Pupils at top schools continued to show excellence in English in the new Diploma of Secondary Education exam - but limited Chinese-language skills have cost some of them a place at university.
Most elite schools had a pass rate of close to 100 per cent in English, but saw their pupils struggle in Chinese, a subject in which results at all schools were poorer than in the final A-level exams, which also took place this year.
Typical pass rates in Chinese at top schools were about 80 per cent, compared to 79.3 per cent at all schools, while 95.3 per cent of pupils passed the A-level.
The 70,000 diploma students earned a maximum grade of 5**, with 1 the lowest score. A grade of 2 is considered a pass, but for Chinese and English a grade of 3 is needed for a subsidised university place.
St Paul Co-Educational School pupils scored a 100 per cent pass rate in English, but 8 per cent of pupils there will miss out on a university place after failing to get the required marks in Chinese.
At Diocesan Boys' School in Mong Kok, one of the city's oldest schools with a history dating back to 1869, some pupils vowed to challenge their mark after falling short of the requirement for university.
Principal Terence Chang says the majority of pupils scored well enough for a university place, scoring at least 3 in both languages and achieving level 2 grades in mathematics, the new liberal-studies curriculum and at least one other subject.