By Kang Shin-who
Staff reporter

An English proficiency test developed in Korea will be used in China, the first adoption of a Korean-made English exam by a foreign nation.

The Chinese government certified the test, TOSEL, as one of the state-acknowledged tests in April. Applicants in the world's most populous country will take the test from November, the TOSEL organizer said Tuesday.

The first adoption of TOSEL by a foreign government is taken as a green light for more exports to go forward, the organizer said. TOSEL, short for Test of the Skills in the English Language, consists of listening, reading, speaking and writing sections in six levels.

The TOSEL Committee, managed by the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), is comprised of a group of professors who have extensive experience in devising English questionnaires for state-run college admissions tests.

The test committee will hold the exam in cooperation with Chinese government agencies five times a year and further develop tailor-made exams for Chinese English learners.

"While TOEIC or TOEFL tests have relatively uniformed questions regardless of the applicant's age or English proficiency, we offer various levels," an official from the committee said. "We also provide test takers with feedback about their strong points and weak points along with the test results, so that they can more easily improve their English skills."

The committee also plans to promote the test to other countries. Test fees are 36,300 won for the advanced level, 33,000 won for intermediate, 29,700 won for high junior and 24,200 won for the remaining levels.

The first export of the English test comes as the Korean government plans to introduce another Internet-based English test to replace English proficiency exams in college admissions as well as TOEFL and TOEIC tests from 2012.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Tuesday that it will hold a public hearing in an effort to better develop the test, inviting English experts and teachers as well as parents to provide comments.

Korea spends tens of billions of won on TOEFL and TOEIC tests every year with Seoul National University's English test or TEPS taking up only a small portion in the English proficiency exam market.