TOKYO - Japanese elementary and junior high school students continue to struggle with written-response questions in Japanese, while average accuracy rates in arithmetic and mathematics remained in the 50% range, according to nationwide academic test results released by the education ministry on July 16.
The National Academic Achievement Test was administered to sixth-grade elementary school students and third-year junior high school students. In Japanese, the average accuracy rate for written-response questions was lower than for other question formats at both levels and fell below 50% among third-year junior high school students.
The results again highlighted a long-standing weakness in students' ability to organize and express their own ideas in writing.
Among sixth-grade students, the average accuracy rate was 61.1% in Japanese and 56.6% in arithmetic. Third-year junior high school students recorded an average of 64.2% in Japanese and 57.4% in mathematics.
Scores in both subjects declined from the previous year among sixth-grade students but increased among third-year junior high school students.
English testing for third-year junior high school students was conducted for the first time in three years and assessed four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. In the speaking section, the accuracy rate was below 50% for six of the seven questions, indicating continued difficulties in developing practical speaking ability.
Source: TOKYO MX NEWS
