Institute of International Education

Hong Kong Education System

Background Information

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China has an area of 1,040 square kilometers (646 square miles), and a population of more than 6.8 million. Negotiations between Britain and China in the early 1980s resulted in the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong, by which the entire territory was restored to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997. Hong Kong retains a high degree of autonomy in all areas except foreign affairs and defense, and its present capitalist system and lifestyle, including education, are to remain unchanged for a period of 50 years.

Described as a “barren island with hardly a house upon it” in the mid-1800s, by the 1990s Hong Kong had become the territory with one of the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Asia; China’s largest trading partner; the major source of foreign investment in China; and the finance and banking center in Asia. Hong Kong is also a major sender of students abroad for further studies, with more than 7,800 students currently studying on U.S. campuses and thousands more studying in Britain, Canada and Australia.

Comparison of Education System in the United States and Hong Kong

Note: P1 refers to Primary 1 in Hong Kong; S1 refers to Secondary School Form 1 in Hong Kong.

The education system in Hong Kong currently follows the British system, with six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary school, two years of senior secondary school, and a two-year course leading to the advanced level examinations, which provide for entry into tertiary institutions offering diploma, higher diploma, two-year associate’s degree and three-year bachelor’s degree programs.

Primary & Secondary Education

In 1978, the Hong Kong government introduced nine-year free and compulsory education from Primary One through Secondary Three to all children in the relevant age group. After kindergarten, at the age of six, children begin a six-year primary course. Primary education consists of a core curriculum of Chinese, English, mathematics, social studies, science, health education, music, physical education, and art and craft. The progress of the students in Chinese, English, and mathematics is evaluated yearly with the standardized Hong Kong Attainment Tests. In most schools, the medium of instruction is Chinese, with English taught as a second language.

Students are allocated places in junior secondary schools (Secondary Forms 1 to 3) based on internal primary school assessment, parental choice, and school location. During Secondary Four and Five, students take courses in preparation for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE). Approximately 50% of the senior secondary school curriculum focuses on the three core subjects of English, Chinese, and mathematics. Because of keen competition in higher levels of education and the common idea that a specialized course will lead to good examination results, students normally choose either a science or a humanities track, concentrating only on relevant subjects. On the basis of their performance on the HKCEE, about one-third of the secondary five graduates are provided spaces in the publicly funded schools to study Advanced Level Course (S6, S7) leading to the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examinations. During these two years there is even more specialization in the subjects studied.

Note: The above curriculum does not apply to independent schools (including the English Schools Foundation [ESF] and international schools) that follow the U.S., U.K, I.B. or other overseas curriculum.

Medium of Instruction for Secondary Schools

In September 1997 the Hong Kong government issued "The Medium of Instruction Guidance for Secondary Schools", which required local secondary schools to adopt a medium of instruction according to the student language ability, teacher capability and support measures. Whereas before 1997 a majority of schools employed English as a medium of instruction, by the 1998-99 school year, about three-fourths of the secondary schools in Hong Kong were required to adopt Chinese as a teaching medium. As a result, approximately 114 secondary schools were allowed to use English as a medium of instruction while some 300 schools used Chinese as their medium of instruction.

Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE)

Upon completion of Secondary Five in April and May, students take part in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE). The HKCEE is conducted in the months of April and May and results are released in the second week of August. Most day school students take 7 to 8 subjects. Virtually all students take the exams in the three core subjects of English, Chinese and mathematics. Students in a science track would also normally take exams in physics, additional mathematics, chemistry, and biology, while a student in a humanities track would most likely opt to take history, Chinese history, geography, and economics. With the exception of language-related subjects, students may take the exams in Chinese or English.

