34-488: The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination ( HKDSE ) is an examination organised by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). The HKDSE examination is Hong Kong's university entrance examination, administered at the completion of a three-year senior secondary education, allowing students to gain admissions to undergraduate courses at local universities through JUPAS . Since
68-429: A Category C subject, an IGCSE Chinese Language pass (or similar Chinese qualification) can also be accepted for admission to UG programmes for non-Chinese speaking students. Up to 2024, Category C subjects use the papers of CAIE GCE AS-level language subjects. These are provided and marked by Cambridge Assessment International Education . Starting from 2025, Official language examinations taken within 2 years before
102-575: A Level 5** in Mathematics Compulsory Part. "Ultimate Top Scorers" are "Super Top Scorers" who have also obtained one more Level 5** in an elective. Upgraded after Rechecking/Remarking Upgraded after Rechecking/Remarking transferred to CityU Veterinary Medicine Upgraded after Rechecking/Remarking Upgraded after Rechecking/Remarking Upgraded after Appeal Review Upgraded after Appeal Review Upgraded after Rechecking/Remarking Upgraded after Appeal Review The HKDSE
136-406: A completely different writing system than Modern Standard Chinese ; while international qualifications like IGCSE/A-level and IBD have more flexibility in the choice of subject and additional language for students. Due to these differences and the perception of an advantage that international qualifications have over HKDSE in university admission, there has been a considerable amount of concern over
170-411: A criterion-referenced system reflect a candidate's level of attainment in a particular subject instead of the rank order of the candidate in comparison to others. Markers of HKDSE are mostly current teachers of secondary schools. They are appointed to different assessment centres to perform Onscreen Marking (OSM). Exam papers are first scanned into the database at scanning centres, and then distributed to
204-749: A full selection of the 20 subjects in their curriculum due to practical limitations. According to the Registration Statistics for 2018 released by the HKEAA, the most chosen subject is Physics, with a total of 11,658 candidates. Around 70.4% of students choose a combination two elective subjects, while 17.4% choose three elective subjects. 2019 HKDSE subject combinations of school candidates (elective subjects include Categories A, B and C subjects) : Category B (ApL) subjects are offered by course providers, which are usually Higher Education Institutions. Assessments of these subjects are conducted by
238-451: A one-off public examination as students' projects and assignments throughout senior secondary years are graded by their teachers and counted toward the HKDSE results on fixed weightings, after the grades being adjusted by HKEAA. For Category A subjects, the performance of candidates is categorised and released on a scale of seven levels indicated on the examination certificate. Level 5** being
272-607: A profession in Hong Kong. Aside from the ex officio affiliates, all members are allotted by the chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government . The governing council is accountable for devising examination policies and scrutinising the operation of the Authority. The Authority employs a permanent Secretariat of in the region of 340 staff members to overhaul its boards and committees and to formulate all
306-672: Is Hong Kong's only public examination board . Currently HKEAA administers the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) since 2012; in the past, it was responsible for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) (discontinued since 2012 ) and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) (discontinued since 2014 ). The Authority was established on 5 May 1977. The Authority commenced to be
340-558: Is as shown above, UCAS is the university admission system in United Kingdom. Category B: Applied Learning Subjects Note: Albeit Category B subjects are taught to standards designed to be comparable to Category A subjects, with reference to the form above, to date the majority of local universities however, do not consider Category B subjects for admission by JUPAS. Category C: Other Language Subjects These subjects are graded by CAIE, on grades "A" to "E" (with grade "E" being
374-570: Is designed for local secondary school students in Hong Kong to measure their achievement and to enable them to gain admission to local universities through the unified Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS). International qualifications, like IB Diploma, IGCSE, GCE A-levels and IALs, OSSD, and SAT/AP, on the other hand, are more often taken by private, DSS (Directly Subsidised, comparable to independent schools in other countries) or international school students. These international qualifications are becoming more popular in Hong Kong, due to
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#1732765450496408-629: The 2021 examination. University Grants Committee (Hong Kong) The University Grants Committee of Hong Kong is a non-statutory advisory committee responsible for counselling the Government of Hong Kong on the financing and expansion needs of its subsidised higher education institutions . Appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong , its members consist of local and overseas academics, university administrators , and community leaders . There are eight universities funded by
