[2026 CSAT] EBS: "English Slightly More Difficult Than Last Year... Questions 32, 34, 37, and 39 Show Differentiation"

55.6% Linkage Rate with EBS CSAT-Related Textbooks

The English section of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) appears to have been somewhat more difficult than last year's exam.

During the "2026 CSAT Question Trend Analysis Briefing" held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 13th, Kim Yerang, an English teacher at Daewon Foreign Language High School and a member of the EBS field teacher group who analyzed the questions from the third period English section, stated, "Given the absolute level of difficulty, this year's CSAT was somewhat more challenging than last year's, but similar to the mock test administered in September."

On the morning of the 13th, when the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was held, examinees were preparing for the exam at the testing site set up at Gyeongbok High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 251113. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Kim explained, "In terms of balancing the passages and answer choices, the overall approach to question setting was similar to last year's CSAT," and added, "The questions intended to differentiate among students adjusted the exam's difficulty through the answer choices, which is similar to the September mock test."

The English section consisted of 17 listening questions and 28 reading questions. There were no new question types, and the section maintained last year's trend, with no so-called 'killer questions' included.

Kim noted, "To ensure that students who have developed the ability to carefully read and understand passages through public education could answer correctly, questions requiring precise interpretation of passages across various types were used to ensure differentiation." She continued, "In line with the content and level of the high school English curriculum, questions were designed to measure both the 'degree of achievement of the high school English curriculum standards' and the 'English proficiency required for university studies.' To this end, questions utilized passages and materials covering a variety of topics across the four areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing."

She also commented, "Students who diligently prepared for the CSAT through their school classes likely did not find most passages particularly difficult to understand." She added, "Overall, the exam adhered to the principle of absolute grading by excluding excessively complex and difficult passages, and there were clear efforts to increase the appeal of distractors by refining the incorrect answer choices."

The linkage rate with EBS CSAT-related textbooks was 55.6% (25 questions). For listening and speaking questions, 12 items were based on reconstructed dialogues or conversations from the EBS textbooks, or utilized topics, images, and charts. For reading and writing questions, 13 items incorporated passages, charts, and notices from the EBS textbooks.

Questions 32 and 34 (blank-filling inference), 37 (order of sentences), and 39 (sentence insertion) were cited as items that served to differentiate students.

Kim stated, "While maintaining a certain level of linkage for the listening, reading, and writing sections, the other questions were set at a moderate level," and added, "This appears to have been intended to reduce the test burden for middle- and lower-performing students."