"Guys, There's No Time to Waver, Let's Keep Doing What We're Doing" EBS Instructor's Encouragement Sparks Attention

EBS Korean Instructor Yoon Hye-jung Encourages Examinees, Gaining Attention
"There Are Others to Worry About Changes in the CSAT Policy"

Yoon Hye-jung, a well-known "top instructor" of Korean language at EBS, recently encouraged students who are confused by the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT, known as Suneung) policy announcements such as "CSAT questions from public education" and "exclusion of killer questions."

Photo by Yoon Hye-jung, Instagram capture

EBSi instructor Yoon posted on her social media platform Instagram on the 19th, "Since I started lecturing at EBS in 2007, especially from 2010 when EBS linkage began, I have always emphasized that no matter how the CSAT policy changes, you just need to study Korean language with a solid foundation that won’t be shaken."

She added, "It’s not about blindly relying on the linkage study, but rather doing proper and correct Korean language study while using the linkage as a bonus. You just need to use the linkage policy correctly and smartly."

She also offered words of encouragement: "Now there are 150 days left. Show how 150 days can change you, how you can change your 150 days."

Yoon further added hashtags with encouraging messages such as "Even if things change, the essence does not. I always said, study what doesn’t change," "There’s no time to be shaken. Let’s study more meticulously," "Those who are confused now are someone who needs to think about how to use the CSAT policy. That’s not us," and "I taught a study method that doesn’t need to be shaken. You just need to continue as you have."

Students who saw this left comments like "I learned well from the teacher, so I will keep my mental strength and go all the way," "I will remember the teacher’s words and run through the 150 days," and "When I’m anxious, listening to the teacher’s words reassures and empowers me."

Order to 'Exclude Killer Questions'... Increased Confusion Among Students

On the 19th, when the government agreed to exclude so-called 'killer questions' (ultra-high difficulty questions) from the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and to review the system including question-setting techniques to ensure an appropriate difficulty level for the CSAT, educational content was displayed in front of an academy in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, on the 15th, the government announced that "killer questions" (extremely difficult questions) will be excluded from the CSAT.

President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the killer questions, which are difficultly created outside the public education curriculum, as "an inappropriate and unfair act targeting hundreds of thousands of students" and said, "It’s playing with our vulnerable children."

Although President Yoon had previously instructed to exclude killer questions, controversy arose when killer questions appeared again in the June mock exam (mock evaluation).

As a result, on the following day, the 16th, Lee Yoon-hong, the Ministry of Education’s Talent Policy Planning Officer responsible for university admissions, was dismissed citing failure to adjust the difficulty of the June mock evaluation. Subsequently, on the 19th, Lee Gyu-min, the President of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, announced his resignation.

This announcement, which could lead to a CSAT reform, threw students and parents into confusion. This is because with only five months left until the CSAT, the question types or difficulty level could change significantly. If the trend of CSAT question setting changes abruptly, it may be difficult to respond accordingly.

Experts in the admissions industry have also voiced criticism regarding this announcement.

Hyun Woo-jin, a top instructor for mathematics, pointed out, "Only the students are pitiful," adding, "Currently, no subject?Korean, math, English, or social studies?is easy, so please provide clear guidance." He also advised, "As I always say, the June and September mock evaluations and the CSAT are independently conducted, so from now on, it’s impossible to predict what, how, and at what difficulty questions will be set. You have no choice but to prepare for all scenarios. Make sure to thoroughly study EBS materials."

Social studies instructor Yoon Sung-hoon also criticized, "Education is a long-term plan, but everyone is in a mental breakdown state due to the president’s impulsive remarks."

As the controversy grew, the Ministry of Education attempted to clarify by stating, "The president was not talking about an easy or difficult CSAT, but about the scope of questions."