Advising Services

The following information is provided by the Education Bureau, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

Information for formulating admission policies pertaining to prospective holders of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education for United States education institutions

Aiming at preparing students better for whole-person development and life-long learning in the knowledge-based society in the 21st Century, Hong Kong has embarked on changing the academic structure in senior secondary education and higher education. Starting from September 2009, a three-year senior secondary education has been introduced to replace the two-year secondary education plus two-year sixth form education in the current system. In total, all students in Hong Kong would receive 12 years of free schooling (6 year primary education, 6 year secondary education).

With the implementation of the New Academic Structure (NAS), the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) will be first awarded in 2012. The HKDSE Examination will replace the Hong Kong Certificate of Education (HKCE) Examination and the Hong Kong Advanced Level (HKAL) Examination.

From 2012 onwards, Hong Kong students meeting minimum general entrance requirements* are eligible to apply for admission to four-year undergraduate programmes offered by publicly-funded universities in Hong Kong.

Some Hong Kong students with HKDSE will continue to aspire to pursue higher education overseas. Given the interest of Hong Kong students in pursuing tertiary education overseas including one of the popular destinations of the United States, we are committed to ensuring that the international higher education sector understands the NAS and HKDSE. Details are set out in the following paragraphs and web pages:

• Information about the NAS:Overseas Visitors’ Corner in the New Academic Structure Web Bulletin: www.edb.gov.hk/nas/en/
• Information about the HKDSE:www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/hkdse/
• Information about recognition of Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) qualifications: www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/ir/

Please let us know your admission requirements for publishing on the HKEAA and Education Bureau websites.

Please fill out the attached proforma of a list of questions.

If you have further enquiries regarding the contents of the NAS or HKDSE, please contact the following officers:

On NAS			On HKDSE
Officer:	Mrs Chan Siu Suk-fan Senior Education Officer (New Senior Secondary), Education Bureau		Ms Rebecca Tam International Recognition Officer, Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority
Tel:	852-2892 5820		852-3628 8801
Fax:	852-2573 5299		852-3628 8892
E-mail:	sukfansiu@edb.gov.hk		international@hkeaa.edu.hk

 

I) Benefits of the New Academic Structure

The NAS offers a broader and more balanced curriculum to students in senior secondary education for promoting whole-person development, life-long learning and catering for learner diversity.? It also provides multiple pathways to higher education and the workplace as well as better articulation with the academic systems of other countries.

II) Key Features of the NAS

Senior secondary curriculum

The curriculum framework of senior secondary education is jointly developed by the Curriculum Development Council (CDC) and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). It ensures that all students will receive a broad and balanced education, advocating an enquiry-based approach of learning and aiming to meet the interest and needs of individual students. Under the NAS, all senior secondary students will take four core subjects, namely Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies. In addition, students will choose two to three electives from 20 senior secondary subjects, a series of Applied Learning subjects and six other language subjects. Students will also engage in Other Learning Experiences (OLE) outside school subjects for whole-person development. These include moral and civic education, community service, career-related experiences, aesthetic development and physical development.

Reporting system of the HKDSE

For the 24 senior secondary subjects, candidates’ performance will be reported with reference to a set of standards at five levels (Levels 1 to 5), with Level 5 being the highest. The top Level 5 students will be awarded Level 5** and the next top Level 5 candidates will be awarded Level 5*. Those not attaining Level 1 standard will receive an “Unclassified” result. Performance in Applied Learning subjects will be shown by either “Attained” or “Attained with Distinction”. The results of other language subjects will follow the grading of Cambridge International Advanced Supplementary Level subjects.

Recognition of the HKDSE

To prepare for the introduction of the HKDSE and promotion of its recognition for further studies overseas, the HKEAA has been working closely with international agencies to conduct benchmarking studies of the HKDSE to secure advance recognition.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) of the United Kingdom (UK) has recognised the HKDSE as comparable to the UK GCE Advanced /Advanced Supplementary Levels and included the HKDSE in the UCAS Tariff system. By referring to the UCAS Tariff points awarded to the HKDSE, tertiary institutions can compare the relative standards of the HKDSE with 40 other international qualifications in the system including the United States’ Advanced Placement Programme and also the International Baccalaureate which HKDSE compares favorably with UCAS Tariff for HKDSE

http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/Media/Leaflets/UCAS-factsheet-eng.pdf

While the United States has no central accreditation body, the NAS has received favorable feedback from US institutions welcoming the NAS and the new diploma.

Student Learning Profile

Apart from public assessment, senior secondary students are also encouraged to compile a Student Learning Profile (SLP). The SLP is a summary presentation of a student’s OLE, awards / achievements gained outside school, academic performance in school as well as his/her “self-account” (for example, impressive learning experiences, career goal setting, etc.).
The main purpose of SLP is to provide qualitative information on secondary school leavers’ competencies and specialties, in order to give a fuller picture of the students.
SLP, which provides additional information on students’ whole-person development, is of good reference value during the admission process. Universities and tertiary education institutions will have full discretion on how the broader range of information in SLP can be used in the light of knowing individuals’ capabilities and personal qualities that will likely enable them to benefit from undergraduate or tertiary education. In general, SLP could be as an important source of additional reference information during the selection process and used as a framework for discussions during interviews.
Please visit the following website for an example of SLP:

http://resources.edb.gov.hk/cd/lwl/OLE/SLP/sample/SLPB(english).pdf

III) Students' Learning (with Lesson Time) at Senior Secondary Levels under the NAS

(1) Characteristics of the curriculum

(a) Broad and balanced curriculum for whole-person development & life-long learning

• The New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum aims to better prepare students for further studies and in meeting the needs of an ever-changing society. The new curriculum is designed to enable all students to achieve enhanced language and mathematical abilities, a broadened knowledge base, increased competence in critical thinking, independent learning and interpersonal skills. The NSS curriculum is more coherent and offers greater diversity and choice to suit the different needs, interests and abilities of students.

