Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination
The
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (
HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as
A-level, conducted by the
Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), is normally taken by senior students at the end of their
matriculation in
Hong Kong. In
2006, 34,977 candidates sat for the examination. 27,912 of them were school candidates and 7,065 were private candidates.
The exam is conducted from March to May, and the results are routinely released in the first week of July. There are altogether 17 A-level and 17 AS-level subjects in the HKALE. AS-level is commonly known as
Hong Kong Advanced Supplementary Level Examination (HKASLE). AS-level subjects are taught in periods of half the number compared to that required for A-level subjects, but they demand the same level of intellectual vigour. Most day school candidates take five subjects in the HKALE. Apart from Chinese Language and Culture and Use of English which are taken by almost every school candidate, and other language-related subjects, all subjects can be taken in either English or Chinese. The same standards are applied in both marking and grading; the instruction medium is not recorded on the results notices or certificates.
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 and before (i.e. A(01), A(02), B(03), B(04), etc) was in force from 2002.
Grade E at the HK A-level or AS-level is considered equivalent to Grade E in their respective British
GCE counterparts, although most agree it is significantly harder to obtain the equivalent grade in the HKALE. Grade B at the HK A-level or AS-level is sometimes considered equivalent to Grade A in their respective British
GCE counterparts and Grade A at the HK A-level or AS-level is sometimes considered equivalent to Grade A* in their respective
GCE counterparts at certain tertiary institutions, including Oxbridge.
Prior to 1993, students would need to choose among two university entrance examinations, 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 Sixth), 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 Sixth) for students in Chinese-medium schools.
Later on, a majority of education authorities considered that the "dual-band" examination system had became 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 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 finally merged with today's HKALE. Advanced Supplementary Level subjects were also implemented at the same time so as to cater for different needs of candidates. (Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, 2003, p. 4)
This AS-level examination, which is commonly 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 tested students' listening, writing, reading and language skills; plus practical skills for work and study. Since
1994 the inclusion of a 20-minute oral examination was added.
This AS-level examination is also usually taken along with other examinations. It assesses the ability of students in using the Chinese language and their understanding of Chinese culture. Introduced in 1993, the examination comprises of tests in:
* practical writing (paper 1A);
* reading comprehension (paper 1B);
* questions on culture (paper 2);
* listening (paper 3);
* oral skills assessment (paper 4); and
* reading of five books selected from the given book list (paper 5).
NB [1] In paper 2, the
HKEAA has recommended 6 articles as reading materials for referece. In fact, the authority never recommends candidates memorise all the contents of the suggested materials. Furthermore, a wide-ranging reading habit is highly appreciated at all times.
The questions of paper 2 are set based on the following suggested reading materials:#
A Conversation with the Youth about Chinese Culture (Excerpt) (與'年談中國文化),
T'ang Chün-i ("君毅)#
Passion and Chinese Culture (Excerpt) (情與中國文化),
Wu Sen (吳森)#
Traditional Science: Past, Present and Future (With Appendices) (傳統科學的過去，現在與未來),
Liu chün-ts'an (劉君燦)#
The Fundamental Essence of Chinese Arts (中國藝"的基本精神),
Zhao Yongxin (趙永新)#
Traditional Chinese Society (Excerpt) (中國的傳統社會),
Ambrose Yeo-Chi King (金耀基)#
The Raison d'être (人"的意義),
Yin Hai-kuang (殷海光)
NB [2] Reading comprehension can be:
*a 2-piece reading (usually one passage written in
Classical Chinese whereas another in
Vernacular Chinese, a language widely used after the
May Fourth Movement);
*a
speed reading--which could be:
**Type (1) usually contain seven to eight articles which are unrelated to each other, or
**Type (2) three unrelated groups of articles (articles within the same group may have the same theme, and occasionally students are required to compare and contrast them).
In
2005, a "new", "unprecedented" format, a 3-piece reading of which all articles are written in
Vernacular Chinese was formularised. This change, however, stirred up much controversy among candidates. See below. The new format also demands candidates to have a high proficiency in comprehension and understanding of
rhetoric or
euphemism words and phrases.
Controversy of new format
Since
2001, the HKEAA has decided on an across-the-board revamp upon the format of questions in the exam. These changes include the replacement of questions on prescribed texts with open-ended questions in the
questions on culture paper. This was HKEAA's attempt to prevent candidates from rote-memorising the suggested reading materials. This, 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 text, sometimes verbose, neglecting the actual contents.
NB The Cantonese slang is presumably derived from the word "吹水" (Jyutping: Ceoi1 Seoi2, lit. blowing saliva), as defined in Comparative Database of Modern Chinese and Cantonese Vocabulary, developed by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which is equivalent to "吹牛" (Pinyin:Chūi Níu) in Modern Chinese([1]). The latter is defined in Lin Yutang's Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage as "bragging" [2].In
2005, the format of the Reading Comprehension paper 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, which featured in one of the comprehension texts (see
here). The HKEAA reiterated its stance that there has not ever been a "specific" format for the exam, and thus insisted that there was nothing wrong with the paper.
Although the number of subjects offered is large, choices are still limited as each school is only able to offer a few subjects on the list due to budget constraints, with further restrictions on combinations.
*Applied mathematics A/AS
1*Biology A
*Business Studies A
*Chemistry A/AS
*Chinese History A/AS
*Chinese Language and Culture AS
*Chinese Literature A
*Computer Applications AS
3*Computer Studies A
3*Economics A/AS
*Electronics AS
4*Ethics and religious studies AS
*Geography A
*Government and public affairs A/AS
*History A/AS
*Liberal studies AS
*Literature in english A/AS
*Mathematics and statistics AS
1*Physics A/AS
*Principles of accounts A
*Psychology A/AS
*Pure mathematics A
1*Use of English AS
*Visual Arts A/AS
# Applied Mathematics and Pure Mathematics may not be taken with Mathematics and Statistics# Computer Applications may not be taken with Computer Studies# Electronics may not be taken with Physics
Should the proposed reform on senior secondary education be carried out, the HKALE would be abolished and merged with the existing
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination to form the
Hong Kong Diploma for Secondary Education examination at the end of the new, three-year senior secondary curriculum.
*Hong Kong Education Department (1981),
The Hong Kong Education System. Retrieved on May 14, 2005.
*Tang, Kwok-Chun and Bray, Mark (2000). "Colonial models and the evolution of education systems - Centralization and decentralization in Hong Kong and Macau". Journal of Educational Administration
38 (5), p. 482.
*Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (2003). Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination - Regulations & Syllabuses 2005. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. ISBN 962-570-976-2
*
Education in Hong Kong*
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination*
The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority*
Institute of International Education - Information on HKALE Middle Age is Tea-time (中年是下午茶 by
Tung Ch'iao (董橋) (The controversial article that came up with complaints from the candidates in
2005.)