442-517: The Compulsory Part, candidates may take one of the following Extended Modules: Candidates are allowed to choose only one of the two extended modules when sitting for the same year’s public exams. The compulsory part of mathematics and its extended module are officially seen as one singular subject, hence they must be taken in the same language (of English or Chinese) and taken alongside the compulsory part of Mathematics. The compulsory part and
476-540: The Compulsory Part. Written examinations of Category A (Traditional) subjects are usually conducted between early March through early May. Speaking (Oral) components and examinations for certain Category B (Applied Learning) subjects are administered earlier. Category C (Other Languages) subjects usually take place in June (French and Spanish may be taken in the previous November), in line with CAIE AS-level practice. Before
510-525: The Elective Modules are voluntary. As such, an Elective Part forms a part of the subject curriculum, whereas an Extended module is designed for students with specific aims or those who have higher abilities who may want additional knowledge and skills. The selection of offerings for both Elective Parts and Modules varies from school to school, for example, some schools offer both M1 (Extended Module 1) and M2 for Mathematics, while others may offer only
544-418: The HKDSE examination could be reported in the certificate. N3 or above is required for Japanese. Grade 3 or above is required for Korean. A2 or above is required for the remaining language subjects. Tertiary Institutions are not obliged to recognise results of Category B or C subjects, while Category C subjects are generally accepted due to them being also an AS-Level subject, Category B subjects, especially for
578-462: The HKDSE sit all four core subjects plus two or three electives to satisfy local university admission requirements. In many HKDSE subjects, each student studies the Compulsory Part and a module of the student's choice, the Elective Part, which concentrates on a specific topic or skill. While in certain subjects such as Mathematics, students are only required to study the Compulsory Part, while
612-634: The HKEAA administers IGCSE examinations from University of Cambridge International Examinations and Edexcel boards. The HKEAA imports some languages examinations from Cambridge into the HKCEE and will continue to do so after the introduction of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). There are numerous controversies, particularly after 2004, raised regarding the questions on Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination . On 14 May 2020, candidates were asked whether they agreed with
646-763: The University Grants Committee: The Quality Assurance Council (QAC), established in April 2007, is a semi-autonomous non-statutory body operating under the purview of the Committee to facilitate quality assurance of all programmes at the levels of sub-degree, first degree and above (however funded), offered by the UGC-funded universities. The Research Grants Council (RGC), established in January 1991,
680-617: The course providers, and the results reported to the HKEAA for adjustment. They are mostly vocational or professional subjects. Applied Learning Subjects may or may not be considered by tertiary institutions for admission, according to HKEAA, a reported level of "Attained" on the certificate is considered as equivalent to a Grade 2 in a Category A subject, and "Attained with Distinction" to Grade 3 or above. From 2018, "Attained with Distinction" has been further refined to "Attained with Distinction (I)" (equivalent to Grade 3) and "Attained with Distinction (II)" (equivalent to Grade 4 or above). However,
714-591: The emergence of a bipartite education system, based on wealth instead of merit. Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority ( HKEAA ), previously known as the Hong Kong Examinations Authority ( HKEA ) before 2002, is a statutory body of the Hong Kong Government responsible for the administration of public examinations and related assessments. The authority
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#1732765450496748-493: The essential engagements for the running of the examinations for which the Authority is in charge. The Secretariat is the decision-making division of the Authority. The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority is backed up by a number of committees in its management of the examinations in Hong Kong, as follows: The International and Professional Examinations Division of HKEAA (IPED) accepts and administers entries from private candidates for over 200 examinations. For example,
782-1298: The exam, candidates have a chance to become familiar with the different level descriptors and samples and may use them as objectives for their study. Also, they can also familiarise with the exam requirement by doing DSE Past Paper , which can be found here . When results are released, candidates can have a clearer picture of their attainment level. For each level, there will be a DSE cut off score . Thus, tertiary institutions and employers also have more accurate and robust information for admission or recruitment purposes. HKDSE subjects are offered in three different categories, including 24 in Category A: NSS (Traditional), over 40 in Category B: ApL (Applied Learning) and six in Category C: Other Languages. Category A subjects are traditional school subjects. Exams in this category are held directly by HKEAA. Both Core Subjects (Compulsory for University Admission) and Elective Subjects fall under Category A. Results of these subjects are generally accepted for local and international university admission. Core subjects For Mathematics, in addition to