Source: Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA)

i) Grading on the HKCEE/HKALE

The results of the HKCEE and HKALE are expressed in six grades, A to F, with A the highest, F the lowest. Grades C or above in most HKCEE subjects are equivalent to a grade C or better in the oversea GCE examination, and grade E is widely accepted in Hong Kong as a basic level of achievement for employment purposes. Results below grade F are designated as unclassified (UNCL) and will not be reported on the certificate. In the case of HKCEE Chinese Language Examination and the English Language Examination, the old system of grading has been replaced with the new Standard-referenced Reporting system.

ii) HKCEE English Language Exam

This year the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination had implemented a number of significant changes to the curriculum and assessment for Chinese Language and English Language examinations. The major changes are summarized below:

In the past there were two syllabi for the HKCEE English Language Examination. This year, the new English Language Examination has only one syllabus with a single set of performance standards.
In the case of the HKCEE Chinese Language Examination, students are required to take five examination papers instead of the previous two. For the first time, students are also tested on their speaking and listening capabilities.
Students’ performance is reported using levels with reference to a set of standards based on the new Standards-referenced Reporting (SRR) and School-based Assessment. The new Standards-referenced Reporting and School-based Assessment is part of the efforts to enhance the quality and reliability of the public examinations. There are five levels of performance under the new system with Levels 1-5, with 5 the highest and 1 designated as “Unclassified” (U). Level 5 candidates with the best performance are awarded Level 5*. Most importantly, each of the five levels will represent an explicit and fixed standard of performance set by expert panels of examiners with reference to information on the underlying abilities of candidates, descriptors of performance for each of the five levels and the actual performance of the students.

Source: HKEAA press release, August 8 2007 (available on hkeaa.edu.hk); HKEAA pamphlet on HKCEE on Standard-referenced Reporting (SRR) and School-based Assessment (SBA) available at http://eant01.hkeaa.edu.hk/hkea/topper_hkcee.asp?p_coverdown=hkcee_1.html.

Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE)

Students sit for the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) at the end of the seventh year of secondary school (Form 7). The HKALE is conducted in the months of March to May, and the results are released in the end of June. There are 19 A-level and 20 AS-level subjects in the HKALE. AS-level subjects are taught in half the number of periods required for A-level subjects, but they also require the same level of intellectual rigor. Most day school candidates take 5 subjects in the HKALE. The Chinese Language & Culture and Use of English are taken by almost every student. Apart from the language-related subjects, all other subjects can be taken in either English or Chinese.

The results of the HKALE are expressed in terms of six grades A-F, with A the highest, and F the lowest. Results below grade F are designated as Unclassified (UNCL). Grade E of an A-level or AS-level result is equivalent to grade E in their GCE counterparts.

Except for those students entering local tertiary institutions through the Early Admission Scheme (EAS), the HKALE is used as the basis for admission to Hong Kong's eight tertiary institutions whose undergraduate courses last three years.

i) Advanced Supplementary Levels (AS-Levels)

Students who began Secondary Six in 1992 were the first group of students to have the opportunity to sit for the Advanced Supplementary Level Exams (AS Levels). AS-Level courses, which are designed to broaden students' curriculum, require half the teaching and study time of a regular A-Level course. A student in an AS-Level course usually attends four or five periods of 40 minutes each, every week over a period of two academic years. The syllabi of the exams are designed to be as demanding as an A-Level course, and the grades from two AS Levels are considered as equivalent to one A-Level grade.

ii) The Use of English Examination

This examination, which is usually taken with the A-Levels, tests the ability of students to understand and use English at a level required for tertiary education. Since 1989 it has consisted of tests of listening, writing, reading and language systems, as well as practical skills for work and study. Since 1994 it has also included a 20-minute oral examination. Based on the report of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, this year only 13.2% of all students received grade C or above in Use of English.

In the past, studies by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority have determined the equivalencies of the Use of English Examination with the TOEFL along the following scale:

USE OF ENGLISH EXAMINATION & TOEFL EQUIVALENCIES
Students with U.E. Grade	Paper-Based TOEFL Mean	Computer-Based TOEFL Mean	Internet-Based TOEFL Mean
A	613	257	78
B	592	243	72-73
C	571	230	67
D	538	203-207	55-57
E	502	173-177	45-46

Source: Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA).

