A student from the Nanjing No 9 Middle School chats with her teacher before sitting an academic proficiency test in Jiangsu province, March 15, 2014. [Photo by Yao Jia/VCG]

The academic proficiency test, or mini gaokao, which high school students usually sit during their second academic year, is to embrace new evaluation standards, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education announced Oct 9. 

The grades of A, B, C and D, currently used for marking the four compulsory tests of the mini gaokao, will be simplified as qualified and disqualified. 

The current incentive policy, which means that a student who achieves an A in each test will be awarded with a bonus point to their total gaokao score, or National College Entrance Examination which they sit in third year, will be cancelled. 

The provincial education department said the cancellation of the policy will ease students' academic burdens, as the bonus score policy might have worked in an adverse way. 

Students who have taken this year's mini gaokao will be excluded from the reform, and those sitting the test in 2019 will be the first group to do so under the new policy. 

Jiangsu is also striving hard for a new gaokao package plan, with the current reform a prelude to the "big show".