90-554: The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, 香港中學會考) was a standardised examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students' five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), awarding the Hong Kong Certificate of Education secondary school leaving qualification . The examination has been discontinued in 2012 and its roles are now replaced by
180-577: A firm offer in EAS regardless of the number of applicants in EAS. Students who met the EAS requirements do not need to apply for this scheme to enter the aforementioned universities (though most of them will), but they need to take part in the HKALE and participate in the mainstream scheme if they did not participate and want to pursue their studies in Hong Kong. There are also rare cases where students who were eligible for
270-416: A high proficiency in comprehension and understanding of rhetoric or euphemism words and phrases. The test lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes and was allocated 25% of the total subject mark. The HKEAA recommended 6 articles as reading materials for reference. In fact, the authority never recommended candidates to memorise all the contents of the suggested materials. Furthermore, a wide-ranging reading habit
360-405: A higher score if the error had not occurred received an upgrade. In total, the error affected 670 candidates, and 422 candidates had their oral component mark upgraded while 248 had their overall English subject grade upgraded. The cascade reaction affected 233 candidates who were eligible for sixth form. However, the mistake was discovered far too late. It was discovered when the admissions process
450-450: A level that is required for tertiary education. The Use of English (UE) examination was introduced in 1989 as an independent subject instead of an A level subject, as an entrance requirement of HKU. It was divided into four sections to test students' listening, writing, reading and language skills and practical skills for work and study. From 1994, the UE examination became an AS-level subject and
540-775: A major source of complaint from parents of 10A students who felt cheated from this coveted prize. The Early Admissions Scheme (or simply "EAS"), a subsystem of the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) since 2003, allowed school Candidates with 6 or more "A"s (Distinctions) on their first attempt of the HKCEE, with level 4 or above in English Language, and also level 4 or above in Chinese Language or "C" or above in French or Putonghua to apply for
630-448: A negative mark. It was originally to prevent candidates from guessing an answer they did not know, but it caused trouble for some confusing questions. The test had two parts, personal presentation and group discussion, both of them allocated 7.5% each of the total mark. In personal presentation, 10 minutes of preparation time was given for candidates to make a 3-minute speech on a certain topic. Sometimes, candidates were asked to describe
720-523: A part of the educational reform in Hong Kong, the examination was abolished after academic year 2012/2013. The final HKALE in 2013 was only offered to private candidates who had taken the HKALE before, and the exam results could not be used to apply for universities through the JUPAS as before, but only through the Non-JUPAS system. Prior to 1993, students needed to choose among two university entrance examinations,
810-412: A picture. After the personal presentation, group discussion took place. Normally 5 candidates in a group, it had 5-minute preparation time. Then, each candidate had 1 minute for the first-round speech, and 10 minutes time got them to discuss a topic freely. In personal presentation, some personal topics were asked, and in group discussion, topics were related to major events or common issues. This test
900-451: A prerequisite. The Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS), including the EAS system under JUPAS, also considered students' HKCEE results as a requirement and as a decisive factor of admission in the admission processes. Thus, students' results in HKCEE affected their application to sixth form but also directly affected the chance of entering the universities after seventh form, which
990-515: A requirement for JUPAS degree-level programme, and a 20-minute oral examination was added in the reform. There are five sections in the UE Examination: A pass in the UE was considered essential to being accepted to any degree program under the Joint University Programmes Admissions System , but some universities accepted a band 6 in IELTS or similar as an alternative of HKALE English pass. A survey
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#17328489145141080-515: 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 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
1170-401: Is allocated 20% of the total subject mark. Candidates were given information about a simulated situation and required to finish a writing of more than 600 words or two writings of no more than 700 words in total. Options of text types could be: Unless quoting speeches from public figures, any names that needed to be used in the question had to use the name in the question or the name list from
1260-508: 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, the HKEAA administers IGCSE examinations from University of Cambridge International Examinations and Edexcel boards. The HKEAA imports some languages examinations from Cambridge into
