13.35 million take gaokao

The national college entrance examination, or gaokao, began Saturday. According to data released by the Chinese Ministry of Education, the number of candidates for this year’s gaokao is 13.35 million, 70,000 fewer than last year. The exam is a crucial test for Chinese high school students, determining their college admission.

Chinese society is mobilizing to provide thoughtful, heartfelt support for the candidates and to ensure fairness and integrity throughout the process.

Currently, the gaokao consists of three compulsory subjects — Chinese, math, and English — with exam questions set by the Ministry of Education. Elective subjects include chemistry, physics, biology, history, political science, and geography. Over the course of two to four days, depending on the provincial-level region, students take exams in six subjects.

The 2025 gaokao also includes specially prepared Braille test papers for 16 blind candidates from 12 provinces.

Minutes after the conclusion of the gaokao’s Chinese exam on the morning of June 7, discussions about its essay topics quickly surged to the top of Weibo’s (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter) trending list. Each year, the essay topics attract considerable attention as they reflect the latest societal developments and evolving expectations placed on younger generations.

Teachers of Sanjiang Middle School line up to give high fives to students before they took the gaokao in Guangxi on Saturday morning. Photos by Xinhua otherwise stated

Wang Ziwen (R), a girl suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic bone disorder that causes brittle bones and other problems, talks with her head teacher Wang Long (L) before taking the gaokao in Suzhou, Anhui Province on Saturday.

Zhang Guimei (C), principal of Huaping High School for Girls, encourages students and reminds them to bring necessary items before taking the gaokao in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, on Saturday. More than 2,000 girls from this poor mountainous region have gone to college in the past 14 years.

Students fly paper planes inscribed with their dream colleges on the campus in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, on June 3.

A policeman helps a student who lost his ID card prepare documents so he could take the gaokao outside a test venue in Changsha, Hunan Province, on Saturday.

The first two candidates out of the test venue at Shenzhen Senior High School (Group) Central Campus on Saturday. Liu Xudong

Students of Shenzhen Senior High School during interviews on the first day of gaokao. Liu Xudong

A student of Shenzhen Senior High School receives interviews after the first morning's exam. Liu Xudong

A student poses for a photo with her cheering boards. Liu Xudong

Free taxi services for Gaokao students are offered. Liu Xudong

Parents are waiting outside the test venue at Shenzhen Senior High School (Group) Central Campus. Liu Xudong