"'Iltagangsa' Mock Exam Passage, Similar to CSAT Except One Sentence... Also Included in EBS Textbooks"

2023 CSAT English Passages... Similar to 'Ilta Gangsa' Mock Test Passages
Similar Passages Also Included in EBS CSAT Textbooks Produced Around the Same Time

The Ministry of Education has belatedly requested a police investigation into the English section questions of the 2023 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which sparked controversy over allegations that they closely resembled questions from a private mock exam created by a top instructor from a major private education company. It has now been confirmed that the same passage was also included in EBS CSAT textbooks produced around the same time, fueling public outrage. The term "top instructor" refers to the most popular teachers in academies or online lectures.

(From the left) The 23rd question of the 2023 College Scholastic Ability Test English section and a mock exam question distributed by an instructor from a major private academy.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 8th, EBS and the Board of Audit and Inspection revealed that the problematic English passage number 23 appeared in a top instructor's mock exam workbook released in September 2022, the November 2022 CSAT, and the 'EBS textbook review copy' scheduled for publication in January of the following year. The production of the top instructor's workbook, the CSAT question setting, and the EBS review copy writing all took place in the second half of 2022.

An education official raised concerns that "what are the odds that a portion of a book by an American professor, which was not even published in Korea, would appear identically in that year's CSAT, the instructor's workbook, and the EBS textbook?" EBS stated that after discovering the passage identical to 'CSAT question 23' in the EBS textbook scheduled for publication in January 2023, it was removed from the final version.

During a briefing that day, the Ministry of Education confirmed that the top instructor who correctly answered the CSAT English passage had engaged in 'question trading' with four active teachers and referred the case to the police on charges of obstruction of business and violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. The four active teachers who received money from the top instructor were found to have experience in setting mock CSAT questions or writing EBS textbooks. These teachers, who are well-versed in CSAT question trends and EBS textbook production, had dealings with a famous private education instructor. Although these teachers did not participate in the 2023 CSAT or mock evaluations, investigations revealed they had prior experience related to CSAT question setting.

Since EBS textbooks, which the government has cited as a 'countermeasure' to reduce private education, have a CSAT linkage rate of up to 50%, there are calls to filter out detailed 'cartels.' In the briefing on the 8th, the Ministry of Education acknowledged that the English passage from the top instructor's workbook was directly used in the 2023 CSAT English section. A ministry official stated, "We received a tip at last year's 'Private Education Cartel Reporting Center' that the top instructor paid active teachers to purchase questions, and we referred the matter to the police. Since this instructor also created the workbook involved in the 'CSAT English duplicate' controversy, this issue was also handed over to the police." This means that both the 'CSAT question 23 passage' and the 'question trading' allegations were jointly referred for investigation.

CSAT English Passage Similar to Top Instructor's Passage... Ministry of Education Requests Investigation

A famous entrance exam academy instructor who previously created content similar to the 2023 CSAT English passage.
[Photo by Online Community, Screenshot from a Famous Entrance Exam Academy Website]

Earlier on the 8th, the Ministry of Education announced that it had requested a police investigation last July into the background of the English question number 23 from the 2023 CSAT held in November 2022, which was issued similarly to a passage from a private academy instructor's workbook. The passage was excerpted from the book "Too Much Information" by Cass Sunstein, a professor at Harvard Law School and author of the domestic bestseller "Nudge."

After the CSAT, claims arose mainly on admission communities that the passage was identical except for one sentence to a passage provided by a famous instructor in a private mock exam. There were many criticisms that students who had taken the mock exam in advance and attended the explanatory lectures had an advantage. Comparing the two passages, the content was the same, but the questions were different. The CSAT focused on 'understanding the main topic,' while the private mock exam asked to find 'words used inappropriately.' As a result, among about 660 objections received within five days after the CSAT, around 100 focused on English question number 23.

However, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) did not review question 23 at all, stating that since the objections were not about errors in the question or answer, it was not subject to review. KICE explained, "Although English question 23 shares the same source passage as a private mock exam question by a specific instructor, the question types and answer choices differ." The question created by the famous instructor asked about the meaning of vocabulary in the passage, whereas the CSAT question asked about the main topic of the sentence and was worth 3 points, thus differing in type.

However, when the Ministry of Education operated the 'Private Education Cartel Reporting Center' last year and the issue was raised again, the ministry changed its stance. This was eight months after the CSAT had ended. The Board of Audit and Inspection reportedly launched an audit into why the Ministry of Education and KICE recognized the controversy but took delayed action. The instructor who created the question has not issued any official statement, saying it is purely a coincidence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.