Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

Candidates leaving the exam centre at Queen's College after the HKDSE English Language Paper 3 Listening and Integrated Skills examination. No parents waiting outside.
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
Traditional Chinese 香港中學文憑
Yale Romanization Hēung góng jūng hohk màhn pàhng
Jyutping Hoeng1 gong2 zung1 hok6 man4 pang4

The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE; Chinese: 香港中學文憑) is an academic qualification offered by Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). The HKDSE examination is the only public examination in the new 3-3-4 education system introduced in Hong Kong secondary schools, as a replacement of the former Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) in which nearly all Hong Kong secondary student participated.

Subjects examined

Under the new examination framework, many subjects in the HKCEE and the HKALE have been combined to suit the varying interests and abilities of the students. Candidates are examined on core subjects and their electives. Most candidates are expected to take four core subjects and two or three electives (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, but an extended module is designed for students who may need additional knowledge and skills.

Examinations of most Category A subjects are conducted between early March to early May, and the oral examinations and some other subjects are conducted at earlier time. Category C subjects are conducted in June (for French and Spanish, they may be taken the previous November). Category B subject do not have an oral examination.

Students can take up to 8 subjects in the HKDSE; if they take 8 Category A subjects, at least one of them should be Ethics and Religious Studies, Music, Visual Arts, or Physical Education.

Subjects

Category A: New Senior Secondary Subjects
Category A subjects are offered by HKEAA and provided by traditional secondary education. They include core subjects, which all candidates are required to study, and elective subjects, which are used as admission requirements in universities.

For Mathematics, grades for the extended part (Module 1 and Module 2) are listed separately on certificates.

Core subjects

For Mathematics, in addition to the compulsory part, which all students should study, candidates optionally take one of the following extended part modules for each sitting:

However, except in special cases, a pass in an extended part cannot be used to replace a pass for a compulsory part for university admissions.

Electives

If at least one of the subjects below is included, candidates may take a maximum of 8 category A subjects. If not, at most of 7 category A subjects can be taken.

Category B: Applied Learning Subjects
Category B subjects are offered by certain providers, and the results are subject to the HKEAA's adjustment.They are vocational-oriented subjects to satisfy the needs of employers.

Applied Learning Subjects may be used by tertiary institutes as admission requirements, which is the equivalent of a Grade 2 in an elective for Attained and Grade 3 for Attained with Distinction.

Category C: Other Language Subjects
They may be used to replace Chinese for university admissions for students whose mother tongue is not Chinese but may not be used to replace English. It may be used as an elective for Chinese students if they do not use it as an language requirement. In some cases, instead of Category C subjects, IGCSE Chinese Language pass (or a similar Chinese qualification) is required for admission in some institutes for non-Chinese students.

Category C subjects adopt the same paper as the General Certificate of Education AS-level and are provided and marked by the Cambridge International Examinations.

It is also to be noted that it institutions and departments may not recognise results in Category B and C subjects, but they may consider them as referencing materials.

Grading

For Category A subjects in HKDSE, results are expressed in terms of seven levels, level 5** being 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.[1] Unclassified grade (U) also exist in special cases like absence, cheating, or an attempt not reaching the standard of level 1.

