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Download A decision to push back English-language classes for Beijing primary school students to the third grade has received mixed reviews from city teachers, parents and experts. The Beijing Commission of Education decided on Tuesday that primary school students in the capital will not begin learning English until the third grade. The decision will take effect next fall semester. Currently, English classes begin in the first grade. It is the commission's second major change to the city's education system in recent months. In October, it reduced the total score of the English-language portion of the gaokao, or China's college entrance exam, from 150 to 100. This change takes effect in 2016. While some parents, teachers and experts said starting English classes in the third grade will add to an already heavy homework load, others said first- and second-graders are currently having a tough time learning both Chinese and English simultaneously. "I think it's better for children to learn a language - including English - earlier," said Zhao Xingli, mother of a 9-year-old girl in Beijing. "Children already have a lot of homework to do after starting third grade. I'm afraid that starting English (in the third grade) will add to my child's workload." Cui Linlin, who teaches English at a Beijing university and whose daughter is a primary school student, said she can live with the decision. | 