1350-475: Is mainly due to the methodology in which the HKSAR Government Scholarship is awarded. Rather than calculating the number of A's each student has, the HKSAR Government Scholarship is awarded on the basis of the highest total in raw scores attained in the seven best subjects of each student. Consequently, many 9A, 8A, and even 7A students go on to win this award while 10A students do not. This has been
1440-399: Is the highest, and two other grades, "5*" and "UNCL", for students with particularly outstanding and poor performance respectively. The traditional "on-the-curve" system was not used other than to distinguish between the 5*'s and the 5's. The point system was in chaos in its first year of implementation since level 2, which is the passing line in HKEAA, counts as two points in some schools and
1530-555: Is usually shown in the school's internal report) at school are the main admission factors in Secondary 6, which is the main stream for university admission. In EMB's official admission processes, students with 4 passed subjects, or 3 passes with 5 marks (both excluding language subjects) is the minimum requirement. Students with 14 marks above, including passes in English and one other Language subject have an advantage as they can be admitted from
1620-653: The A-level , conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), was taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation in Hong Kong between 1979 and 2012. It was originally the entrance examination in University of Hong Kong until the introduction of the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) in 1992, which made it the major university entrance examination until academic year 2011/2012. The examination
1710-620: The Chinese University of Hong Kong did not recognise it and required those students to pass an internal Chinese Language test. Since there are many dialects of spoken Chinese, Paper 3 and Paper 4 could be taken either in Cantonese or in Putonghua, which had to be declared upon registration. Like other papers with Chinese and English versions, the choice of language was not printed on the certificate. The test lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes and
1800-484: 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 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
1890-667: The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education as part of educational reforms in Hong Kong. It was considered equivalent to the United Kingdom 's GCSE . Students usually took the HKCEE at the end of their five-year period of secondary school in Hong Kong; it was compulsory for students who wanted to pursue further education, but some students took individual examinations to increase their chance of continuing their study or to fulfil certain requirements in tertiary education programs. The final year in which school candidates were accepted
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#17328489145141980-537: 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 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
2070-465: The University of Hong Kong , Chinese University of Hong Kong , or the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology institutions after their Secondary 6 study, without the need to sit for the HKALE. Each year about 400–600 students entered the scheme via this subsystem in JUPAS. A selection procedure exists in this scheme but, unlike the mainstream scheme of JUPAS, the students are guaranteed
2160-435: The 2006 exam who wished to retake Chinese or English subjects were to take the new syllabi. Concerns were raised about whether or not those candidates, who were used to the old syllabi, could adapt to the structure of the new syllabi in nearly half a year. Owing to the transition from the seven-year curriculum (five years of secondary and two years of sixth form / matriculation) to a six-year curriculum of secondary education,
2250-445: The AL and AS of a subject at the same examination. Students could take a maximum of 7 AL and/or AS subjects in one examination, but only a few students actually took 7 subjects from 2004. Sometimes, for some AS-level subjects, less than 0.05% of the candidates could achieve grade A. [4] However, there was always more than 0.05% of candidates achieving grade A in the full A-level counterpart of
2340-507: The EAS are given independent offers by universities outside EAS. Subjects in bold are the major examination subjects (which over 20% of students sit); most secondary schools will provide these curricula for students. The year in parentheses is the last year of examination. The Authority was gradually implementing school-based assessment to all subjects, to reduce stress on students due to studying for exams. Starting from 2006, two subjects—Chinese History and History—had been implemented with
2430-666: The HKALE or the Hong Kong Higher Level Examination . The former originally led to a three-year course in the University of Hong Kong (HKU) at the end of Form Seven (Upper Six), mainly for students in English-medium schools. The latter led to a four-year course in the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), then operated in Chinese, at the end of Form Six (Lower Six) for students in Chinese-medium schools. Later on,
2520-472: The HKCEE and HKALE have for many years been benchmarked against standards in comparable subjects at British GCE O-Level and A/AS-Level. In the case of performance in the English Language, studies have been conducted to link standards of performance in HKCEE English Language (Syllabus B) and HKALE Use of English to standards in IELTS and TOEFL . Starting in 2007, HKCEE standards-referenced reporting