HKALE grade GCE A-Level grade suggested by UK GCE A-Level grade suggested by HK HKDSE grade HKCEE grade Grade point in HKDSE Equivalent grade point in HKCEE Academic standard Equivalent grade 2014 HKDSE physics grade 2014 HKDSE physics percentile 2010 HKCEE physics grade 2010 HKCEE physics percentile
A A* (140 UCAS tariff points) A* (140 UCAS tariff points) 5** (145 UCAS tariff points) A 5** 2.8% A 4.8%
B A*/A A*/A 5* A 5 5* or above 27 median score for those who enter HKU or among the best 1500 in Hong Kong Approximately 1500 candidates get a total score of 30 or above in best five DSE (average 5* in each subject), the number of people equivalent to those who receives CE 27 in HKCEE (3A3B); it accounts for the top 67% of student in the best university of Hong Kong. 5* 11% A 14.5%
C B A/B 5 B 5 5 or above 22 the total number of university place of HKU and CUHK or the best 5000 in Hong Kong Approximately 5000 candidates get a total score of 25 or above in best five DSE (in average 5 in each subject), which is near the number of candidates who get 22 in HKCEE (which in average 4B2C); it accounts for the top 50% of HK students who can enter university 5 27.3% B 32.7%
D D C 4 C 5 4 or above 15 equal to the previous minimum standard to attend HKALE Approximately 17000 candidates get a total score of 20 or above in best five DSE (in average 4 in each subject), which is near the number of candidates who get 15 in HKCEE (which in average 3C3D), equal to the lowest mark of 14 that a candidate need in order to study in the Hong Kong advanced level.Bachelor and associate degree of Hong Kong equivalent to getting a combination of scores of 5 and 4. 4 50.1% C 57.2%
Half of DSE and CE students are not eligible to enter HKALE E D 3 D 5 3 or above 9 Institute of vocational education student's typical score and previous HKCEE repeater Approximately 34000 candidates get a total score of 15 or above in best five DSE (in average 3 in each subject), which is near the number of candidates who get 9 in HKCEE (which in average 3D3E). Many of the students who have HKCEE marks under 14 are required to repeat the HKCEE rather than taking the HKALE. However, many of those choose to enter vocational education like the Institute of Vocational Education in Hong Kong. 3 73.8% D 79.2%
Half of DSE and CE students are not eligible to enter HKALE not recognized not recognized 2 E 5 2 or above 5 equivalent to HKCEE 5 passes qualifications used for Yijin project, the minimal requirement of civil servants Approximately 45000 candidates get a total score of 10 or above in best five DSE (in average 2 in each subject), which is near the number of candidates who get 5 in HKCEE (which in average 5E1F). 2 90.4% E 90.8%
Half of DSE and CE students are not eligible to enter the HKALE not recognized not recognized 1 F 1 98.1% No such grade No such grade
Half of DSE and CE students are not eligible to enter the HKALE not recognized not recognized U U U 100% U 100%

Also, in the criterion-referenced grading system, experts from each subject set the standards for each level. Level descriptors and examples are 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 the place of the candidate in comparison to others. Before the exam, candidates are familiar with the different level descriptors and samples and may use them as objectives for their study. After results are released, candidates have a clearer picture of their attainment level. Tertiary institutions and employers have more robust information to use for admission or recruitment purposes. However, the 5* and 5** grades are awarded in normal distribution, as in previous examinations, and are given to the top 30% and 10%, respectively, of level 5.

Taken in secondary 6, the HKDSE exams, according to UCAS's expert report, are comparable to international accepted exams, such as the IB Diploma and UK A-Levels, normally taken in secondary 7 but are arguably easier than the HKALE, which it replaced.

One should be aware that the HKDSE exams are designed for local students in Hong Kong to allow them to apply to local universities through JUPAS. The IB Diploma and other international qualifications are normally taken by private school students. The international exams and the private schools associated with them have become more popular in Hong Kong. There has been a considerable amount of concern about the emergence of a bipartite education system, based on wealth instead of merit. However, students with solely-international exams result cannot apply through JUPAS, which has a higher number of admissions, in terms of total intake.

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 to understand the topic at hand, and they provide a guide for improvement and realistic benchmark attainment levels.

The school-based assessment (SBA) is also implemented to reduce reliance on the "one-off" public oral examination.

Impact on schools

One notable impact on schools in Hong Kong is the discontinued need for a sixth form college. Nevertheless, the first such college, PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form College, remains in operation, mainly as an upper secondary school.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education". Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Archived from the original on 2007-06-23. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  2. ↑ "English Language Curriculum and Assessment Guide" (PDF). EMB: Senior Secondary Curriculum and Assessment Guides (Final Version). Curriculum Development Council and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  3. ↑ The Mechanics part had dominated the syllabus of Applied Mathematics before other topics like statistics and numerical analysis were introduced, and it focused on applying Newtonian mechanics to analyse various types of mechanical systems.
  4. ↑ "Mathematics Curriculum and Assessment Guide" (PDF). EMB: Senior Secondary Curriculum and Assessment Guides (Final Version). Curriculum Development Council and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  5. ↑ "側重核心科 近半DSE考生棄科學" (in Chinese). Oriental Daily. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  6. ↑ "無讀新高中數學延伸部分　中大工程學院兩成新生需補底" (in Chinese). HK01. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
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