• The knowledge base of students under the NSS system is broader than that under the old system as early specialization into arts, science, technical or commercial streams is replaced by a broad and balanced curriculum.? Besides, under the NSS, all students would study Liberal Studies as a core subject which is an interdisciplinary study involving humanities, sciences, technology and arts. Moreover, all other NSS curricula are being updated / broadened to keep abreast with curricula trends as well as to develop the learning to learn capabilities of students.

• A survey done by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong in 2009 shows that 72% of students are studying elective subjects chosen from more than one Key Learning Area (KLA).

• There are also broader experiences outside examination subjects. All students would also have about 400 hours’ Other Learning Experiences (OLE) in moral and civic education, community service, career-related experiences, aesthetic activities and physical development during the last three years of their schooling (Secondary 4-6). Some of these activities involve international exchange or visits outside Hong Kong during the three years of NSS study. The achievements and reflections of these would be recorded in the Student Learning Profile (SLP).

(b) Enquiry-based learning

• Enquiry-based learning is encouraged across all the 24 NSS curricula in order to enable students to develop their learning to learn abilities with core skills such as information/data collection and processing, comprehension, analysis, creative and critical thinking skills, and evaluation. All students are required to conduct an Independent Enquiry Study in the core subject of Liberal Studies.

(c) NSS learning time

• The NSS curriculum is designed on the basis of 2,700 lesson hours (homework, tests and examinations are not included) over three years. The recommended lesson hours for each subject include:

• ChineseLanguage - 340 to 400 hours over three years
• EnglishLanguage - 340 to 400 hours over three years?
• Mathematics - Core part - 270 to 340 hours over three years
• Core part and Extended Module - 400 hours over three years
• LiberalStudies - 270 hours over three years
• Each elective subject- 270 hours over three years
• Each Applied Learning subject - 180 hours over two years in Secondary (S5) and S6

(d) Knowledge in Mathematics and Science

• With early specialization reduced, all students will have knowledge in Mathematics and Science, with variations in breadth and depth of study for students choosing different subject combinations.

• All students are required to take Mathematics as a core subject. This is also one of the pre-requisites for applying for the government-funded four-year undergraduate programmes.

• According to the survey carried out in 2009, more than 40% of the first student cohort are taking the compulsory core part and one of the extended modules (advanced studies of calculus and statistics or calculus and geometry).

• There are two modules on science and technology out of six compulsory modules in the core subject of Liberal Studies. Some students would conduct the Independent Enquiry Study(IES) in the area of science and technology.

• According to latest statistics on student subject choices in NSS curricula, 55% of S4 (or Year 10) students are studying at least one science elective subject.

(2) The Studies of a Typical Student

Based on the recommendations of the Curriculum Development Council (CDC), studies of a typical student from S1 to S6 (or Year 7 - 12) are outlined as follows:

Subjects and Expected Number of Lesson Hours (homework, tests and examinations excluded) (accumulative)
		S1	S1 - S2	S1 - S3
		Year 7	Year 7 - Year 8	Year 8 - Year 9
Junior Secondary	Chinese Language	160 - 190	310 - 390	470 - 580
	English Language	160 - 190	310 - 390	470 - 580
	Mathematics	110 - 140	220 - 280	330 - 410
	Science Education	90 - 110	180 - 220	280 - 330
	Personal, Social and Humanities Education	140 - 180	280 - 370	410 - 550
	Technology Education	70 - 110	150 - 220	220 - 330
	Arts Education	70 - 90	150 - 180	220 - 280
	Physical Education	50 - 70	90 - 150	140 - 220
	Others (e.g. reading, moral and civic education)	70	150	220

 

Subjects and Expected Number of Lesson Hours (homework, tests and examinations excluded) (accumulative)
		S4	S4 - S5	S4 - S6
		Year 10	Year 10 - Year 11	Year 10 - Year 12
Senior Secondary	Chinese Language	130 - 150	250 - 300	340 - 400
	English Language	130 - 150	250 - 300	340 - 400
	Mathematics
	Core part	100 - 130	200 - 250	270 - 340
	Core and Extended module	150	300	400
	Liberal Studies	100	200	270
	Electives from different Key Learning Areas (KLAs), Applied Learning subjects and Other Language Subjects
	2 electives	200	410	540
	3 electives	300	610	810
	Other Learning Experiences	150	300	400

 

Accumulated Lesson Time for the 3 Core Subjects from Junior to Senior Secondary Level (see Note)
	S3 - S6	S2 - S6	S1 - S6
	Year 9 - Year 12	Year 8 - Year 12	Year 7 - Year 12
Chinese Language	500 - 590	650 - 790	810 - 980
English Language	500 - 590	650 - 790	810 - 980
Mathematics
Core part	380 - 470	490 - 610	600 - 750
Core and Extended module	510 - 530	620 - 670	730 - 810

Note: Hong Kong students study the 3 core subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics only from S1 to S6, while subjects of the other KLAs from S1 to S3 will not carry over to the electives at the senior secondary level.

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under the NAS

under the