2610-544: The HKCEE and the HKALE were discontinued from 2012 and 2014 respectively and replaced with a new examination, the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE). Several examiners reported to the HKEA that a candidate scored almost full marks in almost every paper he sat and his answers were identical to those in the marking schemes and even included the typing mistakes. The HKEA suspected that someone had improperly obtained
2700-471: 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 the statement 'Japan did more good than harm to China in the period of 1900–45.' in
2790-506: 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 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
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2880-582: The HKCEE was more advanced than NCEA Level 3 Mathematics with Calculus, sat by Form 7 (Year 13) students in New Zealand to gain university entrance in science and engineering. HKCEE's Additional Mathematics was also recognised by most of the programs in Hong Kong's universities as equivalent to HKALE Pure Mathematics. For the examination questions on the same topics, those in HKCEE tended to be loaded with unclear wordings and difficult manipulations, compared with their NCEA counterparts. In other subjects, such as
2970-405: The HKEAA website: https://web.archive.org/web/20051124073914/http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/doc/fd/2004cee/39-60.pdf Since 2007, as a steppingstone towards the grading system HKDSE that will be introduced in 2010, a new grading system was introduced to the exams in the subjects of Chinese and English. Under the new system There are seven grades: five numerical grades from 1–5, where 1 is the lowest and 5
3060-554: The HKEAA's policy had indirectly transferred large amounts of wealth to these cram schools. To deal with this problem, the HKEAA started to release the marking schemes together with the year's examination papers in 2003. The HKSAR Government Scholarship is a prestigious award associated with the HKCEE Examination. The top 30–40 candidates in the HKCEE Examination receive this scholarship each year. Counterintuitively, many 10A students fail to receive this award. This apparent paradox
3150-458: The HKEAA, but counts as one point in EMB and most schools. This counting process not only confused Form 5 students, but also some Form 6 students who repeated the exam to obtain better Language results for JUPAS admissions. The problems with the points system caused changes in the method for calculating points in HKEAA in the following years. Since the two syllabi in English were merged into one along with
3240-622: The IGCSE results as follows: While the HKEAA have been publishing booklets of past examination papers of each subject at an affordable price, the marking schemes (i.e. official detailed solutions) of past examinations were never readily available to the public. The official argument from the HKEAA for not publishing these marking schemes was that it might be "pedagogically unsound" and would encourage "rote memorisation" behaviour from students. Nevertheless, students were often able to obtain these "restricted documents" by taking classes at cram schools . Hence,
3330-713: The UK and the Australian Education International (AEI) in Australia to conduct benchmarking and comparability research on HKDSE. Although HKEAA examinations have been widely accepted, some universities have set particular criteria for the admission of overseas students. For instance, the University of Cambridge in the UK has set out admission requirements for underage or minor candidates concerning guardianship arrangements. In cases where candidates wish to further their studies abroad, they may be required to take as one of
3420-683: The UK. Although NARIC is a National Agency for the UK Government, the institutions of higher education may make their own decision on what foreign qualifications or study they will accept, and UK NARIC has only an advisory role. The two new HKCEE language subjects have been benchmarked against the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) by the Cambridge Assessment. The HKCEE results in Chinese Language and English Language are recognised as equivalent to
3510-572: The University of Science and Technology, the best 7 subjects, instead of 6, are counted. In other cases, the best 5 or 6 subjects are counted. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, in addition, did not accept "combined certificates" (results obtained in more than two examinations) and must be fulfilled in a single attempt (usually the first one). HKEAA has been working closely with international agencies, overseas universities and colleges to promote recognition of HKEAA examinations. Standards of performance in
3600-760: The Wednesday after the first-round admission of the Joint University Programmes Admissions System had been released. There were 39 subjects available in the HKCEE. Most day-school candidates took 6 to 8 subjects in the HKCEE, with 10 being the upper limit. Apart from Chinese and English, which were taken by almost every school candidate, and language-specific subjects (French, Chinese History (Chinese only), Buddhist Studies (Chinese only), Literature in English (English only), Putonghua (Chinese only) and Word Processing and Business Communication (English only), all subjects could be taken in either Chinese or English. The same standards were applied in marking and grading regardless of
3690-660: The basic requirements certain unified examinations conducted by the examination authorities of that particular country. These include, for example, the National Higher Education Entrance Examination for universities in mainland China and the SAT for the United States. UK NARIC is the UK's National Agency for the UK Government. They are the official information provider on information on wide-ranging international qualifications and skills attained from outside
