The National Education Commission will push for a nationwide public debate in the second half of this year to formulate a college admissions reform plan.

Under review are the transition of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) to an absolute grading system, the introduction of essay-type and subjective questions, and adjustments to the timing of college admission screening processes.

The commission will finalize the reform plan next March, reflecting the results of public opinion gathering.

Commission Chairperson Cha Jeong-in reported the "Second Half 2026 Work Plan for the National Education Commission" containing these details to President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House today (the 5th).

The commission plans to announce a draft of the "2028-2037 National Education Development Plan," which includes college admission system reforms, at the end of October.

To alleviate intense competition among students, the commission is first considering converting all subjects in the CSAT to an absolute grading system.

In the current CSAT, only English, Korean history, and second foreign language subjects use absolute grading, but the plan is to expand this to all subjects.

Under the relative grading system, students must rank in the top 4% to receive a grade 1, whereas under absolute grading, anyone exceeding a certain score receives a grade 1.

The commission is also reviewing the introduction of essay-type and subjective questions into the CSAT, which are currently limited to school exams.

The stated purpose is to move away from five-choice multiple-choice questions and promote innovation in teaching and learning.

Given the massive ripple effects that college admissions policies have on educational settings, the commission plans to finalize the changes after going through public deliberation and consensus-building processes.

(Photo: Yonhap News)