Chinese SAT scores improve

Chinese students are showing improvement in the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), which is widely used for college admission in the US.

The 2014 China SAT Annual Report said Chinese students, as a whole, are performing much better thanks to increased investment in international education in China and more students choosing to study in the US after taking the SAT.

The report, which polled more than 1,400 SAT candidates in China, was compiled and released by DK Education, a Beijing-based company that provides services to high school students planning to study abroad.

It was the fourth time the company has released the report, and with four years' statistics, it was found that among the three parts of the SAT, mathematics has been Chinese candidates' strength while critical thinking and writing are common weaknesses.

The report said about 50 percent of respondents scored more than 600 (out of 800) points in maths, while only 20 percent scored higher than 500 (also out of 800) in critical reading. As for writing, only 14 to 25 percent scored more than 500.

"Chinese students' ability in critical reading has improved very little during past years," the report said, adding that the teaching of English at domestic schools can't help students much in getting high scores in SAT writing.