At the 14th meeting of the Examination Yuan’s 13th term on December 10, the MOEX presented planned changes to national exams to meet the goal of a bilingual nation by 2030. Attending Ministers without Portfolio suggested the need to address the language proficiency gap between rural and urban areas when planning changes to national examinations.

To encourage exam takers to improve their English skills, the MOEX has planned to adjust the weighting of civil service examinations’ English section, and will invite hiring agencies, professional supervisory organs, and professional groups to discuss the need to include English proficiency as a qualification requirement or exam subject. The national exam app now provides a daily English practice question.

With the exception of the Civil Service Examination for the Disabled, English will be tested in all civil service examinations and for professional and technical examinations for professions requiring English skills. Since 2014, candidates wishing to take the Special Examination for Consular and Diplomatic Personnel must meet English proficiency requirements for registration. A proposal to add English proficiency as a registration qualification requirement for the Special Examination for International Trade Personnel has been passed.

At the end of the meeting, Examination Yuan President Huang Jong-tsun called to attention the fact that English is not currently weighted commensurately with exam levels, and that English is weighted less in some elementary and junior exams compared to senior exams, and indicated the need to adjust the weighting of English to reach a level commensurate with civil service examinations. Although legalities and precedents concerning diplomatic and consular exams do exist, Huang said, implementing changes to English proficiency registration requirements should be implemented in gradual stages. The MOEX will continue to solicit related parties’ opinions during planning and will conduct rolling reviews when these changes are implemented.