816-665: The extended modules’ examination papers are however separated and are taken on separate dates. Levels attained are also printed separately on the diploma certificate. For Liberal Studies, the subject curriculum featured six Modules, including: However, save in very particular cases and as determined by institutions, a pass in an Extended Part of a subject cannot substitute a pass in the Compulsory Part for university admission, especially when applying through JUPAS for UGC -funded courses. Electives Students can choose one to four electives among 20 Elective Subjects according to their interests and strengths. However, most schools do not offer
850-480: The highest and level 1 the lowest. Distinction levels 5** and 5* (read as "five-double-stars" and "five-star") are awarded to the two best-performing groups of candidates attaining level 5. Unclassified Level (UNCL) are given in cases of absence, cheating, or an attempt not reaching the standards of level 1. Category A: New Senior Secondary Subjects UCAS tariff points for HKDSE Examination: The UCAS Tariff points attached to each subject level (excluding Mathematics)
884-623: The implementation of the New Senior Secondary academic structure in 2012, HKDSE replaced the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (O Level, equivalent of GCSE) and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (A Level). Under the NSS (New Senior Secondary) academic structure, pupils are required to study four compulsory "Core Subjects" (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and Liberal Studies) and one to four "Elective Subjects" (the majority with two to three subjects) among
918-483: The lowest and grade "A" the highest). An achievement below grade “E” is called 'Ungraded', and is not recorded on the diploma awarded to candidate. In the criterion-referenced grading system , experts in relevant subject matters establish the marking standards for each level. Thereafter, level descriptors and examples are set and constantly reviewed based on syllabus objectives and statistical data, including exam statistics and candidate answer scripts. Gradings produced by
952-708: The markers through computer. As of 2024, there are only 40 schools that have ever produced top scorers in HKDSE. As of 2023, "Top Scorers" are candidates who obtained perfect scores of 5** in each of the four core subjects and three electives. Starting from 2024, "Top Scorers" are candidates who obtained perfect scores of 5** in each of the three core subjects and three electives, and achieved an "Attained" level in Citizenship and Social Development. "Super Top Scorers" are Top Scorers who have also obtained an additional Level 5** in Extended Module (M1/M2) apart from
986-413: The more prestigious institutions, are usually only considered for reference in cases where two potential students are equal in other aspects. School-based Assessments (SBA) are conducted for the majority of subjects for school candidates, which notably includes three of the four core subjects, Chinese Language, English Language and Liberal Studies, with the exception of Mathematics, it reduces reliance on
1020-629: The more prestigious universities in Hong Kong usually consider Category B subjects as mere 'Interest Groups' for admission purposes, believing them to be inferior to the traditional academic subjects in Category A. Areas of study in Category B include: These are language electives. They may be used to replace Chinese Language for university admissions for students whose first language is not Chinese, but it may not be used to replace English. It may also be chosen as an elective for native Chinese speaking students, in which case it will not serve as an alternative language for UG admission. In many cases, in lieu of
1054-650: The perceived difference in difficulty and grading between HKDSE and the international qualifications, leading to the perception in some parents and students that it is comparatively easier for a student to gain entrance to local universities with an international school leaving qualification. In addition, HKDSE holders applying through JUPAS must have results from at least 5 subjects, including the Compulsory Subject of Chinese Language, metaphorically referred to by students as 'the paper of death' due to its extensive coverage of Classical Chinese literatures written in
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-425: The provider of Hong Kong Higher Level Examination and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) in 1979 and 1980 respectively. It was put in charge of the HKCEE the following year, becoming the only administrator of public examinations in Hong Kong. The Authority Council comprises 17 members selected from the school sector, tertiary institutions, government bodies and persons experienced in commerce, industry or
1122-420: The statement 'Japan did more good than harm to China in the period of 1900–45.' in the history exam of HKDSE . Education Bureau later requested HKEAA to scrap the question, claiming it 'leading and biased.' State media such as Ta Kung Pao , Wen Wei Po and Global Times slammed the staffers of HKEAA unfit for setting examination questions. The incident led to candidates to avoid elective questions on China in
1156-531: The twenty available. On 31 March 2021, it was announced that Liberal Studies would be renamed Citizenship and Social Development and have its curriculum revamped starting from the 2024 HKDSE. Under the NSS, a number of subjects in the HKCEE and the HKALE have been combined to suit the varying interests and talents of students. School pupils study both core (compulsory) subjects and elective subjects. Most candidates in
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