Tertiary Education

In total, there are 12 accredited higher education institutions in Hong Kong, providing 14,500 first-degree places for approximately 18% of the 17 - 20 age groups. To support the progressive increase in post-secondary education opportunities in Hong Kong, the government plans to have 60% of senior school leavers to have access to post-secondary education by year 2010/2011.

Eight of these are publicly funded through the University Grants Committee (UGC), the advisory committee responsible for advising the Hong Kong government on the development and funding needs of higher education institutions in Hong Kong:

The University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong Institute of Education
Lingnan University University of Hong Kong

The remaining four are private institutions:

Chu Hai College of Higher Education
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Open University of Hong Kong

Before the 1990s, local universities provided space for less than five per cent of the 17-20 age group. After a planned program of tertiary expansion, this figure had risen to about 18 percent by 1994-95. The UGC-funded institutions are offering over 45,000 full-time degree places each year. As seen in the ‘progression path for secondary 7 graduates’ (Appendix 1), there are 20 accredited institutions that offer full-time programs for secondary 7 graduates.

Note: Hong Kong Institute of Education has self-accrediting status which provides teacher training and degree programs.

i) Early Admission Scheme

The Early Admission Scheme for Secondary Six Students (EAS), formerly known as the Advance Placement of Secondary Six Students, is a new initiative begun in 2003 by the Joint University Programmes Admission System (JUPAS), the organization that oversees the allocation and admissions of students into tertiary education institutions in Hong Kong. The EAS allows students with outstanding performance to be admitted (including 6 grades at the HKCEE level) to university a year earlier, thus bypassing Form 7 and the HKALE. Currently three local institutions (the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) participate in the EAS. Quotas have been imposed to control the number of students entering university through the EAS each year. More information on the EAS can be found at www.jupas.edu.hk.

Source: Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS).

ii) Sub-Degree Program Providers

The number of sub-degree program providers has also sharply increased. According to Education & Manpower Bureau Principal Assistant Secretary Irene Young, more than 20 institutions are running 200 self-financed sub-degree level courses this year, providing 25,000 tertiary education places to senior secondary school graduates. In addition, there are 20,000 Government-funded tertiary education places, bring the total number of tertiary education places to nearly 50,000. Among the sub-degree graduates, half will enter the job market, while the others will continue their study. It has been estimated that about 1,000 were accepted by the eight Government-funded tertiary as second year students of their degree courses.

Source: news.gov.hk. The news.gov.hk website is the source of online news, features and commentary from the Information Services department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is produced and maintained by a team of editors and writers within the Information Services Department.

iii) Centralized Internationalization Efforts

One of the UGC’s primary policies is to promote international competitiveness in the tertiary institutions that it funds. In 2005, the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, announced in a meeting of the Legislative Council that the University Grants Committee (UGC) had set aside HK$120 million (US$15 million) to promote the expansion of student exchange programs over a three-year period, as well as a further HK$40 million (US$5.1 million) for internationalization initiatives to assist UGC-funded institutions in building up their capacity to recruit non-local students, with an emphasis on students from mainland China.

Professor Li stated, “At present, the quota for admission of non-local students to publicly-funded full-time undergraduate and taught postgraduate programs is 4% of the approved student number targets. That for full-time publicly-funded sub-degree programs is 2% outside the approved student number target.”

As well as implementing various exchange programs with UK, US and other overseas institutions, local universities are also actively recruiting non-local students through heavy publicity and incentives such as scholarships and financial aid.

