Though wide range is on offer, quality still lacking

Circulation remains steady among newspapers designed to help Chinese learn English despite an overall downturn in print media.

According to official estimates, the circulation of the nation's English-language study newspapers is about 20 million.

Demand is still growing for these materials, said Lu Ziwen, a professor of English language at Central China Normal University and a member of the State English curriculum standard design team.

Because English is a foreign language, domestic publishers are not equipped to produce the same wide array of materials as they do for other subjects, Lu said. Though many English materials are available, there is still a shortage of material that is high in quality and tailored to different needs.

"A high school student has access to economics articles (in English) online now, but for them, economics may not be the right study material," Lu added.

He said English-language study newspapers cater to increasingly diverse needs.

Also, these papers provide quizzes, which are prohibited in textbooks but are often used by teachers and students to practice for exams, Lu said.

In addition to the renowned 21st Century newspaper - a China Daily publication - English Weekly is one of China's largest English-language study guide newspapers in terms of circulation, according to the General Administration of Press and Publication. The paper is used throughout the country by teachers like Su Le.

"Our school has always ordered English Weekly," said Su, a high school English teacher in Taizhou, Jiangsu province.

Su said she loves the quizzes in the paper, which she uses to conduct assessments from course to course.

Lu also said that teachers benefit from the study guide, including free teachers' versions and seminars provided by the newspapers.

The paper has received some public criticism by those who claim it is being forced on students.

In Su's school, students are not required to order the newspaper, but she says all the students buy it.

However, students may not be fans of the English study newspaper, such as Zhang Ziyan, a seventh grader in Guangzhou.

"We are asked to subscribe English Weekly, and the fee is included in the tuition," Zhang said, adding that his teachers use the paper for after-class exercises and review material.

"It is like a quiz, which is boring," the 13-year-old said. "My teacher asks us to do exercises on it, and she grades it. Then we go over it again to review. I don't like exercise factory newspapers like English Weekly."

Zhang said his classmates did not read the paper at all, including "our best English learner".

"None of my classmates willingly chooses to subscribe to a study guide," Zhang said.

Although some students may grumble about reading them, English study newspapers retain a steady group of subscribers.

In addition to English Weekly, China has dozens of other similar English study guides, including Students' English Times, English Coaching Paper, Learning English, and English Tests and Assessments.

Although a wide range of options exists, authorities worry that some English study guides offer substandard content filled with spelling and grammatical mistakes.

Demand from students and a lower threshold for market access have resulted in an increasing number of study guides in the market, leading to fierce competition for market share within the industry, according to a report by GAPP.

An evaluation by GAPP released in May found 44 of 67 study-guide newspapers tested were of low quality.

A researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences who asked to be identified only as Meng said that misconduct in terms of sales and management is common in the study guide market.

"Publishers often collude with schools and teachers to promote sales of their study guides," he said, explaining that agents may offer the materials to a school or teacher at a discounted price. They are then sold to the students at full price.