KOREAN-LANGUAGE · CSAT (대학수학능력시험)
KOREAN-LANGUAGE/11
Korean Language
Korean Language · 2022 · Variant 1
Relative difficulty
Analysis source: Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE)
Analysis aligned to the official syllabus and assessment design.
4.0 / 5
100
80 min
Dense non-literary reading, literary evidence questions, and elective items that reward precise concept application.
Cohort performance
Session statistics from official examination reports
Total marks
100
Duration
80 min
Session difficulty
4.0 / 5
Calculator policy
No calculators in any CSAT section. All arithmetic must be done by hand. English includes a listening section with broadcast audio.
Key examiner messages
Top priorities from the principal examiner before you revise
KICE Korean Language assesses the national curriculum domains of reading, literature, speaking and writing, and language/media through a 45-question CSAT paper: 34 common questions plus 11 elective questions, 80 minutes, 100 points, and about 51% EBS linkage in 2024.
The common-plus-elective structure stabilized; EBS-linked texts appeared through transformed themes and comparable reasoning tasks.
KICE designs Korean Language items from the national curriculum achievement standards and publishes all questions and answers after the exam.
EBS-linked items about 51% means concepts, source themes, or problem types are linked, but wording and contexts are commonly transformed.
KICE publishes annual test-design directions (출제 방향) emphasising syllabus-faithful items, EBS textbook linkage (~50% of Korean, Mathematics, and English items), and post-2024 exclusion of extreme “killer” items outside public-education scope.
Question difficulty map
How candidates performed on each question in this series
No data available in official reports
Assessment objectives
Skill and AO weighting from official examiner commentary
Skill weighting
Cognitive skills emphasised in official test design.
Reading inference and evidence matching
Weight: 35100%Literary interpretation
Weight: 2571%Language/media Conceptual application
Weight: 2057%Pacing and option elimination
Weight: 2057%
Method marks watchlist
Where working, steps, or method marks were commonly lost
No data available in official reports
Recurring mistakes across years
Themes examiners flag in multiple recent sessions for this subject
Reading: Selecting an option because it repeats a keyword from the passage. — Find the sentence that proves the whole option, including s…
Literature: Applying a memorized interpretation that does not match the excerpt. — Rebuild meaning from speaker, image, conflict, and end…
Elective: Leaving the elective block until the final minutes. — Set a latest start time for question 35 and skip one hard common item if …
Language concepts: Confusing grammar terminology with actual sentence function. — Test the term on the example sentence before selecting …
OMR: Mismarking after skipping a long reading item. — Put a visible skip mark and reconcile answer numbers every page.
Question choice intelligence
Mean scores and popularity for optional questions (HKDSE electives)
No data available in official reports
Level exemplars
What candidate scripts at each grade level looked like
No data available in official reports
Grade & admission context
How marks relate to grade thresholds and entry standards
Official body
Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE)
Grading system
KICE standard score (mean 100, SD 20; range 0–200) with percentile and Grade 1–9 from national distribution
Scale band
Std score
Scale band
Percentile
Scale band
1
Scale band
2
Deep insights
What top candidates did
Techniques and approaches examiners rewarded in this series
1. Divide the 80 minutes deliberately
Plan checkpoints for reading, literature, and the 11 elective questions. Strong students usually protect elective time because it contains faster marks when concepts are secure.
2. Map non-literary passages
Write a margin label for each paragraph: thesis, contrast, example, mechanism, or conclusion. This reduces rereading when options ask about structure or inference.
3. Anchor literature in evidence
For poetry and prose, identify speaker, situation, imagery, and emotional turn before matching choices. Avoid relying only on memorized interpretations.
4. Treat EBS linkage as theme linkage
EBS texts may be transformed. Review source themes and analytical methods, but practice answering with only the passage in front of you.
5. Choose your elective strategy
Speech and Writing rewards discourse planning and communication purpose; Language and Media rewards grammar and media concepts. Drill the chosen elective until item types feel automatic.
6. Mark limiting words
Circle terms such as all, only, not, partly, cause, and result in the stem and options. Many distractors are almost right except for scope.