Source: www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200501/26/0126288.htm and www.ugc.edu.hk

New Academic Structure for Senior Secondary Education and Higher Education

In September 1999, the Education Commission began a review of the entire Hong Kong education system and issued a proposal for reforms of the academic structure, curricula, and assessment mechanisms at all levels of education. According to the comparison of the current and the new academic structure, the proposed new academic structure includes the elimination of public assessments for the allocation of students to secondary schools and the elimination of the streaming of students into arts and science tracks in secondary school. Students entering in the new system will be expected to take four core subjects, two or three electives and structured Other Learning Experiences that allow students to accumulate experiences that they cannot gain from books or in normal class lessons. Examples of Other Learning Experiences include community services, physical and aesthetic activities, and moral and civic education that complement and support the students’ academic learning. The elective subjects could include any of the 20 electives or an Applied Learning course, formerly known as Career-oriented Studies. Students may also take an additional elective course as he/she sees fit.

The reform entails the replacement of the current HKCEE and HKALE by one examination to be taken at the end of the senior secondary stage, tentatively named the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). The length of the undergraduate degree will also be extended from 3 to 4 years, thus more in line with the U.S. tertiary educational system. At present only 1/3 of the Secondary Form 5 graduates continue their studies in Secondary Form 6 (see Appendix 2). The new academic structure will be introduced in the academic year 2009-2010 and the first cohort of new senior secondary students will leave school in 2012; those who enter university in 2012 will take the new 4-year undergraduate program.

Hong Kong Student Flows to Major Receiving Countries

The four most popular destinations for Hong Kong students studying abroad are Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

HONG KONG STUDENTS LEAVING FOR OVERSEAS STUDIES
	2003	2004	2005	2006
United States	4,322	5,153	5,523	6,136
Canada	2,437	2,178	1,920	N/A
Australia	7,445	6,736	4,838	N/A
Source: Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau;

The United States overtook Great Britain as the primary destination for Hong Kong students in 1988 and has kept the lead until 1999. Australia, which had a negligible number of Hong Kong students in the mid-1980s, has become a serious competitor for Hong Kong students since 2001. Canada has hosted about half the number of Hong Kong students as the U.S. did since 2001.

Hong Kong Students in the United States

The number of Hong Kong students in the United States increased 147% from 5,675 in 1968 to a high of 14,020 students in 1992. Hong Kong was once among the top 15 places of origin of foreign students in the United States, from the top sender in 1973 to the tenth largest in the mid-1980's, and rising to seventh place in 1993-94. There has been no fixed pattern for the number of students from year-to-year, although the figure steadily increased during the 1980s, with the sharpest increase, 13%, in 1990, possibly in response to the events in China in 1989. Since 9/11 in 2001 and other series of events, the total number of Hong Kong students in the U.S. has been decreasing by small percentages each year. However, after a few years of enrollment decline, it begins to pick up again, and the number of students of Hong Kong origin enrolling in U.S. educational institutions is continuing to grow. For statistical information on Hong Kong students studying in the U.S. , visit Open Doors at opendoors.iienetwork.org.

Hong Kong Students in the United States, 1982-2006

Source: Open Doors, Institute of International Education. 2006

i) Level of Study

Given the fact that Hong Kong students further their studies abroad is because there are limited first degree spaces in local institutions, it is not surprising that over 60% of Hong Kong students in the United States are at the undergraduate level, with the remaining at the graduate level and in other programs. Enrollment in Associate Degree programs has also been graduate increasing in recent years. In the academic year 2004, 35% of Hong Kong undergraduate students in the U.S. enrolled in the Associate Degree program with only 65 % of the students enrolled in the four-year colleges and universities; in 2000, the ratio was 69% at four-year institutions compared to 31% at two-year institutions (Open Doors, 2000-2005).

ii) Fields of Study

Hong Kong is a prominent leading business and financial center in Asia. As reflected by the statistics derived from IIE’s fall 2006 U.S. Higher Education Fair in Hong Kong, about 26% of the prospective students are interested in studying business and management related studies in the U.S., followed by biological/biomedical sciences (7%), engineering (6%), humanities and social sciences (6%), and art & design (6%).

Source: Institute of International Education. 2006

Comparison of the Current and New Hong Kong Academic Structures

Progression Path for Secondary School Form 7 (Year 13) Graduates