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3780-478: The births of different famous local professors, resulting in the golden era of higher education in Hong Kong since the 2010s. With the introduction of the Early Admissions Scheme in 2001, top scorers in HKCEE could skip the HKALE and enter universities directly after Form 6. Therefore, the HKALE in 2002 was the last one which all HKCEE top scorers needed to take for university admission in Hong Kong. As
3870-428: The boxes in the table but not in questions in which all blanks were to be filled. Although the number of subjects offered was large, choices were limited as each school could offer only a few subjects on the list for budget constraints, restrictions on combinations of subjects and the actual time allowed to cover the large syllabus of different subjects. In addition, some of the subjects were unpopular. One could not take
3960-435: The choice of language, and the language medium was not recorded on the results notices or certificates. It was, however, recorded on admission forms. After sitting the HKCEE and having their examination results announced, candidates could apply for a place in sixth form in local schools in Hong Kong. Moreover, to qualify for the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE), students had to pass certain requirements of HKCEE as
4050-415: The correctness of the given statements on the listening material. Possible answers are "true", "false", "partially correct" and "cannot be determined". Answers were not often given clearly or literally. Candidates were often required to analyse the implied meaning of a given speech during the course of listening, like the attitude of a speaker. Moreover, marks were deducted for a wrong answer, which could cause
4140-634: The document from the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , a candidate attaining Level 3 in NSS subjects in the HKDSE will be regarded as having met the requirement of Grade E in the HKALE or Grade C in the HKCEE in similar subjects for grades or posts with specific subject requirements [2] . The AS-level examination, which is commonly taken with the A-Levels, tests the ability of students to understand and use English at
4230-484: The first stage of Form 6 admissions. Students scoring 30 marks (the maximum) with L4/C in two designated language subjects (one of which must be English) in their first attempt will be permitted to apply to the Direct Entry for the 3 major Universities in Hong Kong (see below). Requirements of sitting in HKALE are independent from Form 6 admissions since they are managed by separate organisations. A student who passes all
4320-465: 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 the 2021 examination. HKALE The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as
4410-511: The inevitably keen competition for tertiary places (Hong Kong Education Department, 1981, p. 178). Through considerable debates (Tang and Bray, 2000), programmes in CUHK switched to three-year systems as those launched in HKU in 1991. Consequently, the Hong Kong Higher Level Examination was abolished and was finally merged with today's HKALE. Advanced Supplementary Level subjects were also implemented at
4500-399: The list or chose the books from the list for their students. To prevent schools from giving too many extraordinary grades to students, points were to be adjusted by the performance in examination. The list of recommended books had about 30 books about Chinese culture, ranging from novels or cultural studies to historic reports. Among the list of the books, Tangshan Earthquake was always on
4590-497: The majority of education authorities considered that the "dual-band" examination system had become practically unsuitable and that a unified matriculation system would be urgently needed, as stated in a report presented to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as early as in 1981. In the report, the "dual-band" system was found to be the crux that caused confusion and anxiety among Hong Kong students, in addition to
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#17328489145144680-413: The marking scheme was not fair. They said that all questions were compulsory so there should not be any advantage to those who left some of the blanks empty by deducting marks for wrong answers. The HKEAA said that it had been in practice for years to prevent students guessing answers, but in fact, this type of marking had appeared only in table-type questions in which candidates were required to tick some of
4770-579: The minimum requirements for sitting in HKALE also meets all the requirements for applying for Form 6, but not vice versa. Schools may admit a student who failed in language subjects, providing that the school would bear the risk that he/she may not pass again in the following year, not allowing them to sit for the HKALE. For admissions to the four-year Higher Diploma programs in HKIVE and degrees in The University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong , and
4860-439: The new schooling structure, under which all students receive 12 years of pre-university education, would be implemented. The HKALE was last administered in 2012 and then merged with the existing Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination , to form the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination at the end of the new, three-year senior secondary curriculum. The HKALE in 2013 was available only for students who had taken
