speaking countries to pass. This has led to the term '7-year-old exam' being coined.
The entrance exam for the renowned English academy typically consists of a first round of reading and writing assessment and a second round of English interviews. Even if a candidate has a high score in the objective reading section, they can fail if their writing score in the descriptive section is low.
A representative from Academy D mentioned, 'Around 500 candidates participate in the level test at once, and only 20-30 pass.' An academy conducts the level test four times a year. When aggregating all participants from about 10 academies, it is estimated that several thousand candidates take the test annually.
Given the circumstances, the sales of past exam question books targeting parents who want to enroll their children in renowned English academies are taking place. During this time, parents have prepared for the 'TES' by sharing some past exam questions on social media (SNS) or using internationally renowned textbooks. Kim Mo (38), who lives in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, stated, 'A past exam question book is like a 'cheat sheet' of actual questions,' adding, 'It makes preparing for the TES easier and reduces anxiety.'
◇In questions made with conditional sentences, English composition responses... Expert: “It is unreasonable and undesirable.”
The past exam question book consists of 19 A4 pages, compiling writing questions from level tests submitted by about 10 famous elementary English academies in the Daechi and Banpo areas over the past three years. Some academy questions also included model answers.
In writing questions requiring responses in English, there were classifications of difficulty (high, medium, low) along with the intended purpose of the questions. For example, the question 'If you were to become an animal, what kind of animal would you like to be, and what would you want to do?' was labeled with 'high difficulty' and 'creative and imaginative writing.' There was no interpretation provided for, 'What kind of animal would you like to be and what would you want to do?'
A man in his 30s with a qualification as an English teacher said, 'The question itself is a conditional sentence, which is difficult for a 7-year-old child to accurately understand.' He continued, 'Moreover, to answer, one must present a conclusion and reasoning in logical English, and asking a 7-year-old child to meet such a level is unreasonable and undesirable.'