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The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE; Traditional Chinese: 香港中學文憑) will be the only public exam in the new 3-3-4 education system to be introduced in Hong Kong secondary schools; it will be a replacement of the existing Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) and be the new benchmark examination of Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS, the undergraduate admission allocation system in Hong Kong). Many industry specialists in Hong Kong feel that the DSE is a close equivalent to the International Baccalaureate Diploma program, giving students two languages, Mathematics, and three elective subjects.
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Under the new examination framework, many existing subjects in the HKCEE and HKALE will be combined to suit the varying interests and abilities of the students. Candidates will be examined on core subjects and elective options of their preference. Most school candidates are expected to take four core subjects plus two or three elective subjects (see list below).[1]
Each HKDSE subject includes a compulsory part and an elective or extended part. The elective or extended part consists of modules from which students may choose. An elective module is an integral component of the standard curriculum whereas an extended module is designed for students who need additional knowledge and skills.
Whenever it is available in JUPAS or not, in order to fulfill the requirement of undergraduate programmes provided by tertiary institutions, a certain degree of minimum requirements is needed to be achieved:
For Some Institutions has a higher general entrance requirement including a higher language requirement or extra elective. They may also not counting subjects which is not from Category A as well.
Students can take maximum of 8 subjects in HKDSE, and, in the case of taking 8 Category A subjects only, at least one of them should be Ethics and Religious Studies, Music, Visual Arts, or Physical Education.
Category A :New Senior Secondary (NSS) subjects
Subjects which traditional Secondary Education provides, Which include Core subjects which is the requirement of all students. And numbers of electives which can be used/will be used as admission requirements in Universities. For Mathematics, the extended-part's grade is separately listed in certificates.
Category B:Applied learning
The current Career-orientated Course, COC will be renamed Applied Learning, ApL under the new system to reflect the nature of the curriculum. The aim of the Applied Learning subject is to allow students who do not like the traditional academic route to pursue vocational education, to earn a living by themselves and graduate with a practical skill that matches the needs of employers. Applied learning may be used by tertiary institutes as admission requirement. Which is equivalent of a Grade 2 in an elective for Attained and Grade 3 for Attained with Distinction.
Category C:Other Languages
Possible to use as replacement for Chinese for University admissions, but only allowed for students whose mother tongue is not Chinese, and cannot be used as a replacement for English. It can be use an elective for Chinese students as long as not using it as an language requirement. In some cases, instead of category C subjects, IGCSE Chinese Language pass is required for admission in some institutes for non-Chinese students.
For Category A subjects the curriculum, examination is provided and marked by HKEAA themselves. For Category B subjects the courses are provided by the institutions and marks are adjusted by HKEAA. Category C subjects are indeed, the same paper as the International General Certificate of Secondary Education and provided and marked by University of Cambridge International Examinations.
It is also noted that it is NOT NECESSARY for institution or departments to recognize student's result Category B and C subjects, through sometimes they might consider them as a referencing material.
HKDSE results will be expressed in terms of five levels, of which level 5 is the highest and level 1 the lowest. Distinction levels 5** and 5* will be awarded to the two best-performing groups of candidates.[1]
The HKDSE will use a criterion-referenced grading system; experts from each subject will set the standards for each level. Level descriptors and examples will be based on syllabus objectives and collected data, including past exam statistics and answer scripts. Grading in a criterion-referenced system reflects a candidate's level of attainment in the particular subject and not where the candidate stands compared with others who have taken the exam. Before the exam the candidate will be familiar with the different level descriptors and samples, and may use them as objectives for their study. After results are released, candidates will have a clearer picture of their attainment level. Tertiary institutions and employers will have more robust information to use for admission or recruitment purposes.
A criterion-referenced system fits the principles and objectives of the new 3-3-4 secondary system in Hong Kong. Clearly stated learning outcomes and grading standards help teachers and students understand the topic at hand, provide a guide for improvement, and realistically benchmark attainment levels.
Apart from this high-stakes examination, School-based assessment (SBA) will also be implemented to reduce reliance on ‘one-off’ public oral examination.
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