4950-533: The new system, some schools were worried that the level of English is insufficient for the HKALE as they expect HKEAA will decrease the difficulty to allow students who previously studied in Syllabus A (mainly from some non-EMI schools) to pass more easily. This resulted in some schools rejecting students who had a level 2 in English. The system will be fully utilised in all major subjects in the HKDSE. Students' results in HKCEE and their conduct (behavior at school which
5040-475: The oral section. Since the final English mark is calculated by averaging the marks in the oral, reading comprehension, listening, and writing sections, having an F in oral would have seriously affected the final English mark if the candidate did well in other components. In an attempt to mitigate the situation, the HKEAA publicly apologised and offered free rechecks on the oral component of the English language subject for all candidates. Candidates who would have had
5130-448: The original number of grades available twelve, from A (01) to F (12). The fine grades in both HKCEE and HKALE were lifted in 2002, as they were accused of being discriminatory to students. Most of the results are graded "on the curve" but at the same time a cutoff score for each grade is also used. Obtaining an A is very difficult, especially for languages in the past system, where only about 1.5–3% of students received A's. On average, only
5220-452: The past, there were two other grades below UNCL: G and H. They were called "Grenade" and "Ladder". Results below grade 'F' are designated as unclassified ("UNCL"), assigned either when candidates hand in unanswered or unintelligible paper (s), or when candidates are assumed to have cheated. Candidates not taking the exam are designated as Absent ('ABS') for that subject. Before 2002 grades A – F were each divided into two "fine grades", making
5310-426: The policy of the HKEAA indirectly denied less privileged students from gaining access to information pertaining to how examination papers are scored. This might have created a socio-economic bias in the ability of students to obtain good results in the HKCEE. Moreover, according to media reports, some so-called "star tutors" managed to earn more than HK$ 7 million per annum (~ US$ 900,000), leading some to speculate that
5400-569: The question paper, if not available. Marks were deducted for violation. The rule was set up to prevent candidates from using names that could cause unfairness to other students. The test lasted for 1 hour and was allocated 15% of the total subject mark. Reading comprehension can be: In 2005, the 3-piece reading of which all articles are written in Vernacular Chinese was formularised. The change, however, stirred up much controversy among candidates. The new format also demanded candidates to have
5490-480: The question papers and marking schemes in advance of the examinations. The case was referred to the ICAC for investigation. The ICAC found that the candidate had been an under-achiever at school and was not expected to get high grades. Further investigations revealed that he was the son of Mak Cheung Wah, then an assistant senior subject panel of the HKEA. Mak stole his colleagues' keys and reproduced them to enable him to open
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#17328489145145580-415: The questions. It also stated that candidates who followed the instructions strictly should be treated fairly. The examination was taken usually with other examinations to assess the ability of students in using Chinese and their understanding of Chinese culture. Introduced in 1993, the examination had tests in the following: Like Use of English, as a required-pass subject for degrees in JUPAS, almost all of
5670-433: The results notices nor certificates. The examination of an A-level subject generally consists of two 3-hour papers taken in the morning and afternoon of the same day. The results of the HKALE are expressed in terms of six grades A – F, of which grade A is the highest and F the lowest. Results below grade F are designated as unclassified (UNCL). The abolishment of fine grades used in 2001 (i.e. A(01), A(02), B(03), B(04), etc.)
5760-445: The safe deposits to obtain and photocopy question papers and marking schemes in every subject for his son to read prior to the examinations. Mak's son memorised the answers and wrote them on the answer scripts to score high marks. The ICAC only managed to solve the case and arrested the pair moments before the release of the results. Mak pleaded guilty to allowing unauthorised persons to have access to confidential examination documents. He
5850-412: The same as those of Cantonese. Candidates were required to answer questions as they listened to the material. Samples of questions were provided on the first two pages of the paper. Before 2003, candidates wrote sentences for answering questions. From 2003, multiple-choice involved ticking the correct answer and the "Fatal Four". "Fatal Four" (奪命四式) was difficult for many candidates: they had to indicate
5940-414: The same level of intellectual rigour. Most day school candidates took four or five subjects in the HKALE. Apart from Chinese Language and Culture and Use of English which were taken by almost every school candidate, and other language-related subjects, all subjects could be taken in either English or Chinese. The same standards were applied in both marking and grading; the instruction medium is not recorded on
