Japan's education ministry is planning to introduce a nationwide English examination aimed at improving the English language ability of junior high school students, the media reported on Tuesday.
The ministry plans to introduce the examination as early as fiscal 2019, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The exam will assess junior high school seniors on their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English.
To evaluate English-speaking ability, the test may include a one-on-one conversation with an examiner.
Another test under consideration would require exam takers to express their opinion on a given issue with a set number of words.
The education ministry plans to present their draft exam proposals to the expert panel and compile a basic policy on the test by the end of March 2017.