BEIJING — Hundreds of young Chinese students clutching pens and their IDs shuffled into a testing centre in blue-skied Beijing on Sunday, swarmed by parents, joining millions sitting for the national high-stakes university entrance exam.

Around 12.9 million students nationwide registered for this year’s “gaokao”, according to the Ministry of Education, which for most is the sole determining factor in admission to a Chinese university.

The multi-day exam, which began Sunday, drills test-takers on subjects including Chinese, mathematics, English, science and the humanities—with the tallied scores to be released later this month.

“It’s my first time, so I’m a bit anxious,” said student Zhang Xinnan moments before entering the exam hall.The spectacled Beijinger admitted he was nervous for the essay portion of the Chinese test.

But, wearing his school uniform, the 18-year-old told AFP that despite the jitters he thought he would do well, having spent the last year drilling practice questions.

“The things we needed to master have been mastered,” said Zhang, who hopes to work with new energy vehicles.

“Just go in with self-confidence; you’ll be solid.”

Some mothers and fathers clustered outside the exam halls dressed in red, a symbol of good fortune in Chinese culture.

A teacher hoisted a huge sunflower made from dozens of balloons — the plant’s name in Mandarin is a homophone for a Chinese idiom about success.

Dozens of police and security guards milled about as parents stood beside the line of students waiting to enter the exam hall, hoping to film their children walking inside.

Education authorities are on high alert each year and have sought to crack down on cheating, this year explicitly warning students not to bring smart glasses or smart watches into test sites that are surveilled by video.