6030-439: The same time to cater for different needs of candidates (Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, 2003, p. 4). The results of the HKALE were expressed in terms of seven grades: A – U. The HKDSE equivalent grades were arrived at by deduction, as the entrance requirements for universities and government positions in Hong Kong officially aligned 3 as an E in the corresponding HKALE subjects [1] . For example, according to
6120-556: The school-based assessment, replacing the previous multiple choice paper in public examinations. In 2007, the curricula for Chinese and English were revised. The two subjects were no longer graded along the normal distribution curve but rather by criteria referencing (with the exception of the highest grade, the 5*). Numerical levels were used instead of the traditional letter grades. The proposed revisions specific to Chinese included: The proposed revisions specific to English included: HKEAA had also announced that candidates who sat in
6210-605: The sciences like Chemistry and Physics , the syllabus covered in HKCEE was similar to that of the SAT Subject Tests sat in Grade 12, but it was arguably easier to obtain a score of 760 on the SAT Subject Tests than to obtain a grade of A in the HKCEE examination although Grade 12 was theoretically equivalent to Form 6 under the Hong Kong school system. The results of the HKCEE are expressed in terms of seven grades A – U (or 5*-1 and U for Chinese and English) other than French. In
6300-504: The student sat it. However, unlike the English Language, students who did not take the Chinese Language in HKCEE usually did not sit the examination, as JUPAS usually accepted an extra AS-level equivalent subject (or similar qualification to a Chinese Language pass) to replace the HKALE Chinese Language pass for students who never took part in Chinese Language in both HKCEE and HKALE and studied Chinese for less than 6 years. However,
6390-403: The style mark for doing so. That resulted in criticism by many students, who claimed that although the word limit instruction was stated in the paper, they were not clearly informed of the marking criteria and that the marking scheme the HKEAA adopted in the previous year gave them a misleading impression. The authority later stated that candidates should have read all instructions before attempting
6480-715: The subjects concerned. The AS-level syllabus of a certain subject was a selected part of the AL syllabus, but the questions of an AS-level examination were as difficult as the full AL counterpart. AS-level papers shared some of the questions with the AL counterpart and in those questions, the marking schemes for both A-level and the AS-level were identical. 1996 – 2007 HKALE Statistics of candidates' results in Use of English 1996 – 2008 HKALE Statistics of candidates' results in Physics (AS-level) The Education Bureau of Hong Kong announced that in 2009,
6570-452: The top 3–4% in each subject can get an A. The cutoff scores vary greatly from subject to subject and from year to year. To give a clearer picture, for Chinese, A-grades are sometimes given for candidates having scored 70 or above, while for Mathematics, an A invariably translates to a score in excess of 90. The cutoff scores are not released by the HKEAA publicly; the information is only available to teachers. Official statistics can be found on
6660-430: The top favour list of books, as the prologue of the book was one of the 26 required passages in the old Chinese Language syllabus in HKCEE (the new syllabus does not have any required passages). In 2001, the HKEAA decided on an across-the-board revamp upon the format of questions in the exam. The changes included the replacement of questions on prescribed texts with open-ended questions in the questions on culture paper. It
6750-603: Was 2010. There were 127,162 candidates entered for the examination, 90,063 of them school candidates and 37,099 private candidates. The HKCEE was conducted from late February to June, but major subjects were taken between mid-April and May, after the major subjects examination in the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination were completed, by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority ( HKEAA ). Oral examinations were conducted in late May to early July. Examination results were released in early August, traditionally on
6840-488: Was HKEAA's attempt to prevent candidates from memorising the suggested reading materials. That, however, was dismissed by a number of candidates as a move towards the subject turning out into a saliva subject (吹水科, Jyutping : Ceoi1 Seoi2 Fo1) in which candidates concentrate on writing large amounts of verbose text and neglect the actual quality of the contents. In 2005, the format of the Reading Comprehension paper
6930-585: Was a part asking students to determine whether marked sentences were correct or not, based on the whole recording. There were 10 questions, carrying 2 marks each. In that part, if a candidate answered a question correctly, 2 marks were awarded but if the question was answered, 2 marks were deducted. No marks were given or deducted for blank answers. A candidate who answered all the questions, with no more than 5 being correct, would end up having no marks for that section, but if 5 were correct, 10 marks were given. That stirred up controversy among candidates, who claimed that
7020-618: Was adopted in Chinese language and English language subjects. The results in the two subjects have also been benchmarked against International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) results. The Hong Kong Diploma for Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) was conducted for the first time in 2012. To secure appropriate recognition of HKDSE qualifications, the HKEAA had held discussions with international agencies including University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC), Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in
