Central News(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chih-chung, Taipei, July 13) The 2026 Subject Test biology exam was evaluated by private tutoring instructors as being as difficult as last year's, with the five grading benchmarks (top, upper, average, lower, bottom) remaining consistent. The key feature of the exam is that the questions are written in clear and understandable language, but the answer options contain many fine details—overlooking any of which could easily lead to point loss.Today, De Sheng Education invited tutoring instructors to analyze the biology exam. Instructor Yu Xia stated that while the questions initially appeared straightforward, deeper discussion revealed that some answers were complex and difficult to confirm. 'The faster you write, the more likely you are to make mistakes,' he said, emphasizing that the exam tested students' concentration.Yu Xia cited Question 33 as an example, which tested knowledge of heart anatomy. However, the heart in the diagram was cut in half and flipped. Students who failed to notice this detail could easily select the wrong answer. Another example is Option A in Question 36, which tested knowledge of hyperthyroidism but reversed the cause-and-effect relationship. The correct understanding is that Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder, overstimulates the TSH receptors on thyroid cells, leading to thyroid enlargement.Option B in Question 22 was considered controversial. Yu Xia pointed out that red blood cells deforming under pressure may result from mechanical stress and not necessarily relate directly to 'microfilaments' mentioned in the question, suggesting this option should be scored as correct for all.The tutoring team predicted the five benchmarks (top, upper, average, lower, bottom) to be 53, 47, 35, 28, and 23, respectively. Yu Xia explained that last year (2025) was already a relatively difficult exam (benchmarks: 53, 47, 35, 24, 21), so for mid-to-high-achieving students, this year's difficulty level was similar.The National Teachers' Association (NTA) analysis team noted that the overall difficulty remained stable compared to last year. Innovative questions included Question 12, which involved yeast, extending textbook experiments to integrate fermentation and molecular biology techniques. Question 39 tested graphing skills, requiring students to plot the effect of antibiotics on bacterial population size.The National Federation of Senior High School Educators (NFSE) analysis team highlighted that this year's biology exam emphasized evolutionary ecology and history of science. Compared to the past two years, competency-based questions were slightly fewer, textual descriptions were concise, and the proportion of questions involving charts and diagrams was slightly lower. Experimental questions focused on procedural knowledge, chart interpretation, and background understanding, while reading comprehension questions had a high proportion of molecular biology content. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150713Stand with facts. Every contribution you make is a force in defending press freedom.Download the CNA 'First News' app to stay updated with the latest news.Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, or transmitted without authorization.