Absolute grading gives every student above a cut-off the same grade, a design intended to ease cutthroat competition. Yet with one or two questions deciding grades at the boundary, demand for a 'safe grade 1' has flowed into cram schools.

Spending grew especially among elementary and middle schoolers, driven by families trying to 'finish English early.' In academy districts, some say absolute grading became a pretext for accelerated learning.

Experts note that changing the scoring method alone cannot curb tutoring demand; predictable admissions rules and stronger English support within public schools must follow.

Education authorities plan to analyze the statistics closely and review follow-up measures, while parent groups demand effective public-education alternatives.

For multilingual households such as ethnic Chinese families in Korea, rising English costs weigh heavier, prompting talk of community study cooperatives as an alternative.