7110-573: Was almost over. Since some candidates were unable to find a school for their matriculate education because they received an incorrect grade, the Education and Manpower Bureau was forced to increase the school quotas for some schools to accommodate the affected students. HKEAA chairman Irving Koo assured the students that their education would not be affected by the error. Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority ( HKEAA ), previously known as
7200-470: Was always appreciated: The test lasted approximately 45 minutes and was allocated 15% of the total subject mark. Like the UE listening test, the exam material was broadcast on Radio 2. Like for the English test, Fantasia on Greensleeves was played before and during the intermissions of the examinations. The broadcast version was in Cantonese. The Putonghua students were assigned to designated examination venues, which provided CD tapes separately, with contents
7290-483: Was changed from speed reading of various articles to fine reading of only three articles, without prior notice. The move stirred up much controversy from some candidates, some of whom teased the words in one of the comprehension texts. The HKEAA reiterated its stance that there has not ever been a "specific" format for the exam and insisted that there was nothing wrong with the paper. In the Listening exam of 2007, there
7380-458: Was commonly ignored by students until they entered sixth form. In JUPAS, most admissions programs gave HKCEE results about a 10–30% weight, and some as much as 50%; the HKALE results provided the other 50%. Thus, HKCEE was the initial stage of University Entrance Examination. The HKCEE was fully recognised by other countries including New Zealand, Australia, the UK, the US and many other major countries. It
7470-410: Was conducted from March to May, and the results were routinely released in the first week of July (or late June). There were altogether 17 A-level and 17 AS-level subjects in the HKALE. AS-level was commonly known as Hong Kong Advanced Supplementary Level Examination (HKASLE). AS-level subjects were taught within half the number of periods compared to that required for A-level subjects, but they demanded
7560-612: Was conducted to equate the results with the International English Language Testing System by the HKEAA. [3] The controversy followed the HKEAA's announcement in 2007 that if a candidate exceeded the word limit (500 words) in a task in Section E (Practical skills for work and study), anything written beyond the limit would not be marked. However, according to the marking guidelines issued the previous year, students who did so should be deducted only two marks from
7650-528: Was equivalent to Year 11 in Australia and in the UK. For comparison, the Mathematics syllabus of HKCEE was equivalent to New Zealand's National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level 2 Mathematics at Form 6 (Year 12) level (excluding Calculus) rather than NCEA Level 1 or its predecessor the School Certificate examination, sat by the country's Form 5 (Year 11) students. Additional Mathematics in
7740-418: Was in force from 2002. It was well-criticized that AL subjects demand substantial memorization and clarification of difficult concepts such as Chinese History, Biology, and Economics which have their syllabus partly equivalent to first-year undergraduate courses in terms of the length and depth. Research-level knowledge is also required in specific AL subjects such as Pure Mathematics and Chemistry. Actually, it
7830-453: Was incorrectly added to the total score because of a recent upgrade to the HKEAA computer system, and the supervisor in charge failed to double-check the results. Subsequently, many candidates received an incorrect total score, which resulted in an incorrect final grade for the subject. The problem was so severe that some students wrongfully received an F grade (the second-lowest grade) when they were supposed to receive an A (the highest grade) in
7920-540: Was ordered by the Eastern Magistrates' Court to do 220 hours of community service . He was also dismissed by the HKEA and lost his entitlement to pension amounted to HK$ 720,000. His son was disqualified by the HKEA and his grades were annulled. Since then, the HKEA and the ICAC reviewed and revised the security arrangements of examination documents. In 2005, the oral component of the Syllabus B English language examination
8010-412: Was school-based in the sixth and seventh forms. Students were required to read at least 5 books and finish the related assessment, given by the school. Book reports were the most common format, but group presentations, or even in-class tests, were allowed. Any book that was suitable was allowed. Guidelines with a list of recommended books were given to schools. Most schools required students to choose from
8100-494: Was thought that the examinations were intentionally designed to be difficult by stakeholders for different reasons such as UK-imposed elitism as well as limited university seats dated back to 1992. It was even conspired that the past stakeholders intentionally made it difficult to hinder the growth of local people, in contrast to their well-funded stakeholders who usually went for overseas education but returned to manage their family businesses. However, such world-class exams do lead to
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