Command word playbook
How to match each command word to the expected response style
No data available in official reports
Time traps
Sections where candidates spent disproportionate time relative to marks
No data available in official reports
Syllabus traceability
Topics linked to questions and mark weighting in this session
Reading: humanities, social science, science/technology, art, and integrated texts
Official topic weighting
Literature: modern poetry, modern prose, classical poetry/prose, and drama
Official topic weighting
Elective: Speech and Writing or Language and Media
Official topic weighting
Vocabulary, grammar, and discourse conventions in context
Official topic weighting
MCQ trap analytics
Commonly chosen wrong options from examiner commentary
No data available in official reports
Topic heatmap across years
Mark concentration by topic and exam year for this subject
Mark intensity
Reading: humanities, social science, science/technology, art, and integrated texts
Literature: modern poetry, modern prose, classical poetry/prose, and drama
Elective: Speech and Writing or Language and Media
Vocabulary, grammar, and discourse conventions in context
Difficulty trend
How session difficulty has shifted across recent years
Paper comparison
Marks and duration breakdown across papers in this session
Korean Language: 45 questions: common reading/literature plus Speech and Writing or Language and Media elective
Marks you can still earn
Where valid approaches outside the mark scheme may still gain credit
No data available in official reports
Practise what examiners flagged
Target weak topics from this report inside the Revui app
Reading: humanities, social science, science/technology, art, and integrated texts
Official topic weighting
Practise in RevuiLiterature: modern poetry, modern prose, classical poetry/prose, and drama
Official topic weighting
Practise in RevuiElective: Speech and Writing or Language and Media
Official topic weighting
Practise in RevuiVocabulary, grammar, and discourse conventions in context
Official topic weighting
Practise in RevuiSelf-diagnostic checklist
Key actions before you sit this paper — copy and tick off as you revise
- 1Message
KICE Korean Language assesses the national curriculum domains of reading, literature, speaking and writing, and language/media through a 45-question CSAT paper: 34 common questions plus 11 elective questions, 80 minutes, 100 points, and about 51% EBS linkage in 2024.
- 2Message
The common-plus-elective structure stabilized; EBS-linked texts appeared through transformed themes and comparable reasoning tasks.
- 3Message
KICE designs Korean Language items from the national curriculum achievement standards and publishes all questions and answers after the exam.
- 4Message
EBS-linked items about 51% means concepts, source themes, or problem types are linked, but wording and contexts are commonly transformed.
- 5Message
KICE publishes annual test-design directions (출제 방향) emphasising syllabus-faithful items, EBS textbook linkage (~50% of Korean, Mathematics, and English items), and post-2024 exclusion of extreme “killer” items outside public-education scope.
- 6Pitfall
Reading: Selecting an option because it repeats a keyword from the passage. — Find the sentence that proves the whole option, including s…
- 7Pitfall
Literature: Applying a memorized interpretation that does not match the excerpt. — Rebuild meaning from speaker, image, conflict, and end…
- 8Pitfall
Elective: Leaving the elective block until the final minutes. — Set a latest start time for question 35 and skip one hard common item if …
- 9Pitfall
Language concepts: Confusing grammar terminology with actual sentence function. — Test the term on the example sentence before selecting …
- 10Pitfall
OMR: Mismarking after skipping a long reading item. — Put a visible skip mark and reconcile answer numbers every page.
- 11Strength
1. Divide the 80 minutes deliberately: Plan checkpoints for reading, literature, and the 11 elective questions. Strong students usually pro
- 12Strength
2. Map non-literary passages: Write a margin label for each paragraph: thesis, contrast, example, mechanism, or conclusion. This r
- 13Strength
3. Anchor literature in evidence: For poetry and prose, identify speaker, situation, imagery, and emotional turn before matching choic
Teacher briefing pack
One-page session summary for tutors and classroom review
2022 2022
Korean Language
KICE Korean Language assesses the national curriculum domains of reading, literature, speaking and writing, and language/media through a 45-question CSAT paper: 34 common questions plus 11 elective questions, 80 minutes, 100 points, and about 51% EBS linkage in 2024. 2022: The co
KICE Korean Language assesses the national curriculum domains of reading, literature, speaking and writing, and language/media through a 45-question CSAT paper: 34 common questions plus 11 elective questions, 80 minutes, 100 points, and about 51% EBS linkage in 2024.
The common-plus-elective structure stabilized; EBS-linked texts appeared through transformed themes and comparable reasoning tasks.
KICE designs Korean Language items from the national curriculum achievement standards and publishes all questions and answers after the exam.
Reading: Selecting an option because it repeats a keyword from the passage. — Find the sentence that proves the whole option, including s…
Literature: Applying a memorized interpretation that does not match the excerpt. — Rebuild meaning from speaker, image, conflict, and end…
- Total marks
- 100
- Duration
- 80 min
- Session difficulty
- 4.0 / 5
- Calculator policy
- No calculators in any CSAT section. All arithmetic must be done by hand. English includes a listening section with broadcast audio.
