13m students sit China's university entrance exam

Hopeful parents accompanied their teenage children to the gates of a busy Beijing test centre on Saturday, among millions of high school students across China sitting their first day of the highly competitive university entrance exam.

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Nationwide, 13.35 million students have registered for the multi-subject “gaokao” series this year, according to the Ministry of Education, down from last year’s record-high 13.42 million test takers.

Outside the central Beijing secondary school, a proud parent who gave her name as Chen said “12 years of hard work have finally led to this moment” as she waved a fan in front of her daughter while the student reviewed her notes one last time before the test.

“We know our kids have endured so much hardship,” Chen said, adding that she was not nervous.

“I'm actually quite excited. I think my child is excellent, and I'm sure she will get the best score,” she said.

China's gaokao requires students to use all their knowledge acquired to this point, testing them on subjects including Chinese, English, mathematics, science and humanities.

The exam results are critical for gaining admission to university and determining whether they will attend a prestigious or more modest institution.