2026 CSAT Gwangju Actual Score Analysis: Korean and English Sections Significantly More Difficult

Korean 133 Points, Mathematics 128... Increased Differentiation
English First Grade Rate Drops to 3.11%
Social Studies and Science Inquiry Also See Higher Difficulty
Seoul National University Humanities Predicted at 398, Sciences at 399
Medical Programs at Chonnam and Chosun Universities Around 400 Points
Office of Education: "Strategic Use of University-Specific Converted Scores Needed"

The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education announced the "2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) Actual Score Analysis Results" on December 9. The analysis was conducted by the Gwangju High School Admissions Directors' Council and the Office of Education's Admissions Information Analysis Team, based on the actual CSAT scores of third-year high school students in the Gwangju area.

Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education.

This year's CSAT was found to be more difficult overall compared to last year. In particular, the difficulty levels of the Korean and English sections increased significantly. The standard scores for the first grade cut-off were 133 in Korean and 128 in Mathematics. The percentage of students achieving the first grade in English was 3.11%, which is about half of last year's 6.22%, and the cumulative percentage for the first and second grades also decreased.

The highest scores for the Korean elective subjects were 147 points in "Language and Media" (up from 139 last year) and 142 points in "Speech and Composition" (up from 136), marking increases of 6 and 8 points, respectively. In Mathematics, "Calculus and Geometry" recorded 139 points, while "Probability and Statistics" had 137 points. Most subjects in the Social Studies and Science Inquiry sections were also more difficult, with top scores ranging from 67 to 74 points.

The Office of Education stated, "The increased differentiation in the Korean section and the decrease in the percentage of students in the first and second grades in English will have a significant impact on admissions due to the weighting of each section," and advised, "Applicants should assess their strengths and weaknesses using the converted scores for each university."

Based on a perfect score of 600 for Korean, Mathematics, and Inquiry, the expected minimum scores for major universities were approximately 398 points for humanities and 399 points for natural sciences at Seoul National University. Korea University and Yonsei University were analyzed at around 391 points for humanities and 392 points for natural sciences. Gwangju National University of Education was at 362 points, GIST at 391 points, and KENTECH at around 397 points.

For Chonnam National University, the predicted minimum score for humanities was around 347 points (368 points for the Department of Korean Language Education), and for natural sciences, 334 points for departments requiring Mathematics (Calculus and Geometry) and around 347 points for those not requiring it. The regional quota for the pre-medical program was 409 points. At Chosun University, the expected scores were 407 points for the regional pre-medical program, 404 points for the regional pre-dentistry program, and 401 points for the regional pharmacy program.

The analysis team emphasized the importance of considering possible changes in the number of rolling admissions, the impact of English and Korean History grade scores, and differences in converted scores by university.

The Office of Education will hold an actual score results briefing for high school senior admissions directors at the Educational Research and Information Institute at 4:00 p.m. on December 11, and a regular admissions strategy session for students and parents at 7:00 p.m. From December 19 to 23 (excluding Sunday), 48 admissions specialist teachers will provide one-on-one in-person counseling sessions.

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