Session analysis
KICE Korean Language assesses the national curriculum domains of reading, literature, speaking and writing, and language/media through a 45-question CSAT paper: 34 common questions plus 11 elective questions, 80 minutes, 100 points, and about 51% EBS linkage in 2024. 2022: The common-plus-elective structure stabilized; EBS-linked texts appeared through transformed themes and comparable reasoning tasks. Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) emphasises dense non-literary reading, literary evidence questions, and elective items that reward precise concept application.. Priority revision: Reading: humanities, social science, science/technology, art, and integrated texts, Literature: modern poetry, modern prose, classical poetry/prose, and drama, Elective: Speech and Writing or Language and Media, Vocabulary, grammar, and discourse conventions in context. Plan checkpoints for reading, literature, and the 11 elective questions. Strong students usually protect elective time because it contains faster marks when concepts are secure.
Updated 2026-07-03
Paper breakdown
Korean Language: 45 questions: common reading/literature plus Speech and Writing or Language and Media elective
Top chapters
Exam structure insights
Marks by syllabus topic
Revision priority from official test-design weighting.
Mark accessibility
Estimated difficulty spread based on official design.
Dense non-literary reading, literary evidence questions, and elective items that
Paper structure
Official paper breakdown for this subject.
Korean Language
100·10·100%
Official syllabus scope
KICE Korean Language assesses the national curriculum domains of reading, literature, speaking and writing, and language/media through a 45-question CSAT paper: 34 common questions plus 11 elective questions, 80 minutes, 100 points, and about 51% EBS linkage in 2024.
2022 session trend
The common-plus-elective structure stabilized; EBS-linked texts appeared through transformed themes and comparable reasoning tasks.
Difficulty verdict
Rated 4/5 for November sessions. Dense non-literary reading, literary evidence questions, and elective items that reward precise concept application.
What examiners measure
1. Interpret informational and literary texts by identifying structure, evidence, tone, and implied meaning. 2. Evaluate arguments, rhetorical choices, and cohesion across long reading passages. 3. Apply language knowledge to grammar, discourse, media, and communication contexts. 4. Analyze poetry, prose, classical texts, and modern literature using genre-specific evidence. 5. Manage the common section and chosen elective without sacrificing answer-sheet accuracy.
Where the marks are
Highest-weight syllabus areas: Reading: humanities, social science, science/technology, art, and integrated texts; Literature: modern poetry, modern prose, classical poetry/prose, and drama; Elective: Speech and Writing or Language and Media; Vocabulary, grammar, and discourse conventions in context.
Examiner notes & key calculations
- The common-plus-elective structure stabilized; EBS-linked texts appeared through transformed themes and comparable reasoning tasks.
- KICE designs Korean Language items from the national curriculum achievement standards and publishes all questions and answers after the exam.
- EBS-linked items about 51% means concepts, source themes, or problem types are linked, but wording and contexts are commonly transformed.
- The official timing is 80 min for 45 questions; pacing practice should match the actual OMR marking burden.
- Distractors usually represent common misconceptions, not random wrong answers, so elimination must be evidence-based.
- High-discrimination items often combine two syllabus domains or require interpreting a new source, graph, table, or scenario.
- A full mock should include answer-sheet transfer and a post-test error log organized by domain and mistake type.
- The Korean paper is designed to separate comprehension, reasoning, and curriculum knowledge rather than recall alone.
- Literature items commonly combine familiar works with unfamiliar extracts to test transfer of analysis.
- 2022 session: ceiling 149 — one of the hardest recent years. Long reading passages increased time pressure on elective.
Exam tips
Paper format
- Duration
- 80 min
- Total marks
- 100
- Weighting
- 100%
- Question types
- 45 questions: common reading/literature plus Speech and Writing or Language and Media elective
- Plan checkpoints for reading, literature, and the 11 elective questions. Strong students usually protect elective time because it contains faster marks when concepts are secure.
- Write a margin label for each paragraph: thesis, contrast, example, mechanism, or conclusion. This reduces rereading when options ask about structure or inference.
- For poetry and prose, identify speaker, situation, imagery, and emotional turn before matching choices. Avoid relying only on memorized interpretations.
Common mistakes
Reading
Selecting an option because it repeats a keyword from the passage.
How to avoid: Find the sentence that proves the whole option, including scope and causal direction.
Literature
Applying a memorized interpretation that does not match the excerpt.
How to avoid: Rebuild meaning from speaker, image, conflict, and ending inside the given passage.
Elective
Leaving the elective block until the final minutes.
How to avoid: Set a latest start time for question 35 and skip one hard common item if needed.
Analysis is paraphrased for study purposes. Always verify against the official examiner report and mark scheme.