Gaokao reforms

A supervisor checks the metal braces on a gaokao examinee's teeth in Changchun, Jilin province, June 7, 2016. According to the regulation, no metal objects are allowed in the exam room, to help prevent electronic cheating. [Photo/IC]

5. Timetable set for high school academic assessment tests

Regions and cities such as Beijing have set out their timetable for holding high school academic assessment tests, which will be another factor to be considered in college enrollment other than the current prevailing gaokao scores.

6 First gaokao since cheating was made a criminal act

This year's gaokao will be the first held since China listed cheating in the exam as a criminal act in its newly amended Criminal Law, which was effective from Nov 1 last year.

To ensure no cheating occurs, many provincial authorities have resorted to high technology for the first time, including face recognition, fingerprint verification systems, metal detectors and electronic monitoring systems.

According to the revised law, cheaters can be sentenced to up to 7 years in prison.